---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the closer we study their lives, and…"
description: "\"But the closer we study their lives, and the better we know their deeds, the more profound is our admiration and the greater our reverence for the Pilg..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/chauncey-depew-24733_able_but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and_527448.jpg"
---

#  But the closer we study their lives, and the better we…

![“But the closer we study their lives, and the better we know their deeds, the more profound is our admiration and the greater our reverence for the Pilgrim fathers. Between the drafting of their immortal charter of liberty in the cabin of the Mayflower and the fruition of their principles in the…” quote by Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/chauncey-depew-24733_able_but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and_527448.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/chauncey-depew-24733_able_but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and_527448.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/chauncey-depew-24733_able_but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and_527448.jpg)

> “But the closer we study their lives, and the better we know their deeds, the more profound is our admiration and the greater our reverence for the Pilgrim fathers. Between the drafting of their immortal charter of liberty in the cabin of the Mayflower and the fruition of their principles in the power and majesty of the republic of the United States of to-day is but a span in the records of the word, and yet it is the most important and beneficent chapter in history. To be able to claim descent from them, either by birth or adoption, is to glory in kinship with God's nobility.”

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Understanding the lives and deeds of the Pilgrims deepens admiration and reverence, linking personal lineage to the nation's founding ideals.

**In simple terms:** Knowing Pilgrims' lives increases respect and ties us to founding values.

Key Takeaway

Honor heritage, uphold founding principles.

Themes

heritage reverence national identity lineage founding ideals

Mood

proud reflective

Type

historical inspirational

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- educational curricula
- public commemorations
- personal genealogy research
- citizen education

Key Concepts

American history civic pride genealogy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does personal ancestry shape civic responsibility?
- In what ways can we honor founding ideals beyond family ties?

A Different Perspective

Mayphasis on lineage may overlook broader contributions of diverse groups.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Admiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admiration/) [Adoption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adoption/) [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Cabins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cabins/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Descent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/descent/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Fruition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruition/) [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Kinship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kinship/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Mayflower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mayflower/) [Nobility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobility/) [Pilgrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilgrim/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) [Republic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republic/) [Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverence/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/)

## Related quotes

> [It is a pity that instead of the Pilgrim Fathers landing on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock had not landed on the Pilgrim Fathers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/it-is-a-pity-that-instead-of-the-pilgrim-fathers-landing-on-plymouth/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [For Debussy the musician and the man I have had profound admiration, but by nature I'm different from him. I think I have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-ravel/for-debussy-the-musician-and-the-man-i-have-had-profound-admiration/)

[Maurice Ravel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-ravel/)

> [I have a profound admiration for Fellini. I met him lately and he's just fantastic. I feel very close to him even though he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/i-have-a-profound-admiration-for-fellini-i-met-him-lately-and-he-s/)

[David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/)

> [To the Pilgrim Mothers, who not only had their full share of the hardships and privations of pioneer life but also had the Pilgrim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-fern/to-the-pilgrim-mothers-who-not-only-had-their-full-share-of-the/)

[Fanny Fern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-fern/)

> [At least the Pilgrim Fathers used to shoot Indians: the Pilgrim Children merely punch time clocks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/at-least-the-pilgrim-fathers-used-to-shoot-indians-the-pilgrim/)

[e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/)

> [Is it not strange that the descendants of those Pilgrim Fathers who crossed the Atlantic to preserve their own freedom of opinion have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/is-it-not-strange-that-the-descendants-of-those-pilgrim-fathers-who/)

[William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/)

> [Whether one traces his Americanism back three centuries to the Mayflower, or three years to the steerage, is not half so important as whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/whether-one-traces-his-americanism-back-three-centuries-to-the/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [All of our people all over the country-except the pure-blooded Indians-are immigrants or descendants of immigrants, including even those who came over here on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/all-of-our-people-all-over-the-country-except-the-pure-blooded/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [A friend of ours has a hobby doing genealogy, and we found out that we were cousins in the ninth degree, that we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-zimmer-bradley/a-friend-of-ours-has-a-hobby-doing-genealogy-and-we-found-out-that-we/)

[Marion Zimmer Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-zimmer-bradley/)

> [The American experience works when people embrace a set of shared values, you come, you work hard, you embrace these values and you're as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/the-american-experience-works-when-people-embrace-a-set-of-shared/)

[Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/)

