--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ..what the next generation will value…" description: "\"“..what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we lived. In the end, it's the f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/ellen-goodman-6219_family_what-the-next-generation-will-value-most_1997360.png" --- # ..what the next generation will value most is not what we… ![“..what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we lived. In the end, it's the family stories that are worth the storage.” quote by Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/ellen-goodman-6219_family_what-the-next-generation-will-value-most_1997360.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/ellen-goodman-6219_family_what-the-next-generation-will-value-most_1997360.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/ellen-goodman-6219_family_what-the-next-generation-will-value-most_1997360.png) > ““..what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we lived. In the end, it's the family stories that are worth the storage.”” [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Future generations value stories and identity over material possessions. **In simple terms:** Stories matter more than stuff. Key Takeaway Preserve and share family narratives. Themes legacy storytelling values Mood nostalgic hopeful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - Writing memoirs - recording oral histories - family gatherings - archiving Key Concepts Cultural memory intergenerational bonds Questions to Reflect On - What stories will you pass on? - How can you document your family’s tales? A Different Perspective Stories may be forgotten without effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-history/) [Family Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-stories-733476/) [Genealogy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genealogy/) [Generation Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-value-3495909/) [Next generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-generation/) [Stories Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-worth-275111/) [Value Owned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value-owned-3495910/) [Worth Storage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-storage-1059072/) ## Related quotes > [This packrat has learned that what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/this-packrat-has-learned-that-what-the-next-generation-will-value/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [Names which tell stories have been worth millions of dollars. 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Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-c-hopkins/) > [I don't think there's any story worth dying for, but I do think there are stories worth taking risks for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dying-for-but-i-do-think-there/) [Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/) > [My mother was a very hard-working maid, and their stories are worth telling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-reyes/my-mother-was-a-very-hard-working-maid-and-their-stories-are-worth/) [Judy Reyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-reyes/) > [We are told not to privilege one story above another. All the stories must be told. Well, maybe that's true, maybe all stories are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/we-are-told-not-to-privilege-one-story-above-another-all-the-stories/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I want hard stories, I demand them from myself. 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