--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We rarely know who our ancestors were…" description: "\"We rarely know who our ancestors were. Who can even remember the names of their great-grandparents? They have vanished into the dim and distant past\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/dmitri-volkogonov-59048_ancestor_we-rarely-know-who-our-ancestors-were-wh_1648716.png" --- # We rarely know who our ancestors were. Who can even… ![“We rarely know who our ancestors were. Who can even remember the names of their great-grandparents? They have vanished into the dim and distant past” quote by Dmitri Volkogonov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/dmitri-volkogonov-59048_ancestor_we-rarely-know-who-our-ancestors-were-wh_1648716.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/dmitri-volkogonov-59048_ancestor_we-rarely-know-who-our-ancestors-were-wh_1648716.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/dmitri-volkogonov-59048_ancestor_we-rarely-know-who-our-ancestors-were-wh_1648716.png) > “We rarely know who our ancestors were. Who can even remember the names of their great-grandparents? They have vanished into the dim and distant past” [Dmitri Volkogonov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-volkogonov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often lose track of distant ancestors, making family history obscure and forgotten. **In simple terms:** Ancestral knowledge fades over generations. Key Takeaway Encourage documenting family histories. Themes family history memory identity genealogy Mood reflective nostalgic Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - family reunions - DNA testing services - personal archives - educational workshops Key Concepts intergenerational transmission historical records Questions to Reflect On - What methods can preserve ancestral names accurately? - How does knowing ancestors shape personal identity? A Different Perspective Oral histories may be unreliable without corroboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) [Ancestors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestors/) [Grandparent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandparent/) [Great grandparents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-grandparents/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [When we know about our ancestors, when we sense them as living and as supporting us, then we feel connected to the genetic life-stream,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-carr-gomm/when-we-know-about-our-ancestors-when-we-sense-them-as-living-and-as/) [Philip Carr-Gomm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-carr-gomm/) > [So as you go into battle, remember your ancestors and remember your descendants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-as-you-go-into-battle-remember-your-ancestors-and-remember-your/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [“Studying the history of our ancestors is instructive. I understand some of my parents’ struggles and sacrifices. I am acquainted with my grandparents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/studying-the-history-of-our-ancestors-is-instructive-i-understand/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [Till now, society has protected the adult and blamed the victim. It has been abetted in its blindness by theories, still in keeping with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/till-now-society-has-protected-the-adult-and-blamed-the-victim-it-has/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Kenya is rapidly developing its industry and manufacturing, and its cultural identity as a new country. We had a humongous history pre-British, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/kenya-is-rapidly-developing-its-industry-and-manufacturing-and-its/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [ \[On James Gould Cozzens' By Love Possessed:\] It is a vast enterprise encompassing all sorts of love, except, naturally, those branches which extend to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/on-james-gould-cozzens-by-love-possessed-it-is-a-vast-enterprise/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Posterity is the patriotic name for grandchildren.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-linkletter/posterity-is-the-patriotic-name-for-grandchildren/) [Art Linkletter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-linkletter/) > ["You're more trouble than the children are" is the greatest compliment a grandparent can receive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-perret/you-re-more-trouble-than-the-children-are-is-the-greatest-compliment/) [Gene Perret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-perret/) > [Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you'll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/contrary-to-what-those-in-power-would-like-you-to-believe-so-that-you/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [We are living on average today 34 years longer than our great-grandparents did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/we-are-living-on-average-today-34-years-longer-than-our-great/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [From the windows of my office in Boston ... I can see the Golden Stairs from Boston Harbor where all eight of my great-grandparents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/from-the-windows-of-my-office-in-boston-i-can-see-the-golden-stairs/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [Young people need something stable to hang on to - a culture connection, a sense of their own past, a hope for their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-kesler/young-people-need-something-stable-to-hang-on-to-a-culture-connection/) [Jay Kesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-kesler/) > [To a small child, the perfect granddad is unafraid of big dogs and fierce storms but absolutely terrified of the word "boo."