George Santayana in: Analytical Philosophy of Knowledge, CUP Archive, p. 60.
“
Knowledge is not eating, and we cannot expect to devour and possess what we mean. Knowledge is recognition of something absent; it is a salutation, not an embrace.
— George Santayana on Recognition
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Knowledge is not eating, and we cannot expect to devour and possess what we mean. Knowledge is recognition of something absent; it is a salutation, not an embrace." in the context of "George Santayana in: Analytical Philosophy of Knowledge, CUP Archive, p. 60." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Recognition" (Quotes: Quotes are arranged alphabetically by author, S - Z)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About George Santayana
Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, known in English as George Santayana (16 December 1863 in Madrid, Spain – 26 September 1952 in Rome, Italy) was a Spanish-American philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist.
About George Santayana
Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, known in English as George Santayana (16 December 1863 in Madrid, Spain – 26 September 1952 in Rome, Italy) was a Spanish-American philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist.
View all quotes →