--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The legends on the tombstones are…" description: "\"“The legends on the tombstones are eventually worn away as the stone is eroded by rain and wind and centuries. Better to slip away quietly after having..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/barbara-quick-51183_quote_the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventu_1912806.jpg" --- # The legends on the tombstones are eventually worn away as… ![“The legends on the tombstones are eventually worn away as the stone is eroded by rain and wind and centuries. Better to slip away quietly after having lived as fully as one can, doing the very best one can with the gifts one has been given.” quote by Barbara Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/barbara-quick-51183_quote_the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventu_1912806.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/barbara-quick-51183_quote_the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventu_1912806.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/barbara-quick-51183_quote_the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventu_1912806.jpg) > ““The legends on the tombstones are eventually worn away as the stone is eroded by rain and wind and centuries. Better to slip away quietly after having lived as fully as one can, doing the very best one can with the gifts one has been given.”” [Barbara Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-quick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s impermanence suggests we should live fully and then depart quietly, without clinging to legacy. **In simple terms:** Live fully, then let go peacefully. Key Takeaway Embrace the present, accept inevitable fade. Themes mortality legacy humility Mood reflective tranquil Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - end‑of‑life planning - creative projects Key Concepts existentialism stoicism Questions to Reflect On - How will you use your gifts now? - What does a quiet end mean to you? A Different Perspective Legacy is fleeting; societal memory is selective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Abstract words are ancient coins whose concrete images in the give and take of talk have worn away with use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-jaynes/abstract-words-are-ancient-coins-whose-concrete-images-in-the-give/) [Julian Jaynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-jaynes/) > [You can't recall someone whose name has worn away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/you-can-t-recall-someone-whose-name-has-worn-away/) [Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/) > [I wonder how many of our tombstones will have to be inscribed with the epitaph 'Died of too many meetings'?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-whitall-smith/i-wonder-how-many-of-our-tombstones-will-have-to-be-inscribed-with/) [Hannah Whitall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-whitall-smith/) > [“The noble old synagogue had been profaned and turned into a stable by the Nazis, and left open to the elements by the Communists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-noble-old-synagogue-had-been-profaned-and-turned-into-a-stable-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Having read the inscriptions upon the tombstones of the great and little cemeteries, Wang Peng advised the Emperor to kill all the living and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eldridge/having-read-the-inscriptions-upon-the-tombstones-of-the-great-and/) [Paul Eldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eldridge/) > [“Who chose burial monuments? Were the wishes of the deceased taken into consideration? It was a subject I'd never considered before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hubbard/who-chose-burial-monuments-were-the-wishes-of-the-deceased-taken-into/) [Susan Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hubbard/) > [“Tombstones grew like ragged, rotting teeth from the mushy grass-covered ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-druce/tombstones-grew-like-ragged-rotting-teeth-from-the-mushy-grass/) Fiona Druce > [Bah, tombstones are only good for pigeons to sit on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/bah-tombstones-are-only-good-for-pigeons-to-sit-on/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [Many peoples tombstones should read, 'Died at 30. Buried at 60.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-murray-butler/many-peoples-tombstones-should-read-died-at-30-buried-at-60/) [Nicholas Murray Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-murray-butler/) > [“The graveyard was at the top of the hill. It looked over all of the town. The town was hills - hills that issued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-graveyard-was-at-the-top-of-the-hill-it-looked-over-all-of-the/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“I don’t know whether it is that I am built wrong, but I never did seem to hanker after tombstones myself. I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/i-don-t-know-whether-it-is-that-i-am-built-wrong-but-i-never-did-seem/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [“It is as if I were made of stone, as if I were my own tombstone, there is no loophole for doubt or for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/it-is-as-if-i-were-made-of-stone-as-if-i-were-my-own-tombstone-there/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“We will have have the dead at our councils. The ancient Greeks voted by stones; these shall vote by tombstones. It is all quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/we-will-have-have-the-dead-at-our-councils-the-ancient-greeks-voted/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [We think of mortality so little these days... I thought of the stern Victorian determination to keep death in mind, the uncompromising tombstones. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/we-think-of-mortality-so-little-these-days-i-thought-of-the-stern/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [Nothing sells tombstones like a Girl Scout in uniform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-m-appel/nothing-sells-tombstones-like-a-girl-scout-in-uniform/) [Jacob M. Appel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-m-appel/) ## More by Barbara Quick > [“I don't have any words to describe the sensations that keep me from sleep. Demons, perhaps. A sense of unworthiness so staggering that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-quick/i-don-t-have-any-words-to-describe-the-sensations-that-keep-me-from/) [Barbara Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-quick/) > [“Whoever says that girls are kind has never lived among them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-quick/whoever-says-that-girls-are-kind-has-never-lived-among-them/) [Barbara Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-quick/) > [“I gauge the closeness of my friends even now by how helplessly they can make me laugh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-quick/i-gauge-the-closeness-of-my-friends-even-now-by-how-helplessly-they/) [Barbara Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-quick/) > [“I never thought that history would become one of my life's passions. I never even liked history when I was at school, apart from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-quick/i-never-thought-that-history-would-become-one-of-my-life-s-passions-i/) [Barbara Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-quick/) > [“The sky on a clear night is a living, pulsating thing. The stars are like musical notes turned to light, and, like notes, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-quick/the-sky-on-a-clear-night-is-a-living-pulsating-thing-the-stars-are/) [barbara quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-quick/) > [ “You've done her a service to teach her that romantic love is largely made of illusion." \[said Mina.