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/to-a-small-child-the-perfect-granddad-is-unafraid-of-big-dogs-and/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [As a young child, it became crystal clear to me that there were certain rights and privileges that other people had that my mother,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/as-a-young-child-it-became-crystal-clear-to-me-that-there-were/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/what-children-need-most-are-the-essentials-that-grandparents-provide/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) ## More by Dmitri Volkogonov > [All revolutions are bloody. The October Revolution was bloodless, but it was only the beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-volkogonov/all-revolutions-are-bloody-the-october-revolution-was-bloodless-but/) [Dmitri Volkogonov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-volkogonov/) > [It is surely indisputable that no single leader in the twentieth century exerted as great an influence on the course of world history as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-volkogonov/it-is-surely-indisputable-that-no-single-leader-in-the-twentieth/) [Dmitri Volkogonov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-volkogonov/) > [Dogmatism grew from the soil of simplistic and frequently wrong concepts. Dogmatism is like a ship that has run aground: the waves run, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-volkogonov/dogmatism-grew-from-the-soil-of-simplistic-and-frequently-wrong/) [Dmitri Volkogonov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-volkogonov/) > [The man who occupies the first place in an undemocratic state can give himself any award that takes his fancy, but it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-volkogonov/the-man-who-occupies-the-first-place-in-an-undemocratic-state-can/) [Dmitri Volkogonov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-volkogonov/) [Explore all 5 Dmitri Volkogonov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-volkogonov/) ## More Ancestor quotes > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [Food binds us to our roots as strongly as any song or poem. Many of us have learned more about our ancestors in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-thomas/food-binds-us-to-our-roots-as-strongly-as-any-song-or-poem-many-of-us/) [Anna Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-thomas/) > [Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-allen/whereas-our-ancestors-not-of-choice-were-the-first-successful/) [Richard Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-allen/) > [Going where no man has gone before is more difficult than it sounds. Our cousins and ancestors were no less curious than we are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/going-where-no-man-has-gone-before-is-more-difficult-than-it-sounds/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-use-the-phrase-sibling-society-to-suggest-a-culture-fundamentally/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [“A very long time ago, some 2.5 million years B.C., the mother of human species as we know it, our ultimate ancestor, appeared in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/a-very-long-time-ago-some-2-5-million-years-b-c-the-mother-of-human/) [Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [Southerners, whose ancestors a hundred years ago knew the horrors of a homeland devastated by war, are particularly determined that war shall never come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/southerners-whose-ancestors-a-hundred-years-ago-knew-the-horrors-of-a/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [And I saw for the first time how, despite the isolation of our own lives, we are always connected to our ancestors; our bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-richman/and-i-saw-for-the-first-time-how-despite-the-isolation-of-our-own/) [Alyson Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-richman/) > [There is an ancient Indian saying: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." If we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/there-is-an-ancient-indian-saying-we-do-not-inherit-the-earth-from/) [Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/) > [It is how it has always been. We will accept the legacy of our ancestors,' Asha says, smiling, and in her smile I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/it-is-how-it-has-always-been-we-will-accept-the-legacy-of-our/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [My ancestors came over from Germany about the time of the Civil War and one of them lost a leg and went back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/my-ancestors-came-over-from-germany-about-the-time-of-the-civil-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) Empress Dowager Cixi > [A solitary American monk named Thomas Berry writes that in our relationship to nature, we have been autistic for centuries. Wrapped tightly in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/a-solitary-american-monk-named-thomas-berry-writes-that-in-our/) [Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/) [Browse all 767 Ancestor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We rarely know who our ancestors were. Who can even remember the names of their great-grandparents? They have vanished into the dim and distant past", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dmitri Volkogonov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-volkogonov/we-rarely-know-who-our-ancestors-were-who-can-even-remember-the-names/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancestor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-volkogonov/we-rarely-know-who-our-ancestors-were-who-can-even-remember-the-names/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/dmitri-volkogonov-59048_ancestor_we-rarely-know-who-our-ancestors-were-wh_1648716.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/dmitri-volkogonov-59048_ancestor_we-rarely-know-who-our-ancestors-were-wh_1648716.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/dmitri-volkogonov-59048_ancestor_we-rarely-know-who-our-ancestors-were-wh_1648716.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We rarely know who our ancestors were. Who can even remember the names of their great-grandparents? They…” — Dmitri Volkogonov", "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": "Dmitri Volkogonov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-volkogonov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We rarely know who our ancestors...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-volkogonov/we-rarely-know-who-our-ancestors-were-who-can-even-remember-the-names/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-volkogonov/we-rarely-know-who-our-ancestors-were-who-can-even-remember-the-names/#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 } } ] } ```