History Quotes / WrittenByTheWinners

->If I win, I'm a prodigy. If I lose, then I'm mad. That's the way history is written.
-->-- '''Literature/ArtemisFowl'''

->The important thing is that the glory of the winners' ascendant fortune gives everything of theirs -- [[YouAreTheNewTrend even their dress]], [[DoubleConsciousness their gait, their conversation]] -- [[MightyWhitey a radiance that makes them desirable]]. And people do not merely adopt them, [[YouWillBeAssimilated but are proud to adopt them]]. Then they bring forth, by means of intellectual arguments, many benefits of this.

->''"There '''are''' no goodies and baddies. There's just whoever's '''tough enough''' to be in charge of the story '''today'''--and even '''they're''' just waiting to be [[FullCircleRevolution knocked over by the next fanatic in line]]."''
-->-- '''Lona Aphra''', ''ComicBook/StarWarsDoctorAphra''

->[Ruffnut] let him go with a grin. "So… where I think we want to end…" She exaggeratedly looked him up and down lasciviously, making him laugh. "Well, aside from bed tonight, how's this?" She cleared her throat, and said in her 'saga' voice, ''"And Magnus the Good was seen as a kind and strong king, unquestioned in his authority over his kingdoms—"''\\

"''—Kingdoms,''" she continued, and said tartly, "don't interrupt, it's rude, '' 'kingdoms, and seen as wise and insightful, and beloved by all, having established early in his reign that dissent was acceptable… but rebellion was not.' ''" She cleared her throat. "How's that?"\\
"Ambitious," he said, and took a deep breath. "Very ambitious. I mean, Ruff… I have almost no real power or influence—and the people I would need to get it from want to keep it that way."\\

-->--''Fanfic/AThingOfVikings'', [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/10408971/chapters/30625665 Chapter 36]]

->Historians in England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes.

->Half of history is hiding the truth.

->[[ColdBloodedTorture What I'm doing here]] is good for my people if I get results. If I save them. Y'see, there is no [[TortureTechnician H]] and [[WesternTerrorists Younger]]. There's only victory and defeat. The winner gets to take the moral high-ground because they get to write the history books. The loser just loses.

-->--'''Mujtaba''', ''Film/{{Waar}}''

->He who controls the past, controls the future; he who controls the present, controls the past.
-->-- ''[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]]''

-->-- ''{{Literature/Julian}}''

->After all, words are what remain when all the deeds have been done. Words can shatter faith; start a war; change the course of history. A story can make your heart beat faster; topple walls; scale mountains – hey, a story can even raise the dead. And that's why the [[GuileHero King of Stories]] ended up being [[TopGod King of the Gods]]; because ''writing'' history and ''making'' history are only the breadth of a page apart.
-->--''Literature/TheGospelOfLoki''

->'''Henry Pleasants''': Worse luck for the country, you chewed up the whole Army of the Potomac pretty good, you and those damned repeaters of yours.\\
'''Nate Caudell''': I wouldn’t say it’s worse luck for the country.\\
'''Henry Pleasants''': No, I don’t suppose you would. [[DiscussedTrope And since your side won, the history books won’t say that, either. But I do. It’s too damn bad.]]
-->--''Literature/TheGunsOfTheSouth''

->'''Londo:''' [[ColonyDrop Mass drivers?!]] They have been outlawed by every civilized planet!\\

->'''Mido:''' Losing the proxy battle means I withdraw our forces, relinquish Hokuto, and that [[ArtifactOfDoom Pandora's Box]] is the shared property of the three nations! [[IGaveMyWord I agreed to those conditions!]]\\
'''[[CorruptCorporateExecutive Nanba]]:''' Then you can ignore those conditions. Winners write history. [[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans If you take control, you can make any justifications you want afterwards.]]
-->-- ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'', "The Genius Arrives With a Tank"

->'''Dukat:''' It takes a great man to admit he's wrong. And that's what Ghemor did. I'm speaking of his last-minute change of heart -- his deathbed decision to embrace the new Dominion government.\\
'''Sisko:''' That's very moving, except for one small problem: it never happened.\\
'''Weyoun:''' As you say, [[BastardlySpeech it's a small problem]].
-->-- ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E19TiesOfBloodAndWater Ties of Blood and Water]]"

