--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anyone who has lived Is an historian & an…" description: "\"“Anyone who has lived Is an historian & an artifact, For they hold all their time within them.”\" — Amanda Gorman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58e/amanda-gorman-13784_artifact_anyone-who-has-lived-is-an-historian-an_2295268.jpg" --- # Anyone who has lived Is an historian & an artifact, For… ![“Anyone who has lived Is an historian & an artifact, For they hold all their time within them.” quote by Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58e/amanda-gorman-13784_artifact_anyone-who-has-lived-is-an-historian-an_2295268.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58e/amanda-gorman-13784_artifact_anyone-who-has-lived-is-an-historian-an_2295268.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58e/amanda-gorman-13784_artifact_anyone-who-has-lived-is-an-historian-an_2295268.jpg) > ““Anyone who has lived Is an historian & an artifact, For they hold all their time within them.”” [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person holds all their history within themselves, becoming a living record. **In simple terms:** People are living histories. Key Takeaway Recognize personal history. Themes identity memory self reflection Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal memoirs - interviews - therapy - genealogy Key Concepts historiography self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - How does your personal story shape your present? - What parts of yourself are you preserving? A Different Perspective May overlook external influences on identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artifact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artifact/) [Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The book itself is a curious artifact, not showy in its technology but complex and extremely efficient: a really neat little device, compact, often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-not-showy-in-its-technology-but-2/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [If you make something, it's an artifact. It's something that somebody or some corporate entity has caused to come into being. A great many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/if-you-make-something-it-s-an-artifact-it-s-something-that-somebody/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [No artifact is a work of art if it does not help to humanize us. Without art...our world would have remained a jungle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/no-artifact-is-a-work-of-art-if-it-does-not-help-to-humanize-us/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [A book is more than the sum of its materials. It is an artifact of the human mind and hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/a-book-is-more-than-the-sum-of-its-materials-it-is-an-artifact-of-the/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [Wine is not discovered but made: it is an artifact that can be appraised that can be appraised aesthetically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-crane/wine-is-not-discovered-but-made-it-is-an-artifact-that-can-be/) [Tim Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-crane/) > [In Tetrad form, the artifact is seen to be not neutral or passive, bur an active logos or utterance of the human mind or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/in-tetrad-form-the-artifact-is-seen-to-be-not-neutral-or-passive-bur/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Luxury, not necessity, is the mother of invention. Every artifact is somewhat wanting in its function, and that is what drives its evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/luxury-not-necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention-every-artifact-is/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [“An artifact can be thought of as a meeting point—an “interface” in today’s terms—between an “inner” environment, the substance and organization of the artifact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-a-simon/an-artifact-can-be-thought-of-as-a-meeting-point-an-interface-in/) [Herbert A. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-a-simon/) > [The smallest detail can contribute to the whole, I think particularly with emotion, you want it to be as authentic as it can, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weir/the-smallest-detail-can-contribute-to-the-whole-i-think-particularly/) [Peter Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weir/) > [The novel is an artifact, which is why antiquarians cling to it so fervently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/the-novel-is-an-artifact-which-is-why-antiquarians-cling-to-it-so/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [“Let's just call it an artifact of a misspent youth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/let-s-just-call-it-an-artifact-of-a-misspent-youth/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [“Parcifal is one of those corkscrew artifact of culture in which you get the subjective sense that you've learned something from it, something valuable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/parcifal-is-one-of-those-corkscrew-artifact-of-culture-in-which-you/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [History is just this froth of artifact production that has appeared in the last ten to fifteen thousand years. It spread across the planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/history-is-just-this-froth-of-artifact-production-that-has-appeared/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“It’s the invention of clothes, not nature, that made “private parts” private.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/it-s-the-invention-of-clothes-not-nature-that-made-private-parts/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“A.: Whatever; you must know how it works. An artifact containing... raw feelings, unprocessed sights and sounds and pains that the brain interprets- is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cantero/a-whatever-you-must-know-how-it-works-an-artifact-containing-raw/) [Edgar Cantero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cantero/) ## More by Amanda Gorman > [As a young black woman, I notice at times in the mainstream media framing of the 'me too' movement you see a white female…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/as-a-young-black-woman-i-notice-at-times-in-the-mainstream-media/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [I think we run into issues when our online brands are not rooted in who we are, and I think we need to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/i-think-we-run-into-issues-when-our-online-brands-are-not-rooted-in/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [Whenever I listen to songs, I rewrite them in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/whenever-i-listen-to-songs-i-rewrite-them-in-my-head/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [The oration of poetry, I consider to be its own art form and tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/the-oration-of-poetry-i-consider-to-be-its-own-art-form-and-tradition/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [My speech impediment wasn't a stutter but it was dropping several letters that I just could not say for several years, most specifically the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/my-speech-impediment-wasn-t-a-stutter-but-it-was-dropping-several/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [Poetry has never been the language of barriers, it's always been the language of bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/poetry-has-never-been-the-language-of-barriers-it-s-always-been-the/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [Poetry is the lens we use to interrogate the history we stand on