> [“After Hymns and tears, they boarded the brig Thaddeus, a vessel so crappy, it made the Mayflower look like the QE2.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/after-hymns-and-tears-they-boarded-the-brig-thaddeus-a-vessel-so/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [Most African Americans, if given a chance, would have chosen to be 'just Americans' ever since the first of us was brought here to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-page/most-african-americans-if-given-a-chance-would-have-chosen-to-be-just/)

[Clarence Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-page/)

> [Julian Schnabel painted a picture that he dedicated to my character in Rumble Fish. It was called The Motorcycle Boy. I remember when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rourke/julian-schnabel-painted-a-picture-that-he-dedicated-to-my-character/)

[Mickey Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rourke/)

> [What passes for identity in America is a series of myths about one's heroic ancestors. It's astounding to me, for example, that so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/what-passes-for-identity-in-america-is-a-series-of-myths-about-one-s/)

[James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/)

> [The improved American highway system isolated the American-in-transit. On his speedway he had no contact with the towns which he by-passed. If he stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/the-improved-american-highway-system-isolated-the-american-in-transit/)

[Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/)

## More by Chauncey Depew

> [My dinners have never interfered with my business. They have been my recreation. . . A public banquet, if eaten with thought and care,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/my-dinners-have-never-interfered-with-my-business-they-have-been-my/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [Force was the factor in the government of the world when Christ was born, and force was the source and exercise of authority both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/force-was-the-factor-in-the-government-of-the-world-when-christ-was/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/follow-the-path-of-the-unsafe-independent-thinker-expose-your-ideas/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [If we claim heritage in Bacon, Shakespeare and Milton, we also acknowledge that it was for liberties guaranteed Englishmen by sacred charters our fathers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespeare-and-milton-we-also/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [When Franklin drew the lightning from the clouds, he little dreamed that in the evolution of science his discovery would illuminate the torch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/when-franklin-drew-the-lightning-from-the-clouds-he-little-dreamed/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [As for food, half of my friends have dug their graves with their teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/as-for-food-half-of-my-friends-have-dug-their-graves-with-their-teeth/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [It's pleasant to hear these nice words while I'm still alive. I'd rather have the taffy than the epitaphy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/it-s-pleasant-to-hear-these-nice-words-while-i-m-still-alive-i-d/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [I get my exercise acting as a pallbearer to my friends who exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/i-get-my-exercise-acting-as-a-pallbearer-to-my-friends-who-exercise/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [Neither realism nor romance furnishes a more striking and picturesque figure than that of Christopher Columbus. The mystery about his origin heightens the charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/neither-realism-nor-romance-furnishes-a-more-striking-and-picturesque/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [It is a pity that instead of the Pilgrim Fathers landing on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock had not landed on the Pilgrim Fathers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/it-is-a-pity-that-instead-of-the-pilgrim-fathers-landing-on-plymouth/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [The enjoyment of life would be instantly gone if you removed the possibility of doing something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/the-enjoyment-of-life-would-be-instantly-gone-if-you-removed-the/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [There are millions of stories in the world, and several hundred of them good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/there-are-millions-of-stories-in-the-world-and-several-hundred-of/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [The government of the United States is and always has been a lawyer's government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/the-government-of-the-united-states-is-and-always-has-been-a-lawyer-s/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [The spirit of Columbus hovers over us to-day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/the-spirit-of-columbus-hovers-over-us-to-day/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [It was for Columbus, when the right hour struck, forced and propelled by this fresh life, to reveal the land where these new principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/it-was-for-columbus-when-the-right-hour-struck-forced-and-propelled/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

[Explore all 24 Chauncey Depew quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "But the closer we study their lives, and the better we know their deeds, the more profound is our admiration and the greater our reverence for the Pilgrim fathers. Between the drafting of their immortal charter of liberty in the cabin of the Mayflower and the fruition of their principles in the power and majesty of the republic of the United States of to-day is but a span in the records of the word, and yet it is the most important and beneficent chapter in history. To be able to claim descent from them, either by birth or adoption, is to glory in kinship with God's nobility.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Chauncey Depew"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and-the-better-we-know-their/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and-the-better-we-know-their/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/chauncey-depew-24733_able_but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and_527448.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/chauncey-depew-24733_able_but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and_527448.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/chauncey-depew-24733_able_but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and_527448.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But the closer we study their lives, and the better we know their deeds, the more profound is our admiration…” — Chauncey Depew",
                "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": "Chauncey Depew",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "But the closer we study their...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and-the-better-we-know-their/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and-the-better-we-know-their/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
