Original artwork, not a still
The Life of Reason, Vol. 1 • 1905
Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Progress isn't just swapping old things for new ones, according to this view; it needs memory. Without it there's nothing to build on. Those who can't remember the past are stuck repeating it, so retentiveness is what lets improvement accumulate over time.
Context reviewed
