Well, I screwed up. I claimed to have found the source of the quote "He who forgets his own history is condemned to repeat it." I referenced this sort of problem in blog entry Security Redux. I even said, I got it from a "reputable source (i.e., not the Internet)"

Only that sources was wrong. I wrongly credited Sir Walter Scott. When I failed to find the quote anywhere on the Internet, I started to figure I was wrong. (Ironic, eh?)

The quote was wrong as was the author. According to the online version of The Columbia World of Quotations at http://www.bartleby.com/66/29/48129.html, the correct quote is, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." The attribution is "George Santayana (1863–1952), U.S. philosopher, poet. Life of Reason, 'Reason in Common Sense,' ch. 12 (1905-6)." Measure twice, cut once. Or, in this case, don't believe everything you see on the Internet, but also do not believe everything you read on paper. And maybe Scott did say something along these lines, but I cannot find it.