Q0212
“Toward the past history of one’s own country, one should hold a…” — Qian Mu (Outline of National History, Introduction)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Outline of National History, Introduction. Theme: time.
English
Toward the past history of one’s own country, one should hold a warmth of feeling and a sense of respect.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Outline of National History, Introduction and files it under Modern Chinese Thought. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Qian Mu
Qian Mu (1895–1990) was a leading modern historian of Chinese thought who defended the continuity of China’s cultural tradition amid revolution and Westernization. Largely self-taught, he taught in mainland universities before settling in Hong Kong and later Taiwan.
How to read this passage
Is time a river, a dimension, or a structure of consciousness? Augustine, Bergson, and modern metaphysics offer rival pictures while ethics asks how finite time should be spent. This passage enters that discussion through time, society, dignity.
Concepts in this quote
- Time
- Philosophy of time asks what tense and duration are—and how memory, death, and history shape a human life.
- Society
- Society is the web of institutions, customs, and mutual expectations in which individual freedom takes shape.
- Dignity
- Dignity names the worth that persons claim simply as persons—and the respect that worth demands.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Qian Mu. (n.d.). Toward the past history of one’s own country, one should hold a warmth of feeling and a sense of respect. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0212
MLA: Qian Mu. “Toward the past history of one’s own country,….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0212.
Chicago: Qian Mu. “Toward the past history of one’s own country,….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0212.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Toward the past history of one’s own country,…”?
The passage is attributed to Qian Mu, Outline of National History, Introduction. The archive attributes this English wording to Outline of National History, Introduction and files it under Modern Chinese Thought. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Qian Mu mean by time?
Is time a river, a dimension, or a structure of consciousness? Augustine, Bergson, and modern metaphysics offer rival pictures while ethics asks how finite time should be spent. This passage enters that discussion through time, society, dignity.