->''"I knew I shouldn't go...'cause when the victors rewrite history, it's just another kind of war...waged after the battlefield killing is done...to murder the memory of the defeated."''
-->-- '''Takeshi Kovacs''', ''Series/AlteredCarbon'', "Fallen Angel"

->No weak men in the books at home\\
The strong men who have made the world\\
History lives in the books at home\\
The books at home
-->-- '''Music/GangOfFour'', "Not Great Men"

-->--Imperial Thought for the Day, ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''

'''UsefulNotes/JohnAdams:''' (''scoffs'') I have more to do than stand here all day listening to you [[QuotingMyself quote yourself]].\\

->Our history is nothing more than what the losers settle for!

A man's called a [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters traitor - or liberator]]\\
A rich man's a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive thief]] - or [[WealthyPhilanthropist philanthropist]]\\
Is one a [[KnightInShiningArmour crusader]] - or [[EvilColonialist ruthless invader]]?\\

->This is for the record. History is written by the victor. History is filled with liars. If he lives and we die, his truth becomes written - and ours is lost. [[BigBad Shepherd]] will be a hero. 'Cause all you need to change the world is one good lie and a river of blood. He's about to complete the greatest trick a liar ever played on history. His truth will be the truth. But only if he lives, and we die.
-->-- '''Captain Price''', ''[[VideoGame/ModernWarfare Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]]''

->Though its face may change throughout the ages, history is written from the hand of the victor. By your actions this day... You ensure our people a glorious tomorrow.
-->-- ''Creator/SidMeier's VideoGame/{{Civilization}} VI'', if you win a [[TakeOverTheWorld Domination victory]]

->He who controls the past, commands the future. He who commands the future, conquers the past.

->Losers don't matter in the history books. He's a fucking footnote.

->The power wrought by Ul'dahn prosperity was that of justice and good, while the power wrought by Sil'dihn knowledge was horrific beyond belief─the power to rip the living soul out of a man and render him a mindless killing machine. On this matter, the histories are clear. But riddle me this, my friend: who writes the histories, and what does this say of the words writ within? Yes, truth can be elusive and fickle as the shifting sands... As one example, did you know that in the war against Sil'dih, Ul'dahn and Amalj'aa warriors fought side by side? Likely, you did not. And neither did I, until I encountered a faded passage in an ancient text buried deep in our archives. And yet, in the histories read by the populace, you will see no mention of this most fascinating fact. Might it be that someone, at some time, deemed this particular truth less than convenient? Hm hm hm...? But I have said enough already...

->The victor shall write the tale, and the vanquished become its villain!

->Thank you for coming. I wish to share the results of my research regarding [[BigBad Merga]] and the water dragon people. At first, what I found merely reaffirmed everything we already knew... That the water dragons turned violent. That Merga was their greatest warrior. That many Shang Tusians died defending themselves from the Parusan scourge. Then I realized that the books I had read were all written by earth dragons and their descendants. I scoured the library for any book that could possibly recount history from a water dragon's perspective. I found it within a handwritten book of flowers and horticulture. There were various annotations by the author describing what was then to her current events. If what she wrote is true, then... I'm so sorry, Lilac. [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Merga]] is right to be angry.
-->-- '''The Royal Magister''', ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet2''

'''[[PlayerCharacter Avatar]]:''' History decides heroes and villains on a different basis than reality. Perhaps the stories got Arvis wrong. [[DiscussedTrope He did lose out in the end, after all]]...
-->-- ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', intro dialogue for [[DownloadableContent "Lost Bloodlines 2"]]

->It is easy to rewrite history when the few who know the truth are unable to make themselves heard.

->The legends paint the Antarans as ruthless, xenophobic killers, but we all know that history is written by the victors.
-->-- '''Ectron Victor,''' ''VideoGame/MasterOfOrion''

->And he who controls the battlefield, controls history.

