--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Look to the past and remember no empire…" description: "\"Look to the past and remember no empire rises that sooner or later won't fall.\" — Al Stewart" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d9/al-stewart-25178_empires_look-to-the-past-and-remember-no-empire_1373638.jpg" --- # Look to the past and remember no empire rises that sooner… ![“Look to the past and remember no empire rises that sooner or later won't fall.” quote by Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d9/al-stewart-25178_empires_look-to-the-past-and-remember-no-empire_1373638.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d9/al-stewart-25178_empires_look-to-the-past-and-remember-no-empire_1373638.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d9/al-stewart-25178_empires_look-to-the-past-and-remember-no-empire_1373638.jpg) > “Look to the past and remember no empire rises that sooner or later won't fall.” [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History repeats; all powers eventually decline. **In simple terms:** Empires fall over time. Key Takeaway Remember impermanence of power. Themes history impermanence politics Mood reflective cautionary Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - political analysis - strategic planning - personal ambition - financial markets Key Concepts rise and fall cycles temporal perspective Questions to Reflect On - How do you prepare for inevitable change? - What signs indicate a looming decline? 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Madness the cup they drink from, self destruction the toll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/children-of-the-future-watching-empires-fall-madness-the-cup-they/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [Louis Armstrong playing trumpet on the Judgment Day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/louis-armstrong-playing-trumpet-on-the-judgment-day/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [What's the future of mankind? How do I know, I got left behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/what-s-the-future-of-mankind-how-do-i-know-i-got-left-behind/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [Armies gather in the East for the war that's soon to come. Death will march with the mark of the beast, so seek the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-travis/armies-gather-in-the-east-for-the-war-that-s-soon-to-come-death-will/) [Randy Travis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-travis/) > [“How often do you ignore a dream, dismiss it as fantasy and then see echoes of the dream around you the following day? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-robertson/how-often-do-you-ignore-a-dream-dismiss-it-as-fantasy-and-then-see/) [Samantha Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-robertson/) > [I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-saw-guns-and-sharp-swords-in-the-hands-of-young-children/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“Intuition goes before you, showing you the way. Emotion follows behind, to let you know when you go astray. Listen to your inner voice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/intuition-goes-before-you-showing-you-the-way-emotion-follows-behind/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [“That hope is little more than the premonition of regret. This is the first lesson of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/that-hope-is-little-more-than-the-premonition-of-regret-this-is-the/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [“Wait for me, Kath. Coming soon. I feel it in my bones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-richler/wait-for-me-kath-coming-soon-i-feel-it-in-my-bones/) [Emma Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-richler/) > [I have a premonition that will not leave me: as it goes with Israel so will it go with all of us. Should Israel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/i-have-a-premonition-that-will-not-leave-me-as-it-goes-with-israel-so/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [He said he loved me,” she whispered. Daniel swallowed, and he had the strangest sensation, almost a premonition of what it must like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/he-said-he-loved-me-she-whispered-daniel-swallowed-and-he-had-the/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [Only the dead are truly smart, truly cool. Nothing touches them. While I live, however, I side with bumbling suffering crooked life, with anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakim-bey/only-the-dead-are-truly-smart-truly-cool-nothing-touches-them-while-i/) [Hakim Bey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakim-bey/) > [History repeats the old conceits, the glib replies, the same defeats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/history-repeats-the-old-conceits-the-glib-replies-the-same-defeats/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. "I have wanted to, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/layla-brought-her-arms-around-herself-no-doubt-because-she-was/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) ## More by Al Stewart > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [Jimi Hendrix played loud and free, Sergeant Pepper was real to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/jimi-hendrix-played-loud-and-free-sergeant-pepper-was-real-to-me/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [“The literati in their cellars Perform semantic tarantellas. I wish I did it half as well as them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/the-literati-in-their-cellars-perform-semantic-tarantellas-i-wish-i/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [Do you remember the church across the sands? You stood outside and planned to travel the lands, where the pilgrims go. So you packed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/do-you-remember-the-church-across-the-sands-you-stood-outside-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [Louis Armstrong playing trumpet on the Judgment Day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/louis-armstrong-playing-trumpet-on-the-judgment-day/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [I know there's a big bad world out there, but I rarely come across it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/i-know-there-s-a-big-bad-world-out-there-but-i-rarely-come-across-it/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [“Don't bother asking for explanation, she'll just tell you that she came, in the year of the cat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/don-t-bother-asking-for-explanation-she-ll-just-tell-you-that-she/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [On a morning from a Bogart movie, in a country where they turn back time. You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/on-a-morning-from-a-bogart-movie-in-a-country-where-they-turn-back/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [She doesn't give you time for questions as she locks up your arms in hers. And you follow till your sense of direction completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/she-doesn-t-give-you-time-for-questions-as-she-locks-up-your-arms-in/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [Of all the girls I ever knew some loved and some denied me And all the words I ever said have been no use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/of-all-the-girls-i-ever-knew-some-loved-and-some-denied-me-and-all/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [All those people who go to NASCAR and sing country & western songs and live in Tennessee, they totally ignore me, they don't come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/all-those-people-who-go-to-nascar-and-sing-country-western-songs-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [The evening sings in a voice of amber, the dawn is surely coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/the-evening-sings-in-a-voice-of-amber-the-dawn-is-surely-coming/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [Movie queens diffuse into Cinema haze, while libertines read pornozines in street cafes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/movie-queens-diffuse-into-cinema-haze-while-libertines-read/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [She comes out of the sun in a silk dress, running like a water color in the rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/she-comes-out-of-the-sun-in-a-silk-dress-running-like-a-water-color/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [Whoever you pretend to be, you must face yourself eventually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/whoever-you-pretend-to-be-you-must-face-yourself-eventually/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) [Explore all 23 Al Stewart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) ## More Empires quotes > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Men and women, empires and cities, thrones, principalities, and powers, mountains, rivers, and unfathomed seas, worlds, spaces, and universes, all have their day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/men-and-women-empires-and-cities-thrones-principalities-and-powers/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-the-eyes-of-empire-builders-men-are-not-men-but-instruments/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [the twelve or fifteen millions in the British Empire, who, while they possess no electoral rights, are yet persuaded they are freemen, and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cobden/the-twelve-or-fifteen-millions-in-the-british-empire-who-while-they/) [Richard Cobden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cobden/) > [The reality is that our military presence on foreign soil is as offensive to the people that live there as armed Chinese troops would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-reality-is-that-our-military-presence-on-foreign-soil-is-as/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [It is the soldier and the army, not parliamentary majorities and decisions, that have welded the German Empire together. I put my trust in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-ii/it-is-the-soldier-and-the-army-not-parliamentary-majorities-and/) [Wilhelm II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-ii/) > [ \[Chinese\] are a huge empire now, you'll soon be - in a few years two billion people in the world. So, you should be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/chinese-are-a-huge-empire-now-you-ll-soon-be-in-a-few-years-two/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [ \[In\] the national and religious conflict of the \[Byzantine and Saracen\] empires, peace was without confidence, and war without mercy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-the-national-and-religious-conflict-of-the-byzantine-and-saracen/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. 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