and the future we stand for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/poetry-is-the-lens-we-use-to-interrogate-the-history-we-stand-on-and/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [It's this weird binary where I'm getting media images and narratives thrown at me all the time through something I hold in my hand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/it-s-this-weird-binary-where-i-m-getting-media-images-and-narratives/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [I'm a student at Harvard University, and currently work as the United States Youth Poet Laureate, a community organizer, and an activist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/i-m-a-student-at-harvard-university-and-currently-work-as-the-united/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [I grew up at this incredibly odd intersection in Los Angeles, where it felt like the black 'hood met black elegance met white gentrification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/i-grew-up-at-this-incredibly-odd-intersection-in-los-angeles-where-it/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [I think it made me all that much stronger of a writer when you have to teach yourself how to say words from scratch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/i-think-it-made-me-all-that-much-stronger-of-a-writer-when-you-have/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [It wasn't until I was named Youth Poet Laureate of L.A. in high school though that I officially began calling myself a poet. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/it-wasn-t-until-i-was-named-youth-poet-laureate-of-l-a-in-high-school/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [I have to interweave my poetry with purpose. For me, that purpose is to help people, and to shed a light on issues that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/i-have-to-interweave-my-poetry-with-purpose-for-me-that-purpose-is-to/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [But as for the future, I foresee a world which is more creative, more open, more loving, more ecologically friendly, more honest about its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/but-as-for-the-future-i-foresee-a-world-which-is-more-creative-more/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [One: whose shoulders do you stand on? And two: what do you stand for? These are two questions that I always begin my poetry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/one-whose-shoulders-do-you-stand-on-and-two-what-do-you-stand-for/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) [Explore all 49 Amanda Gorman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) ## More Artifact quotes > [“A.: Whatever; you must know how it works. 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Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [In Tetrad form, the artifact is seen to be not neutral or passive, bur an active logos or utterance of the human mind or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/in-tetrad-form-the-artifact-is-seen-to-be-not-neutral-or-passive-bur/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [“It’s the invention of clothes, not nature, that made “private parts” private.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/it-s-the-invention-of-clothes-not-nature-that-made-private-parts/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Luxury, not necessity, is the mother of invention. Every artifact is somewhat wanting in its function, and that is what drives its evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/luxury-not-necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention-every-artifact-is/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [Wine is not discovered but made: it is an artifact that can be appraised that can be appraised aesthetically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-crane/wine-is-not-discovered-but-made-it-is-an-artifact-that-can-be/) [Tim Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-crane/) > [A book is more than the sum of its materials. It is an artifact of the human mind and hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/a-book-is-more-than-the-sum-of-its-materials-it-is-an-artifact-of-the/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [History is just this froth of artifact production that has appeared in the last ten to fifteen thousand years. It spread across the planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/history-is-just-this-froth-of-artifact-production-that-has-appeared/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [No artifact is a work of art if it does not help to humanize us. Without art...our world would have remained a jungle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/no-artifact-is-a-work-of-art-if-it-does-not-help-to-humanize-us/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [“Let's just call it an artifact of a misspent youth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/let-s-just-call-it-an-artifact-of-a-misspent-youth/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [The novel is an artifact, which is why antiquarians cling to it so fervently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/the-novel-is-an-artifact-which-is-why-antiquarians-cling-to-it-so/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [If you make something, it's an artifact. It's something that somebody or some corporate entity has caused to come into being. A great many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/if-you-make-something-it-s-an-artifact-it-s-something-that-somebody/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“An artifact can be thought of as a meeting point—an “interface” in today’s terms—between an “inner” environment, the substance and organization of the artifact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-a-simon/an-artifact-can-be-thought-of-as-a-meeting-point-an-interface-in/) [Herbert A. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-a-simon/) > [“ Oh, for heavens sake, she thought with droll exasperation, this certainly explains a lot. It's no wonder I haven't been able to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/oh-for-heavens-sake-she-thought-with-droll-exasperation-this/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) [Browse all 17 Artifact quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artifact/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Anyone who has lived Is an historian & an artifact, For they hold all their time within them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amanda Gorman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/anyone-who-has-lived-is-an-historian-an-artifact-for-they-hold-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artifact" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/anyone-who-has-lived-is-an-historian-an-artifact-for-they-hold-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58e/amanda-gorman-13784_artifact_anyone-who-has-lived-is-an-historian-an_2295268.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58e/amanda-gorman-13784_artifact_anyone-who-has-lived-is-an-historian-an_2295268.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58e/amanda-gorman-13784_artifact_anyone-who-has-lived-is-an-historian-an_2295268.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Anyone who has lived Is an historian & an artifact, For they hold all their time within them.” — Amanda Gorman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Amanda Gorman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Anyone who has lived Is an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/anyone-who-has-lived-is-an-historian-an-artifact-for-they-hold-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/anyone-who-has-lived-is-an-historian-an-artifact-for-they-hold-all/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```