Quality Quote: Learn From History or Repeat It

“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” Most likely from writer and philosopher George Santayana, who originally wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

If an organisation does not have a system for managing improvement items (non-conformities, incidents, customer complaints etc) then it is only a matter of time before the same situation recurs.

Continual improvement: the key to not making the same mistake twice

One of the founding principles of Quality Management Systems is continual improvement. This ensures mistakes (complaints, non-conformities, etc) aren’t just corrected, but action is taken to prevent recurrence of the situation. This system of continual improvement provides a framework to ensure:

The situation is corrected and the consequences dealt with
Root cause analysis is undertaken to determine the root cause/s of the situation
An assessment of the root cause/s is undertaken for previous or potential future recurrence
Action is taken to prevent recurrence, so lessons are learned and the same mistake doesn’t happen twice.

In an alternative context, uneducated and unaware world leaders who do not understand the lessons of history will certainly repeat the mistakes of the past, at the expense of their people. Just saying…

Learning from history: FAQs

Who said “those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it”?

The line is most often attributed to the writer and philosopher George Santayana, whose original wording was “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (The Life of Reason, 1905). The version used here is a common paraphrase.

What does it mean for a business?

If you do not capture and act on the lessons from complaints, incidents and non-conformities, the same problems keep recurring. A quality management system turns those events into root-cause analysis and corrective action, so mistakes are prevented rather than repeated.

Related guide: Organisational knowledge and clause 7.1.6, on keeping the lessons your business has already paid for.

Related ISO services

If you want the detail on how this works in practice, read our guide to nonconformance and corrective action in ISO 9001. The same discipline underpins every standard we work with: ISO 9001 quality, ISO 45001 safety, ISO 14001 environment and ISO 27001 information security.

Learning from history is easier with someone who has seen the mistakes before. Book an independent internal audit, or take up ISO mentoring and have an expert coach your team through building a system that actually prevents recurrence.

More quality quotes

Tilt-shift miniature of a factory floor where workers move between stations, with guard rails, clear markings and a supervisor adjusting a workstation layout

“We can change the conditions under which humans work” (James Reason)

Black and white portrait of Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody has thought

Quality quote by Buckminster Fuller on changing reality

You never change things by fighting the existing reality (Attributed to Buckminster Fuller)

The art of persuasion is greater than the strength of force.

A still turquoise alpine lake below forested mountains

The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection

A copy of Aristotle’s Metaphysics on a bookshop shelf

Often Credited to Aristotle

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General guidance only. This article is general information, not legal, financial, safety or compliance advice, and it does not take account of your specific circumstances. Streamline ISO Consultants are ISO management-system consultants, not lawyers or licensed advisers. Standards, laws and regulator guidance change, and details were correct only at the time of writing. Always seek professional advice before acting. See our full Disclaimer.