Quote of the Day 17th December 2013


"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"

George Santayana (from "Life of Reason I")

This saying is often misquoted (most often along the lines of "Those who cannot remember history are doomed to repeat it.) Similar quotations are often ascribed to Edmund Burke (as “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”) and Winston Churchill.

Churchill is often supposed to have quoted Santaya, through the nearest I could find was this statment:

“When the situation was manageable it was neglected, and now that it is thoroughly out of hand we apply too late the remedies which then might have effected a cure. There is nothing new in the story. It is as old as the sibylline books. It falls into that long, dismal catalogue of the fruitlessness of experience and the confirmed unteachability of mankind. Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong–these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.”

Other reflections on the frequent misuse of this quote include

“Those unable to catalog the past are doomed to repeat it.”
 
( Lemony Snicket, The End - the last of the "Series of unfortunate events" books)

and

"Those who misquote George Santayana are condemned to paraphrase him."

(on an internet forum called Now Public by a poster using the name "Denseatoms.")

Comments

Jim said…
I prefer a simple saying, though i never really atribute it to anyone.

but it is quite effeftive and very simple, and was taught to me by my history teacher at school Mr Luthwaite, when i asked "what is the point of learning history, its the past, i am more interested in the future"

he answered simply:

"those who dont learn from History are those who are doomed to reapeat the same mistakes James, its not always your own mistakes you are wisest to learn from"

this was a bit of a joke between us as you have no idea of the amount of time i once spent writing "wise people learn from their mistakes, fools do not"
6:19 pm
Jim said…
by the way, off topic, but i see in the MSM the government are still sticking firm to the "renegotiation after the general election" line" in regard to romania and bulgaria.

good luck with that one :)
7:01 pm
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