\] "Is it?" Alessandra asked, unable to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-quick/you-ve-done-her-a-service-to-teach-her-that-romantic-love-is-largely/) [Barbara Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-quick/) [Explore all 7 Barbara Quick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-quick/) ## More Tombstones quotes > [Nothing sells tombstones like a Girl Scout in uniform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-m-appel/nothing-sells-tombstones-like-a-girl-scout-in-uniform/) [Jacob M. Appel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-m-appel/) > [We think of mortality so little these days... I thought of the stern Victorian determination to keep death in mind, the uncompromising tombstones. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/we-think-of-mortality-so-little-these-days-i-thought-of-the-stern/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [“We will have have the dead at our councils. The ancient Greeks voted by stones; these shall vote by tombstones. It is all quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/we-will-have-have-the-dead-at-our-councils-the-ancient-greeks-voted/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“It is as if I were made of stone, as if I were my own tombstone, there is no loophole for doubt or for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/it-is-as-if-i-were-made-of-stone-as-if-i-were-my-own-tombstone-there/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“I don’t know whether it is that I am built wrong, but I never did seem to hanker after tombstones myself. I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/i-don-t-know-whether-it-is-that-i-am-built-wrong-but-i-never-did-seem/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [“The graveyard was at the top of the hill. It looked over all of the town. The town was hills - hills that issued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-graveyard-was-at-the-top-of-the-hill-it-looked-over-all-of-the/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Many peoples tombstones should read, 'Died at 30. Buried at 60.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-murray-butler/many-peoples-tombstones-should-read-died-at-30-buried-at-60/) [Nicholas Murray Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-murray-butler/) > [Bah, tombstones are only good for pigeons to sit on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/bah-tombstones-are-only-good-for-pigeons-to-sit-on/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [“Tombstones grew like ragged, rotting teeth from the mushy grass-covered ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-druce/tombstones-grew-like-ragged-rotting-teeth-from-the-mushy-grass/) Fiona Druce > [“Who chose burial monuments? Were the wishes of the deceased taken into consideration? It was a subject I'd never considered before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hubbard/who-chose-burial-monuments-were-the-wishes-of-the-deceased-taken-into/) [Susan Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hubbard/) > [Having read the inscriptions upon the tombstones of the great and little cemeteries, Wang Peng advised the Emperor to kill all the living and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eldridge/having-read-the-inscriptions-upon-the-tombstones-of-the-great-and/) [Paul Eldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eldridge/) > [“The noble old synagogue had been profaned and turned into a stable by the Nazis, and left open to the elements by the Communists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-noble-old-synagogue-had-been-profaned-and-turned-into-a-stable-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I wonder how many of our tombstones will have to be inscribed with the epitaph 'Died of too many meetings'?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-whitall-smith/i-wonder-how-many-of-our-tombstones-will-have-to-be-inscribed-with/) [Hannah Whitall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-whitall-smith/) > [“Tombstones don´t list jobs, they list relationships-mother, wife, daughter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-delinsky/tombstones-don-t-list-jobs-they-list-relationships-mother-wife/) [Barbara Delinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-delinsky/) > [“Tombstones covered the dale, the smooth marble surfaces bright. She had spent days here as a teenager, though not out of any awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/tombstones-covered-the-dale-the-smooth-marble-surfaces-bright-she-had/) [Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/) Browse all 45 Tombstones quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The legends on the tombstones are eventually worn away as the stone is eroded by rain and wind and centuries. Better to slip away quietly after having lived as fully as one can, doing the very best one can with the gifts one has been given.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barbara Quick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-quick/the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventually-worn-away-as-the-stone/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Tombstones" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-quick/the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventually-worn-away-as-the-stone/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/barbara-quick-51183_quote_the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventu_1912806.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/barbara-quick-51183_quote_the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventu_1912806.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/barbara-quick-51183_quote_the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventu_1912806.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The legends on the tombstones are eventually worn away as the stone is eroded by rain and wind and…” — Barbara Quick", "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": "Barbara Quick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-quick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The legends on the tombstones are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-quick/the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventually-worn-away-as-the-stone/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-quick/the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventually-worn-away-as-the-stone/#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 } } ] } ```