translated by Eric Hobsbawm on p. 12 of Nations and Nationalism Since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality (Cambridge University Press, 1992) from French original ("L'oubli et je dirai même l'erreur historique, sont un facteur essentiel de la formation d'une nation et c'est ainsi que le progrès des études historiques est souvent pour la nationalité un danger"), page 7-8 of Qu’est-ce qu’une nation ?
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Getting its history wrong is part of being a nation
— Ernest Renan
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Getting its history wrong is part of being a nation" in the context of "translated by Eric Hobsbawm on p. 12 of Nations and Nationalism Since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality (Cambridge University Press, 1992) from French original ("L'oubli et je dirai même l'erreur historique, sont un facteur essentiel de la formation d'une nation et c'est ainsi que le progrès des études historiques est souvent pour la nationalité un danger"), page 7-8 of Qu’est-ce qu’une nation ?" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Ernest Renan" (Attributed)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Ernest Renan
Ernest Renan (February 28, 1823 – October 12, 1892) was a French philosopher, playwright, historian, and writer.
About Ernest Renan
Ernest Renan (February 28, 1823 – October 12, 1892) was a French philosopher, playwright, historian, and writer.
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