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Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it

Meaning: Ignoring past mistakes leads to repeating them.

Origin: George Santayana, The Life of Reason (1905).

Translations

  • French: Ceux qui n'apprennent pas de l'histoire sont condamnés à la répéter (literally: Those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it)
  • Spanish: Los que no aprenden de la historia están condenados a repetirla (literally: Those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it)
  • Japanese: 歴史から学ばない者はそれを繰り返す運命にある (Rekishi kara manabanai mono wa sore wo kurikaesu unmei ni aru) (literally: Those who don't learn from history are fated to repeat it)

More proverbs about Wisdom

  • The early worm gets eaten — Being first isn't always advantageous — sometimes it's risky.
  • Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater — Don't discard something valuable while getting rid of unwanted things.
  • Rob Peter to pay Paul — Solve one problem by creating another.
  • You can't have your cake and eat it too — You can't enjoy two mutually exclusive things simultaneously.
  • Better safe than sorry — It's wiser to be cautious than to take unnecessary risks.
  • A rose by any other name would smell as sweet — The essence of something doesn't depend on what it's called.

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