---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How many great ones may remember'd be…"
description: "\"How many great ones may remember'd be, Which in their days most famously did flourish, Of whom no word we hear, nor sign now see, But as things wip'd o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/edmund-spenser-2090_authorship_how-many-great-ones-may-remember-d-be-wh_1105081.jpg"
---

#  How many great ones may remember'd be, Which in their days…

![“How many great ones may remember'd be, Which in their days most famously did flourish, Of whom no word we hear, nor sign now see, But as things wip'd out with a sponge do perish, Because the living cared not to cherish No gentle wits, through pride or covetize, Which might their names forever…” quote by Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/edmund-spenser-2090_authorship_how-many-great-ones-may-remember-d-be-wh_1105081.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/edmund-spenser-2090_authorship_how-many-great-ones-may-remember-d-be-wh_1105081.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/edmund-spenser-2090_authorship_how-many-great-ones-may-remember-d-be-wh_1105081.jpg)

> “How many great ones may remember'd be, Which in their days most famously did flourish, Of whom no word we hear, nor sign now see, But as things wip'd out with a sponge do perish, Because the living cared not to cherish No gentle wits, through pride or covetize, Which might their names forever memorize!”

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

## About This Quote

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

Famous people fade when society neglects to remember and honor them, leading to their erasure.

**In simple terms:** Great people are forgotten without remembrance.

Key Takeaway

Preserve and celebrate achievements.

Themes

memory legacy neglect pride

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- history lessons
- family stories
- museum curation
- educational curricula

Key Concepts

ephemerality cultural amnesia celebration

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we ensure lasting remembrance?
- What role does community play in preserving legacy?

A Different Perspective

Even with effort, some legacies fade due to changing values.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Authorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authorship/) [Gentle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentle/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/)

## Related quotes

> [Giving up on someone you love, wishing they cared about you as much as you cherish them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/giving-up-on-someone-you-love-wishing-they-cared-about-you-as-much-as/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The reasons why we do the things we do will not always be the ones that others will remember. Sometimes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ay-b-mi-ad-b-y/the-reasons-why-we-do-the-things-we-do-will-not-always-be-the-ones-2/)

[Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ay-b-mi-ad-b-y/)

> [“I bet you think fellas are the ones to remember a girl -- don't you?" He shook his head hurriedly, that he'd always thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-algren/i-bet-you-think-fellas-are-the-ones-to-remember-a-girl-don-t-you-he/)

[Nelson Algren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-algren/)

> [“It's you young folks what's going to make the changes, y'all's the ones. You got to lead and you got to fight and move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/it-s-you-young-folks-what-s-going-to-make-the-changes-y-all-s-the/)

[Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/)

> [“The Christmas memories you make this year will be the ones you remember in the years to come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-sorenson/the-christmas-memories-you-make-this-year-will-be-the-ones-you/)

[Toni Sorenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-sorenson/)

> [The spectacular catches are the ones that you remember detail for detail. The ones with two hands, it's kind of routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deandre-hopkins/the-spectacular-catches-are-the-ones-that-you-remember-detail-for/)

[DeAndre Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deandre-hopkins/)

> [Throughout your life you will come to understand that there is a role for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/throughout-your-life-you-will-come-to-understand-that-there-is-a-role/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The championship moments are always the best and the ones you remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zion-williamson/the-championship-moments-are-always-the-best-and-the-ones-you-remember/)

[Zion Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zion-williamson/)

> [“The reasons why we do the things we do will not always be the ones others will remember. Sometimes I think we have children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ay-b-mi-ad-b-y/the-reasons-why-we-do-the-things-we-do-will-not-always-be-the-ones/)

[Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ay-b-mi-ad-b-y/)

> [I've always said that the games in November are the ones you remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-corso/i-ve-always-said-that-the-games-in-november-are-the-ones-you-remember/)

[Lee Corso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-corso/)

> [We build our lives in moments, and even the ones we can't remember become the story of who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-center/we-build-our-lives-in-moments-and-even-the-ones-we-can-t-remember/)

[Katherine Center](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-center/)

> [Peers can be the best teachers, because they're the ones that remember what it's like to not understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/peers-can-be-the-best-teachers-because-they-re-the-ones-that-remember/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The stories we hear in our childhood are the ones we remember all our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-stories-we-hear-in-our-childhood-are-the-ones-we-remember-all-our/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [We do not remember days, we remember moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-do-not-remember-days-we-remember-moments/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Remember that your days on this earth are counted and you might as well make the best of those you have left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/remember-that-your-days-on-this-earth-are-counted-and-you-might-as/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

