Before you study the history, study the historian.. Before you study the historian, study his historical and social environment. The historian, being an individual, is also a product of history and society; and it is in this twofold light that the student of history must learn to regard him.

E.H. Carr, What is History?, 1962
(via tritticodelledelizie)

[Camille Desmoulins] had a stutter, but despite countless attempts to find a remedy, only one worked, which his family discovered when Camille was eleven. One of his father’s military friends visited the house and made a comment about the laziness of the poor, at which the enraged Desmoulins blurted out an eloquent tirade without a single stumble. Maybe doctors should try this with any patient who stutters, suggesting ‘Have you tried an angry speech about the monarchy?’

Mark Steel’s Vive La Revolution. (via ice—queen)

corsicanbaby:

date a man who speaks up when he believes in something. date a man who is into being a martyr for his country. date a man who can write. date a man who calls for 10,000 heads to fall for the sake of the republic. date a man who spends time in the sewers. date a man who takes long baths. date a man who was stabbed in the bathtub. date Jean-Paul Marat.