--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: it is very telling what we don’t hear in…" description: "\"“it is very telling what we don’t hear in eulogies. We almost never hear things like: “The crowning achievement of his life was when he made senior vic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/arianna-huffington-1005_eulogies_it-is-very-telling-what-we-don-t-hear-in_538228.png" --- # it is very telling what we don’t hear in eulogies. We… ![“it is very telling what we don’t hear in eulogies. We almost never hear things like: “The crowning achievement of his life was when he made senior vice president.” Or: “He increased market share for his company multiple times during his tenure.” Or: “She never stopped working. She ate lunch at her…” quote by Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/arianna-huffington-1005_eulogies_it-is-very-telling-what-we-don-t-hear-in_538228.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/arianna-huffington-1005_eulogies_it-is-very-telling-what-we-don-t-hear-in_538228.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/arianna-huffington-1005_eulogies_it-is-very-telling-what-we-don-t-hear-in_538228.png) > ““it is very telling what we don’t hear in eulogies. We almost never hear things like: “The crowning achievement of his life was when he made senior vice president.” Or: “He increased market share for his company multiple times during his tenure.” Or: “She never stopped working. She ate lunch at her desk. Every day.” Or: “He never made it to his kid’s Little League games because he always had to go over those figures one more time.” Or: “While she didn’t have any real friends, she had six hundred Facebook friends, and she dealt with every email in her in-box every night.” Or: “His PowerPoint slides were always meticulously prepared.” Our eulogies are always about the other stuff: what we gave, how we connected, how much we meant to our family and friends, small kindnesses, lifelong passions, and the things that made us laugh.”” [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Eulogies often highlight personal virtues over professional achievements, overlooking daily hard work and dedication. **In simple terms:** Eulogies ignore work details. Key Takeaway Balance personal and professional legacies. Themes legacy work culture recognition Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - Corporate memorials - public speaking - media coverage - family gatherings Key Concepts humility visibility social expectations Questions to Reflect On - What achievements deserve remembrance? - How can we honor everyday contributions? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on sentiment can diminish appreciation of effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eulogies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eulogies/) [Every night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-night/) [Family and friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-and-friends/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Little league](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-league/) [Market share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market-share/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [“Our eulogies are always about the other stuff: what we gave, how we connected, how much we meant to our family and friends, small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-eulogies-are-always-about-the-other-stuff-what-we-gave-how-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People say, "How would you like to be remembered?" I don't want to be remembered. Gimme a break. What I want is to hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/people-say-how-would-you-like-to-be-remembered-i-don-t-want-to-be/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [Have you noticed that when we die, our eulogies celebrate our lives very differently from the way society defines success?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/have-you-noticed-that-when-we-die-our-eulogies-celebrate-our-lives/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [Eulogies never talk about what was on your resume. Be remembered for how you made people feel and your passions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/eulogies-never-talk-about-what-was-on-your-resume-be-remembered-for/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [Why do we spend so much of our limited time on this earth focusing on all the things that our eulogies will never cover?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/why-do-we-spend-so-much-of-our-limited-time-on-this-earth-focusing-on/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [“If I die tomorrow, you aren't allowed to say my life was cut short at age 25. I did more in those years than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisa-mullen/if-i-die-tomorrow-you-aren-t-allowed-to-say-my-life-was-cut-short-at/) [Alisa Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisa-mullen/) > [“Marshall wished he knew what to call her, wished he could memorialize her somehow. There was dignity in eulogies, in little ribbons tied to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dries/marshall-wished-he-knew-what-to-call-her-wished-he-could-memorialize/) [Aaron Dries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dries/) > [“I think eulogies are wasted on the dead. It’s the living who need to hear kind words spoken about them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-think-eulogies-are-wasted-on-the-dead-it-s-the-living-who-need-to/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“When you die I bet you want real life, pure real life, eulogies that are unpoetic and messy, smeared with tears and truisms, cliched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hattemer/when-you-die-i-bet-you-want-real-life-pure-real-life-eulogies-that/) [Kate Hattemer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-hattemer/) > [I'm of an age when if I started to do eulogies, I'd be doing nothing else. You don't want to be remembered? I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/i-m-of-an-age-when-if-i-started-to-do-eulogies-i-d-be-doing-nothing/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Nothing can save you from hate, empty all your treasures and give it to people and one out of the multitudes will curse you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/nothing-can-save-you-from-hate-empty-all-your-treasures-and-give-it/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Most human beings would have never been pained by the death of a human being if they had never seen a human being or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-human-beings-would-have-never-been-pained-by-the-death-of-a/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“True artists do not create to fish for compliments and praises. They create to express the love they have for their craft.