## More by Edmund Spenser

> [“All this world's glory seemeth vain to me, And all their shows but shadows, saving she.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/all-this-world-s-glory-seemeth-vain-to-me-and-all-their-shows-but/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [The merry cuckow, messenger of Spring, His trumpet shrill hath thrice already sounded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/the-merry-cuckow-messenger-of-spring-his-trumpet-shrill-hath-thrice/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [Much can they praise the trees so straight and high, The sailing pine,the cedar proud and tall, The vine-prop elm, the poplar never dry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/much-can-they-praise-the-trees-so-straight-and-high-the-sailing-pine/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [All flesh doth frailty breed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/all-flesh-doth-frailty-breed/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [“The whiles some one did chaunt this louely lay; Ah see, who so faire thing doest faine to see, In springing flowre the image…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/the-whiles-some-one-did-chaunt-this-louely-lay-ah-see-who-so-faire/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [Fretting grief the enemy of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/fretting-grief-the-enemy-of-life/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [Make haste therefore, sweet love, whilst it is prime, For none can call again the passed time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/make-haste-therefore-sweet-love-whilst-it-is-prime-for-none-can-call/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [In one consort there sat cruel revenge and rancorous despite, disloyal treason and heart-burning hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/in-one-consort-there-sat-cruel-revenge-and-rancorous-despite-disloyal/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [Good is no good, but if it be spend, God giveth good for none other end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/good-is-no-good-but-if-it-be-spend-god-giveth-good-for-none-other-end/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [“There is nothing lost, but may be found, if sought. (No hay nada perdido, que no pueda encontrarse, si se lo busca)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/there-is-nothing-lost-but-may-be-found-if-sought-no-hay-nada-perdido/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [“It is the mynd, that maketh good or ill, That maketh wretch or happie, rich or poore: For some, that hath abundance at his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/it-is-the-mynd-that-maketh-good-or-ill-that-maketh-wretch-or-happie/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [Sweet breathing Zephyrus did softly play, A gentle spirit, that lightly did delay Hot Titan's beams, which then did glister fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/sweet-breathing-zephyrus-did-softly-play-a-gentle-spirit-that-lightly/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [I was promised on a time To have reason for my rhyme; From that time unto this season, I received nor rhyme nor reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/i-was-promised-on-a-time-to-have-reason-for-my-rhyme-from-that-time/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [“For love is a celestial harmony Of likely hearts compos'd of stars' concent, Which join together in sweet sympathy, To work each other's joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/for-love-is-a-celestial-harmony-of-likely-hearts-compos-d-of-stars/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

> [Sleep after toil, port after stormy seas, Ease after war, death after life does greatly please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/sleep-after-toil-port-after-stormy-seas-ease-after-war-death-after/)

[Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

[Explore all 186 Edmund Spenser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/)

## More Authorship quotes

> [To write well is to think well, to feel well, and to render well; it is to possess at once intellect, soul, and taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/to-write-well-is-to-think-well-to-feel-well-and-to-render-well-it-is/)

[Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/)

> [A man starts upon a sudden, takes Pen, Ink, and Paper, and without ever having had a thought of it before, resolves within himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-man-starts-upon-a-sudden-takes-pen-ink-and-paper-and-without-ever/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [The writer, like a priest, must be exempted from secular labor. His work needs a frolic health; he must be at the top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-writer-like-a-priest-must-be-exempted-from-secular-labor-his-work/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“If there's a will, there's a way! I feel larger than LIFE--and look up to the stars who shine down on me and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-scrima-black/if-there-s-a-will-there-s-a-way-i-feel-larger-than-life-and-look-up/)

Donna Scrima-Black

> [“Every article and review and book that I have ever published has constituted an appeal to the person or persons to whom I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/every-article-and-review-and-book-that-i-have-ever-published-has/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [ Ye who write, choose a subject suited to your abilities. \[Lat., Sumite materiam vestris, qui scribitis, aequam Viribus.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/ye-who-write-choose-a-subject-suited-to-your-abilities-lat-sumite/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [Authorship, according to the spirit in which it is pursued, is an infancy, a pastime, a labor, a handicraft, an art, a science, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/authorship-according-to-the-spirit-in-which-it-is-pursued-is-an/)

[August Wilhelm Von Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/)

> [Authorship has never been with me a matter of choice. I have not done it for amusement, or for money, or for fame, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-martineau/authorship-has-never-been-with-me-a-matter-of-choice-i-have-not-done/)

[Harriet Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-martineau/)

> [So there's a lot of people tied into believing that the traditional response to the authorship question. In terms of actors, some people get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rylance/so-there-s-a-lot-of-people-tied-into-believing-that-the-traditional/)

[Mark Rylance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rylance/)

> [Our favorites are few; since only what rises from the heart reaches it, being caught and carried on the tongues of men wheresoever love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-bronson-alcott/our-favorites-are-few-since-only-what-rises-from-the-heart-reaches-it/)

[Amos Bronson Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-bronson-alcott/)

> [Subtract from many modern poets all that may be found in Shakespeare, and trash will remain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/subtract-from-many-modern-poets-all-that-may-be-found-in-shakespeare/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [ All these teachers and \[screenwriting\] books mean you see movies that have been worked over by more committees wielding more rules, that all originality… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/all-these-teachers-and-screenwriting-books-mean-you-see-movies-that/)

[Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/)

> [That author, however, who has thought more than he has read, read more than he has written, and written more than he has published,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/that-author-however-who-has-thought-more-than-he-has-read-read-more/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [To expect an author to talk as he writes is ridiculous; or even if he did you would find fault with him as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/to-expect-an-author-to-talk-as-he-writes-is-ridiculous-or-even-if-he/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [“Try to be someone upon whom nothing is lost!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/try-to-be-someone-upon-whom-nothing-is-lost/)

[Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/)

[Browse all 190 Authorship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authorship/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "How many great ones may remember'd be, Which in their days most famously did flourish, Of whom no word we hear, nor sign now see, But as things wip'd out with a sponge do perish, Because the living cared not to cherish No gentle wits, through pride or covetize, Which might their names forever memorize!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edmund Spenser"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/how-many-great-ones-may-remember-d-be-which-in-their-days-most/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Authorship"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/how-many-great-ones-may-remember-d-be-which-in-their-days-most/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/edmund-spenser-2090_authorship_how-many-great-ones-may-remember-d-be-wh_1105081.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/edmund-spenser-2090_authorship_how-many-great-ones-may-remember-d-be-wh_1105081.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/edmund-spenser-2090_authorship_how-many-great-ones-may-remember-d-be-wh_1105081.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“How many great ones may remember'd be, Which in their days most famously did flourish, Of whom no word we…” — Edmund Spenser",
                "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": "Edmund Spenser",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "How many great ones may remember'd...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/how-many-great-ones-may-remember-d-be-which-in-their-days-most/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/how-many-great-ones-may-remember-d-be-which-in-their-days-most/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```