George Santayana Quotes


It would be hard to conceive a system of instincts more nicely adjusted, where the constituents should represent or support one another better. The husband has an interest in protecting the wife, she in serving the husband. The weaker gains in authority and safety, the wilder and more unconcerned finds a help-mate at home to take thought of his daily necessities. Parents lend children their experience and a vicarious memory; children endow their parents with a vicarious immortality.


Citations

Santayana, George. The Life of Reason: Or the Phases of Human Progress, Vol. 2, Reason in Society. C. Scribner's Sons, 1905, p. 38.

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George Santayana
George Santayana
  • Born: December 16, 1863
  • Died: September 26, 1952
  • Nationality: Spanish
  • Profession: Philosopher

Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, known in English as George Santayana, was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. Originally from Spain, Santayana was raised and educated in the US from the age of eight and identified himself as an American, although he always retained a valid Spanish passport. At the age of 48, Santayana left his position at Harvard and returned to Europe permanently.