This quotation, by German philosopher Friedrich Hegel, is at least as accurate as the old saw by George Santayana. This page has many other quotations about history, useful for thinking about and teaching about the past, so long as you use them to start your thinking, not stop it.
George Orwell, “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.”
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” — George Orwell
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” — George Orwell (on a statue of George Orwell outside Broadcasting House, the headquarters of the BBC, in London)
“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” – George Orwell
“Readiness to answer all questions is the infallible sign of stupidity.” – Saul Bellow
“[M]en in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous. They will always equate their policies with patriotism, and find criticism subversive.” — Henry Steele Commager
Read more quotes here.