Reinhart Koselleck Quotes
Reinhart Koselleck was a German historian and philosopher and the principal architect of the school of conceptual history known as Begriffsgeschichte. After studies under Karl Lowith and Hans-Georg Gadamer, he held a long professorship at Bielefeld and was the central editor of the monumental Geschichtliche Grundbegriffe, the historical lexicon of fundamental concepts of German political and social language. The quotes below are attributed to Reinhart Koselleck, organized by topic.
Reinhart Koselleck on Knowledge
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Attributed to Reinhart Koselleck:
“The historian must read concepts as carefully as events.”
Reinhart Koselleck on Politics
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Attributed to Reinhart Koselleck:
“Concepts are not just mirrors of history; they shape it.”
Reinhart Koselleck on Time
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Attributed to Reinhart Koselleck:
“History takes place in the tension between expectation and experience.”
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Attributed to Reinhart Koselleck:
“Modernity is the experience of the acceleration of time.”
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Attributed to Reinhart Koselleck:
“What we call progress is also the loss of older possibilities.”