John Darwin > Quotes

“Since histories were first written, the aim of the writer has invariably been to ‘correct’ our view of the past, and to align it more closely with the writer’s view of the present, and the way it was reached.”
― John Darwin, Unfinished Empire: The Global Expansion of Britain

“When he arrived in Calicut on India’s Malabar coast, he re-established contact with Europe via the familiar Middle Eastern route used by travellers and merchants. It was a feat of seamanship, but in other respects his visit was not entirely auspicious. When he was taken to a temple by the local Brahmins, Vasco assumed that they were long-lost Christians. He fell on his knees in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary. It turned out to be the Hindu goddess Parvati. Meanwhile the Muslim merchants in the port were distinctly unfriendly, and, after a scuffle, Vasco decided to beat an early retreat and sail off home.”
― John Darwin, After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000

“the British ruled India (population 250 millions) with an administrative cadre of under 1,000.”
― John Darwin, Unfinished Empire: The Global Expansion of Britain

“When Europeans attempted to render the sound of Islamic names, they produced over the centuries extraordinary variations in spelling, some of which seem bizarre today.”
― John Darwin, After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000