History is divided into two roughly equal parts -- source for quote?

February 19, 2013 4:07 PM

Can anyone give me a original source for this (almost certainly garbled) quote? "History is divided into two roughly equal parts -- that which probably never happened and that which doesn't matter much anyway".

I have no context for this - it cropped up in conversation and for various reasons I don't want to ask the person who said it.

posted by unSane to media & arts (2 answers total)

Events in the past may be roughly divided into those which probably never happened and those which do not matter. This is what makes the trade of historian so attractive. -- W. R. Inge, Dean of St Paul's

Found via The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations.
posted by dhartung at 4:20 PM on February 19

Awesome! Hole in one! I bow down.
posted by unSane at 4:40 PM on February 19