Those who cannot remember...

Posted by Henry on May 08, 2003

In Reply to: History Repeats Itself posted by ESC on May 08, 2003

: : Who said,

: : "History Repeats Itself"

: : Thanks in advance!

: : --Brock

: HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF - "History follows a pattern of events that recur in different eras. Also used to refer to anything that happens more than once. The proverb has been traced back to 'Rufus Historie' . It was later used in 'Scenes of Clerical Life' by English novelist George Eliot (1819-80). First attested in the United States in 'Marian Rooke' by H. Sedley." From Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

From the Columbia Book of Quotations, available online at bartleby.com:

QUOTATION:Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

ATTRIBUTION:George Santayana (1863-1952), U.S. philosopher, poet. Life of Reason, "Reason in Common Sense," ch. 12 (1905-6). William L. Shirer made these words the epigraph for his Rise and Fall of the Third Reich .