->I'm talking ideals. ...Forget it, we've both heard enough speeches about higher causes by now. History will decide [[MightMakesRight who is right]]. [[BringIt End of story]].
-->-- '''Samuel "Jetstream" Rodrigues''', ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance''

->As a young man, I revered historical records and treated them as fact. I followed in the footsteps of Herodotus, and I sought to experience history first-hand, even when it meant [[MentalTimeTravel taking dangerous leaps through time and space]], aided by [[HigherUnderstandingThroughDrugs chemical agents that are, at best, prohibited]]. I came to realise at last something fundamental: history is interpretation. There's no singular truth. There are no facts. History isn't only written by the victor; it's ''rewritten'' by subsequent victors, or ''losers'' who come into possession of the victors' texts, or-or-or the mistresses of victors who figured they'd write themselves into history to ensure immortality!
-->-- '''Iain Tibet Gladstone,''' ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld''

->''"Those that get in the way are the ones that get called "Villains", while those who win get to be called "Heroes", you know..."''

->It's normal for history to be revised in favor of those who hold the power. The documents in this library are no exception. It's perfectly possible for someone to have made edits to them. But it's my belief that no one has the power to blot out the truth entirely. I like to read the same texts over and over again. That way, I can spot some of the truths hidden between the lines...
-->-- '''An Imperial scholar''', ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses''

->''"Yet there is more to the story, for history is naught but accounts recorded by the victorious."'''
-->-- '''Lord Lester [=DeRosso=]''', ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault''

->''[X] has defeated the [[LesCollaborateurs Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia]] in a war.''
->''The traitors will never get to tell their side of the story.''
-->-- '''Samara capitulation message''', ''Videogame/TheNewOrderLastDaysofEurope''

->''We were all taught of the Darcsen Calamity, and how their actions forever scorched the land. But this account told a different story. The Valkyrur invaded this land from the north, slaying the indigenous Darcsen people as they came. Their grasp of Ragnite technology and the art of war were vastly superior. They trained the destructive power of Ragnite on the Darcsen's land, burned it to ash, then had the gall to pass the blame for their inhuman deeds off on their Darcsen slaves. Darcsens have borne that stigma ever since, while the Valkyrur became godlike saviors. The victors simply rewrote the history books.''
-->-- '''Faldio Landzaat''', ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles''

->Waging war is no sin -- losing a war is.

-->--'''RD Reynolds''', ''Website/WrestleCrap'', [[http://www.wrestlecrap.com/inductions/induction-eric-bischoffs-wwe-debut-the-hug-that-flushed-millions-down-the-crapper/ "Eric Biscoff's WWE - The Hug That Flushed Millions Down the Crapper"]]

-->-- '''John Green''', ''WebVideo/CrashCourse'', "The Vikings!"

->21 engagements! That's a lot of potential war crime trials, which is why we have to win.

->History is a procession of victories by the strong over the weak. It is not that the weak never win, but only that, in winning, they ''become'' the strong. In winning they control the writing of history. So, they were ''always'' strong. History is strength.

->Now remember, class, please take this new history book with a grain of salt, since it focuses primarily on the history of white Western males.

->"For my part, I consider that it will be found much better by all Parties to leave the past to history, especially as I propose to write that history myself."

-->-- '''[[ThoseWackyNazis Hermann Göring]]'''

->Killing Japanese didn't bother me very much at that time... I suppose if I had lost the war, I would have been tried as a war criminal.... Every soldier thinks something of the moral aspects of what he is doing. But all war is immoral and if you let that bother you, you're not a good soldier.

-->--'''Arthur Schopenhauer''', ''Parerga and Paralipomena II'', §233

->'''Mordor Commander"''' You cheated. Even the knights of the North will not shake your hand.\\

->[Ruffnut] let him go with a grin. "So… where I think we want to end…" She exaggeratedly looked him up and down lasciviously, making him laugh. "Well, aside from bed tonight, how's this?" She cleared her throat, and said in her 'saga' voice, ''"And Magnus the Good was seen as a kind and strong king, unquestioned in his authority over his kingdoms—"''\\

