I like the dream of the future better than the history of the past. (Thomas Jefferson)
Jefferson was certainly well aware of past history, but his many talents were engaged in working toward a prosperous future of freedom and progress. He hoped to see a group of independent states united in a single nation, and he played no small part in it. He was also the founder of the University of Virginia, so his future hopes were realized for the great benefit of all of us.
A dream fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12).