Q0487
George Santayana
A verified English rendering from the curated archive.
English
Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim.
Source context
This English passage is associated with The Life of Reason, within the tradition of Naturalism. The wording below is a verified rendering prepared for careful reading rather than a claim of unique translation authority.
A short reading
Read in the register of philosophy, the sentence asks the reader to test an assumption rather than to collect a slogan. In George Santayana's wider work, similar claims are usually offered as prompts for judgment: what would have to be true for the sentence to hold, and what would follow if it did?
How to cite this quotation
APA: George Santayana. (n.d.). Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0487
MLA: George Santayana. “Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0487.
Chicago: George Santayana. “Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0487.