"''—Kingdoms,''" she continued, and said tartly, "don't interrupt, it's rude, '' 'kingdoms, and seen as wise and insightful, and beloved by all, having established early in his reign that dissent was acceptable… but rebellion was not.' ''" She cleared her throat. "How's that?"\\
"Ambitious," he said, and took a deep breath. "Very ambitious. I mean, Ruff… I have almost no real power or influence—and the people I would need to get it from want to keep it that way."\\
"You have me, you have Tuffnut, you have Yngvarr, and, oh yeah, you have Berk. You've got us, Magnus. It'll be tricky, but we can do it."\\
"It'll be hard," he said, shaking his head, a small smile on his face. "But your confidence is inspiring."\\
She smirked. "Well, the ones who write the sagas are the winners, yeah?" She snuggled up next to him. "I wanna write that one."

-->-- ''Magneto''', ''[[ComicBook/XMen Heroes for Hope]]''

->If Kira is caught, then Kira is evil. If he wins and rules the world, Kira is justice.

->[[MightMakesRight Those who stand at the top determine what's wrong and what's right!]] [[BigBadassBattleSequence This very place is neutral ground!]] JusticeWillPrevail, you say?! But of course it will!! [[CharacterFilibuster Whoever wins this war becomes justice!!!]]

->'''Mordor Commander''': You cheated. Even the knights of the North will not shake your hand.\\
'''Aragorn''': Of course they won't, since they will be kneeling before the new King of Gondor! I beat you in an honest fight, one on one – so it shall be written in all the history books. As for you, they won't even remember your name, I'll make sure of that. Actually, we can make it even more interesting: let you be killed by a midget, some tiny little dwarf with hairy paws. Or by a broad... yes, that's how we'll do it.

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

->'''Londo''': [[ColonyDrop Mass drivers?!]] They have been outlawed by every civilized planet!\\
'''Lord Refa''': These are uncivilized times.\\
'''Londo''': We have treaties!\\
'''Refa''': Ink on a page.
-->-- ''Series/BabylonFive'', "The Long, Twilight Struggle"

-->-- ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', "Contagion"

'''Finn:''' [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters The difference between generals and terrorists, Doctor, is only the difference between winners and losers.]] You win, you're called a general. You lose...\\

-->-- ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', "The High Ground"

->'''Dukat'''. It takes a great man to admit he's wrong. And that's what Ghemor did. I'm speaking of his last minute change of heart -- his deathbed decision to embrace the new Dominion government.\\
'''Sisko''': That's very moving, except for one small problem: It never happened.\\
'''Weyoun''': As you say, it's a [[BastardlySpeech small problem]].
-->-- ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', "Ties of Blood and Water"'

->There's an ancient Indian saying that something lives only as long as the last person who remembers it. My people have come to trust memory over history. Memory, like fire, is radiant and immutable while history only serves those who seek to control it, those who would douse the flame of memory in order to put out the dangerous fire of truth. Beware these men, for they are dangerous themselves ... and unwise. Their false history is written in the blood of those who might remember it and of those who seek the truth.
-->-- '''Albert Hosteen''', ''Series/TheXFiles'', "The Blessing Way"

'''Henry Pleasants''': No, I don’t suppose you would. [[DiscussedTrope And since your side won,the history books won’t say that, either. But I do. It’s too damn bad.]]

->'''Henry Pleasants''':Worse luck for the country, you chewed up the whole Army of the Potomac pretty good, you and those damned repeaters of yours.\\
'''Nate Caudell''':I wouldn’t say it’s worse luck for the country.\\
'''Henry Pleasants''':No, I don’t suppose you would. [[DiscussedTrope And since your side won,the history books won’t say that, either. But I do. It’s too damn bad.]]

'''Henry Pleasants''':No, I don’t suppose you would.[[DiscussedTrope And since your side won,the history books won’t say that, either. But I do. It’s too damn bad.]]

->...History isn't always written by the winners, but when it's written by the losers, they're really bitter about the winners.
-->-- '''John Green''', WebVideo/CrashCourse

->So history isn't always written by the winners, but when it's written by the losers, they're really bitter about the winners.

-->-- ''Videogame/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope''

[[folder: Web Videos]]