ProverbWisdom
American origin1905
American origin1905Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it
Meaning: Ignoring past mistakes leads to repeating them.
Origin: The line comes from the philosopher George Santayana's The Life of Reason (1905), where it reads: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Santayana was arguing that progress depends on keeping what experience has taught. The line has been quoted so often, usually with "history" in place of "the past," that it now circulates as a proverb.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, and German
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)
German: Wer die Vergangenheit nicht kennt, ist dazu verdammt, sie zu wiederholen (literally: Whoever does not know the past is condemned to repeat it)
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- Nazar değmesin Knock on wood; hope nothing ruins this good thing.
- Armut piş, ağzıma düş Wanting everything handed to you without effort.
- ऊँट के मुँह में जीरा (Ūṅṭ ke muṅh meṅ jīrā) A laughably tiny amount for something that needs much more.
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