America is the greatest of opportunities and the worst of influences. George Santayana More Quotes by George Santayana More Quotes From George Santayana Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana infancy-is history past The Difficult is that which can be done immediately; the Impossible that which takes a little longer. George Santayana perseverance courage motivational Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. George Santayana savages infancy-is progress The wisest mind has something yet to learn. George Santayana diversity wisdom graduation We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will be the past; and we must respect the past, remembering that it was once all that was humanly possible. George Santayana welcome future past Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. In the first stage of life the mind is frivolous and easily distracted; it misses progress by failing in consecutiveness and persistence. This is the condition of children and barbarians, in which instinct has learned nothing from experience. George Santayana persistence change children Life is not a spectacle or a feast; it is a predicament. George Santayana spectacles predicaments life A country without a memory is a country of madmen. George Santayana motivational inspirational country Sanity is madness put to good use. George Santayana madness use history Christianity persecuted, tortured, and burned. Like a hound it tracked the very scent of heresy. It kindled wars, and nursed furious hatreds and ambitions. It sanctified, quite like Mohammedism, extermination and tyranny. All this would have been impossible if, like Buddhism, it had looked only for peace and the liberation of souls. It looked beyond; it dreamt of infinite blisses and crowns it should be crowned with before an electrified universe and an applauding God... Buddhism had tried to quiet a sick world with anesthetics; Christianity sought to purge it with fire. George Santayana buddhism ambition war Advertising is the modern substitute for argument, its function is to make the worse appear the better article. A confused competition of all propagandas -- those insults to human nature -- is carried on by the most expert psychological methods -- for instance, by always repeating a lie. George Santayana confused competition lying To be happy you must have taken the measure of your powers, tasted the fruits of your passion, and learned your place in the world. George Santayana passion taken world Wisdom lies in taking everything with good humor and a grain of salt. George Santayana good-humor grain-of-salt lying There is wisdom in turning as often as possible from the familiar to the unfamiliar: it keeps the mind nimble, it kills prejudice, and it fosters humor. George Santayana growth humor mind To know what people really think, pay regard to what they do, rather than what they say. George Santayana philosophical inspirational life It is war that wastes a nations wealth, chokes its industries, kills its flower, narrows its sympathies, condemns it to be governed by adventurers, and leaves the puny, deformed, and unmanly to breed the next generation. George Santayana generations flower war The mass of mankind is divided into two classes, the Sancho Panza's who have a sense for reality, but no ideals, and the Don Quixote's with a sense for ideals, but mad. George Santayana class two reality If you prefer illusions to realities, it is only because all decent realities have eluded you and left you in the lurch; or else your contempt for the world is mere hypocrisy and funk. George Santayana hypocrisy reality world There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. George Santayana birthday inspirational life Everything in nature is lyrical in its ideal essence, tragic in its fate, and comic in its existence. George Santayana fate nature summer
