Notably, this quote makes actual historians cringe. But hey, if it sounds cool it must be the Truth!

I hate this quote as it is usually recited by those “weak men”.

People who forget the hard lessons their ancestors learned are doomed to repeat their mistakes.

If there's one thing everyone can agree on, it's that Hitler really brought the good times for the people of Germany.

That's deep bro! I think this was coined by Joe Rogan, right?

Cyclical, like my eyes rolling in my sockets every time I read this quote.

That is an extremely shallow phrase, usually quoted by people who have nothing to add except an appeal to "the good old times" when "men were men".

So is the idea that "history is cyclical". It's literally the bell curve meme, and you're in the middle x)

It's a protofascist phrase, part of the problems we have is people adopting this worldview, that life has to be hard in order to create "good men". It's used to defend rightwing social darwinism.

If anything, history goes the other way around. Fascism ("strong men") comes from good times, as a reaction. They create authoritarianism and discrimination ("bad times"), which slowly liberalizes and equalizes (gives rise to "weak men"). This makes situation better until another fascist takeover.

If this obnoxious and seemingly ubiquitous platitude were actually true, then torture would be a moral duty. Enforced poverty would be a moral duty. Governments would be obligated to regularly arrange mass starvations for their citizens.

I don't believe it. Personally, I think spiritual weakness and religious corruption are more likely culprits -- and not necessarily the type of spirituality or religion that you might be thinking of.

Either way, "good times" is a dangerous place to put the blame. It relieves us of responsibility for our own catastrophes (it was the good times' fault), and it makes us suspicious of prosperity and happiness.

Good times are not evil. We don't need to shun them, provided we keep strengthening the better angels of our nature.