" What human beings have done in the past, the enormous range in ways of living and possible actions, is a source both of hope and despair. How fascinating it is to consider this variety in human events. We can draw hope from it in the sense that if things have been different in the past, perhaps we’re in a position to make them a little different today. When I say “usefulness”, I don’t mean that history offers us models that we can apply – the details of different situations are too unlike each other. History offers us ideas, points of views, perspectives, landmarks, indices – possibilities. "

― Natalie Zemon Davis , A Passion for History: Conversations with Denis Crouzet