From The Quotable Mises — surrounding passage

We seek truth, not guilt; we want to know how things came about to understand them, not to issue condemnations. Nation, State, and Economy , p. 1 It is not the task of history to gratify the need of the masses for heroes and scapegoats. Nation, State, and Economy , p. 1 It is not the task of history to project the hatred and disagreements of the present back into the past and to draw from battles fought long ago weapons for the disputes of one’s own time. Nation, State, and Economy , p. 2

“History makes one wise, but not competent to solve concrete problems.”

Epistemological Problems of Economics , p. xxiii If history could teach us anything, it would be that private property is inextricably linked with civilization. Omnipotent Government , p. 58 Every action adds something to history, affects the course of future events, and is in this sense a historical fact. The most trivial performance of daily routine by dull people is no less a historical datum than is the most startling innovation of the genius. Theory and History , p.