History is philosophy teaching by examples.

The aphorism treats history not as mere chronicle but as a practical branch of wisdom: by observing concrete cases—wars, political decisions, civic failures—readers learn how human motives and institutions tend to behave. It implies that historical narrative can function like philosophy, but with evidence supplied by lived events rather than abstract argument. The emphasis on “examples” suggests a didactic purpose: history offers patterns, cautions, and analogies for statesmen and citizens. Although often linked to Thucydides because his History of the Peloponnesian War aims to be useful for understanding recurring human behavior, the line itself is best understood as a later summary of that Thucydidean ideal.