Posterity Quotes

Never forget posterity when devising a policy. Never think of posterity when making a speech.

It is not likely that posterity will fall in love with us, but not impossible that it may respect or sympathize; so a man would rather leave behind him the portrait of his spirit than a portrait of his face.

Why should we put ourselves out of our way to do anything for posterity? For what has posterity ever done for us?

I'm interested in designing for posterity.

A man doesn't plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity.

Each generation takes the earth as trustees. We ought to bequeath to posterity as many forests and orchards as we have exhausted and consumed.

The drafts which true genius draws upon posterity, although they may not always be honored so soon as they are due, are sure to be paid with compound interest in the end.

The success or failure of a life, as far as posterity goes, seems to lie in the more or less luck of seizing the right moment of escape.

The flattery of posterity is not worth much more than contemporary flattery, which is worth nothing.

We are always doing something for posterity, but I would fain see posterity do something for us.

The writing of the wise are the only riches our posterity cannot squander.

Posterity weaves no garlands for imitators.

Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind, which are delivered down from generation to generation as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn.

Is it no imputation to be arraigned before this House, in which I have sat forty years, and to have my name transmitted to posterity with disgrace and infamy?

Christopher Columbus, as everyone knows, is honored by posterity because he was the last to discover America.

The function of posterity is to look after itself.

The Constitution of the United States was made not merely for the generation that then existed, but for posterity- unlimited, undefined, endless, perpetual posterity.

Leibniz dedicated his life to efforts to educate people to understand that true happiness is found by locating their identity in benefitting mankind and their posterity.

And perhaps, posterity will thank me for having shown it that the ancients did not know everything.