Q0194
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” — George Santayana (The Life of Reason, Vol. 1,…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Life of Reason, Vol. 1, Ch. 12 (1905). Theme: time.
English
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Life of Reason, Vol. 1, Ch. 12 (1905) and files it under Naturalism. 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 George Santayana
George Santayana (1863–1952) was a Spanish-born American philosopher, poet, and novelist who taught at Harvard before retiring to Europe. The Life of Reason and Scepticism and Animal Faith develop a naturalistic yet Platonizing vision.
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.
Concepts in this quote
- Time
- Philosophy of time asks what tense and duration are—and how memory, death, and history shape a human life.
How to cite this quotation
APA: George Santayana. (n.d.). Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0194
MLA: George Santayana. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0194.
Chicago: George Santayana. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0194.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned…”?
The passage is attributed to George Santayana, The Life of Reason, Vol. 1, Ch. 12 (1905). The archive attributes this English wording to The Life of Reason, Vol. 1, Ch. 12 (1905) and files it under Naturalism. 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 George Santayana 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.