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Effects💬 QuotesThe Past Is a Foreign Country

The Past Is a Foreign Country

This opening line from L.P. Hartley's novel 'The Go-Between' is a beautiful and often-quoted reflection on memory and history, but its second clause is frequently slightly altered.

What People Remember

Many remember the line as 'The past is a foreign country; they *have done* things differently there' or '...they *always did* things differently there.'

What's Actually True

The full, original line is 'The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there,' using the present tense 'do.'

Tags

#quotes#literary#l p hartley#novel#memory

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