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/true-artists-do-not-create-to-fish-for-compliments-and-praises-they/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I love eulogies. They are the most moving kind of speech because they attempt to pluck meaning from the fog, and on short order,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/i-love-eulogies-they-are-the-most-moving-kind-of-speech-because-they/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) ## More by Arianna Huffington > [Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/fearlessness-is-like-a-muscle-i-know-from-my-own-life-that-the-more-i/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [“To live the lives we truly want and deserve, and not just the lives we settle for, we need a Third Metric, a third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/to-live-the-lives-we-truly-want-and-deserve-and-not-just-the-lives-we/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [The next generation will remake the world in a way that allows us to live in a more sustainable way, both personally and globally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/the-next-generation-will-remake-the-world-in-a-way-that-allows-us-to/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [The Huffington Post Investigative Fund's goal is to produce a broad range of investigative journalism created by both staff reporters and freelance writers, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/the-huffington-post-investigative-fund-s-goal-is-to-produce-a-broad/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [A lot of effort and money are - rightly - expended keeping the president physically safe. But it's up to the president to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/a-lot-of-effort-and-money-are-rightly-expended-keeping-the-president/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [“pictures of pictures, or of other”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/pictures-of-pictures-or-of-other/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [There is nothing that can bring you closer to fearlessness about everything else in the world than being a parent - because everyday fears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/there-is-nothing-that-can-bring-you-closer-to-fearlessness-about/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [The journey toward self-discovery is life's greatest adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/the-journey-toward-self-discovery-is-life-s-greatest-adventure/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [What won't work - what can't work - is to act like the last years never happened, and that the survival of the \[mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/what-won-t-work-what-can-t-work-is-to-act-like-the-last-years-never/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [More young people are volunteering than ever before. More people are including service to others on their busy lives' to do list. The promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/more-young-people-are-volunteering-than-ever-before-more-people-are/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [It would be futile to attempt to fit women into a masculine pattern of attitudes, skills and abilities and disastrous to force them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/it-would-be-futile-to-attempt-to-fit-women-into-a-masculine-pattern/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [Being fearless doesn't mean living a life devoid of fear, but living a life in which our fears don't hold us back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/being-fearless-doesn-t-mean-living-a-life-devoid-of-fear-but-living-a/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [I usually start with a big question, such as whether people today are happier than in the past, or why men have dominated women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/i-usually-start-with-a-big-question-such-as-whether-people-today-are/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [All around the country, individuals are choosing to redefine their lives and the pursuit of happiness in ways much closer to the original notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/all-around-the-country-individuals-are-choosing-to-redefine-their/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [I always try to practice what I preach. I meditate for fifteen minutes every day and do yoga several times a week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/i-always-try-to-practice-what-i-preach-i-meditate-for-fifteen-minutes/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) [Explore all 310 Arianna Huffington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) ## More Eulogies quotes > [I love eulogies. They are the most moving kind of speech because they attempt to pluck meaning from the fog, and on short order,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/i-love-eulogies-they-are-the-most-moving-kind-of-speech-because-they/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [People say, "How would you like to be remembered?" I don't want to be remembered. Gimme a break. What I want is to hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/people-say-how-would-you-like-to-be-remembered-i-don-t-want-to-be/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Most human beings would have never been pained by the death of a human being if they had never seen a human being or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-human-beings-would-have-never-been-pained-by-the-death-of-a/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“True artists do not create to fish for compliments and praises. They create to express the love they have for their craft.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/true-artists-do-not-create-to-fish-for-compliments-and-praises-they/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“If I die tomorrow, you aren't allowed to say my life was cut short at age 25. I did more in those years than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisa-mullen/if-i-die-tomorrow-you-aren-t-allowed-to-say-my-life-was-cut-short-at/) [Alisa Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisa-mullen/) > [Why do we spend so much of our limited time on this earth focusing on all the things that our eulogies will never cover?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/why-do-we-spend-so-much-of-our-limited-time-on-this-earth-focusing-on/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [Eulogies never talk about what was on your resume. Be remembered for how you made people feel and your passions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/eulogies-never-talk-about-what-was-on-your-resume-be-remembered-for/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [Have you noticed that when we die, our eulogies celebrate our lives very differently from the way society defines success?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/have-you-noticed-that-when-we-die-our-eulogies-celebrate-our-lives/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [Nothing can save you from hate, empty all your treasures and give it to people and one out of the multitudes will curse you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/nothing-can-save-you-from-hate-empty-all-your-treasures-and-give-it/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I'm of an age when if I started to do eulogies, I'd be doing nothing else. 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Every day.” Or: “He never made it to his kid’s Little League games because he always had to go over those figures one more time.” Or: “While she didn’t have any real friends, she had six hundred Facebook friends, and she dealt with every email in her in-box every night.” Or: “His PowerPoint slides were always meticulously prepared.” Our eulogies are always about the other stuff: what we gave, how we connected, how much we meant to our family and friends, small kindnesses, lifelong passions, and the things that made us laugh.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arianna Huffington" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/it-is-very-telling-what-we-don-t-hear-in-eulogies-we-almost-never/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eulogies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/it-is-very-telling-what-we-don-t-hear-in-eulogies-we-almost-never/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/arianna-huffington-1005_eulogies_it-is-very-telling-what-we-don-t-hear-in_538228.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/arianna-huffington-1005_eulogies_it-is-very-telling-what-we-don-t-hear-in_538228.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/arianna-huffington-1005_eulogies_it-is-very-telling-what-we-don-t-hear-in_538228.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“it is very telling what we don’t hear in eulogies. 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