Logo - Feel The Words

Posterity Quotes

On legacy and being remembered

These quotes question whether virtue can be inherited, with one voice bluntly admitting they don't care what happens once they are gone.

When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary.

Quotes by Thomas Paine

I don't give a tinker's damn for posterity.

Quotes by Mahesh Bhatt

Posterity weaves no garlands for imitators.

Quotes by Friedrich Schiller

I'm not going to write for posterity. I'm going to write to make a buck.

Quotes by Elmore Leonard

After Quotes

The function of posterity is to look after itself.

Quotes by Dylan Thomas

If conquest does not bind posterity, so neither can compact bind it.

Quotes by Charlotte Smith

The Youth of a Nation are the trustees of posterity.

Quotes by Benjamin Disraeli

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the overall attitude toward posterity in these quotes?
Mixed; some speakers dismiss caring about posterity altogether, while others quietly hope their work will be remembered.
Does one quote say virtue can't be inherited?
Yes, it warns that planning for posterity shouldn't assume virtue passes automatically from one generation to the next.
Is there a blunt quote about not caring about legacy?
One speaker admits they don't give a Damn about posterity at all, prioritizing the present instead.
Do any quotes mention writing purely for money rather than legacy?
Yes, one writer states plainly they write to earn a living now, not to be remembered After they're gone.
Is imitation addressed in relation to posterity?
One quote notes that posterity offers no honors to imitators, implying only original work truly endures.

Others are more practical, writing for readers today rather than worrying about who remembers them later, a trade some call a fair Compact.