Plutarch said that “The world of man is best captured through the lives of the men who created history.” 

He was a Greek historian who lived around 2,000 years ago, and is most famous for his work Parallel Lives, which is a series of biographies of the lives of the great Greek and Roman citizens who came before him.  He wrote it in pairs—the biographies of two men written in parallel—so that he could show readers the moral virtues and vices common to those who had made their mark on history.  Some of the subjects he wrote about include people you may have heard of: Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Cicero, Cato the Elder, Pompey and Mark Antony.

Plutarch is quoted in Shakespeare’s plays; he is one of the reasons good schools today teach virtue and not just academics; and his works were read and known by the American founders. 

Some people today think that history is a useless subject.  What good is it to study the life of a person who lived hundreds or thousands of years ago?  What can the past really teach us?

Plutarch’s answer was simple: “To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future.”

The Bible is full of history, and Paul’s letter to the Romans, which he wrote during Plutarch’s lifetime, tells us that “[ ] whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

So, when you study history, don’t just memorize what happened, where it happened, and when.  Think about the people, the decisions they made, and the lessons their lives can teach us today, so that you can be good and wise for the future.

Have a wonderful day.