--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They say that each generation inherits…" description: "\"They say that each generation inherits from those that have gone before; if this were so there would be no limit to man's improvements or to his power ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/eugene-delacroix-6604_behinds_they-say-that-each-generation-inherits-f_2120040.png" --- # They say that each generation inherits from those that… ![“They say that each generation inherits from those that have gone before; if this were so there would be no limit to man's improvements or to his power of reaching perfection. But he is very far from receiving intact that storehouse of knowledge which the centuries have piled up before him; he may…” quote by Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/eugene-delacroix-6604_behinds_they-say-that-each-generation-inherits-f_2120040.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/eugene-delacroix-6604_behinds_they-say-that-each-generation-inherits-f_2120040.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/eugene-delacroix-6604_behinds_they-say-that-each-generation-inherits-f_2120040.png) > “They say that each generation inherits from those that have gone before; if this were so there would be no limit to man's improvements or to his power of reaching perfection. But he is very far from receiving intact that storehouse of knowledge which the centuries have piled up before him; he may perfect some inventions, but in others, he lags behind the originators, and a great many inventions have been lost entirely. What he gains on the one hand, he loses on the other.” [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human knowledge is cumulative, yet each generation only retains part of past wisdom, gaining some insights while losing others. **In simple terms:** We inherit knowledge but also lose parts of it over time. Key Takeaway Preserve and build upon past knowledge. Themes knowledge progress loss inheritance Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical historical cautionary When to use this quote - education reform - archival projects - intergenerational mentorship - technology documentation - historical research Key Concepts cumulative learning cultural transmission innovation gaps Questions to Reflect On - How can societies better retain valuable knowledge? - What mechanisms can reduce loss of inventions? A Different Perspective Not all lost knowledge can be recovered; some gaps may be irreversible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) [Generation Inherits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-inherits-4319739/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improvement/) [Inherits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inherits-3170642/) [Inherits Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inherits-gone-4319741/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Inventions Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inventions-lost-4319740/) [Knowledge Centuries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge-centuries-542531/) [Lag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lag/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Reaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reaching/) [Receiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/receiving/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [Every generation inherits a world it never made; and, as it does so, it automatically becomes the trustee of that world for those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/every-generation-inherits-a-world-it-never-made-and-as-it-does-so-it/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Five minutes in an old book quickly reveals that most of what is being sold today as new insights into human behavior is merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-h-williams/five-minutes-in-an-old-book-quickly-reveals-that-most-of-what-is/) [Roy H. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-h-williams/) > [“Acquiring knowledge through the centuries has influenced human society more than all other factors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eraldo-banovac/acquiring-knowledge-through-the-centuries-has-influenced-human/) [Eraldo Banovac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eraldo-banovac/) > [The meek may inherit the earth, but the other kind inherits the mortgage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-goldstein/the-meek-may-inherit-the-earth-but-the-other-kind-inherits-the/) [Noah Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-goldstein/) > [The fool inherits, but the wise must get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cartwright/the-fool-inherits-but-the-wise-must-get/) [William Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cartwright/) > [The problem is that it takes physicians so long to accept a radical change. And the lag is unacceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-topol/the-problem-is-that-it-takes-physicians-so-long-to-accept-a-radical/) [Eric Topol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-topol/) > [Normally, if you have a huge category that leads a bear market all the way down to the bottom - like tech after 2000,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/normally-if-you-have-a-huge-category-that-leads-a-bear-market-all-the/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Upon my lips the breath of song, Within my heart a rhyme, Howe'er time trips or lags along, I keep abreast with time!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clinton-scollard/upon-my-lips-the-breath-of-song-within-my-heart-a-rhyme-howe-er-time/) [Clinton Scollard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clinton-scollard/) > [As soon as I reach my destination I have a cup of tea, something to eat and then sleep for about 13 hours. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-collins/as-soon-as-i-reach-my-destination-i-have-a-cup-of-tea-something-to/) [Jackie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-collins/) > [“Summit Lag occurs when a summit worker is kept in a permanent state of mal-acclimatization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/summit-lag-occurs-when-a-summit-worker-is-kept-in-a-permanent-state/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Knowledge and wisdom must go hand in hand. The adept will therefore endeavour to get on in knowledge as well as in wisdom, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-bardon/knowledge-and-wisdom-must-go-hand-in-hand-the-adept-will-therefore/) [Franz Bardon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-bardon/) > [Canada is one of the few places left where the small decencies are observed. If, as a young man, I was scornful of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordecai-richler/canada-is-one-of-the-few-places-left-where-the-small-decencies-are/) [Mordecai Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordecai-richler/) > [For what is the use of transmitting knowledge if the individual's total development lags behind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/for-what-is-the-use-of-transmitting-knowledge-if-the-individual-s/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Photography is solitary and there are lags between seeing with your eyes and seeing through the lens, and then seeing the image on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-marclay/photography-is-solitary-and-there-are-lags-between-seeing-with-your/) [Christian Marclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-marclay/) > [Sometimes the challenge of beating the jet lag and getting a decent sleep can be as hard to solve as finding the right setup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/sometimes-the-challenge-of-beating-the-jet-lag-and-getting-a-decent/) [Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/) ## More by Eugene Delacroix > [A wife of your own stature is the greatest of all blessings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/a-wife-of-your-own-stature-is-the-greatest-of-all-blessings/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [“Men of genius are made not by new ideas, but by an idea which possesses them, namely, that what has been said has not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/men-of-genius-are-made-not-by-new-ideas-but-by-an-idea-which/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [Every time I await a model, even when I am most pressed to time, I am overjoyed when the time comes and I tremble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/every-time-i-await-a-model-even-when-i-am-most-pressed-to-time-i-am/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [The things one experiences alone with oneself are very much stronger and purer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/the-things-one-experiences-alone-with-oneself-are-very-much-stronger/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [I believe it safe to say that all progress must lead, not to further progress, but finally to the negation of progress, a return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/i-believe-it-safe-to-say-that-all-progress-must-lead-not-to-further/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [Weaknesses in men of genius are usually an exaggeration of their personal feeling; in the hands of feeble imitators they become the most flagrant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/weaknesses-in-men-of-genius-are-usually-an-exaggeration-of-their/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [The true wisdom of the philosopher ought to insist in enjoying everything. Yet we apply ourselves to dissecting and destroying everything that is good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/the-true-wisdom-of-the-philosopher-ought-to-insist-in-enjoying/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [To be understood a writer has to explain almost everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/to-be-understood-a-writer-has-to-explain-almost-everything/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [Nature is a dictionary; one draws words from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/nature-is-a-dictionary-one-draws-words-from-it/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [How can this world, which is so beautiful, include so much horror?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/how-can-this-world-which-is-so-beautiful-include-so-much-horror/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [Glory to that Homer of painting, to that father of warmth and enthusiasm... he really paints men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/glory-to-that-homer-of-painting-to-that-father-of-warmth-and/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [The contour should come last, only a very experienced eye can place it rightly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/the-contour-should-come-last-only-a-very-experienced-eye-can-place-it/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [ \[Photography is\] in some ways false just because it is so exact. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/photography-is-in-some-ways-false-just-because-it-is-so-exact/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [We work not only to produce, but to give value to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/we-work-not-only-to-produce-but-to-give-value-to-time/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [Can any man say with certainty that he was happy at a particular moment of time which he remembers as being delightful? Remembering it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/can-any-man-say-with-certainty-that-he-was-happy-at-a-particular/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) [Explore all 97 Eugene Delacroix quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) ## More Behinds quotes > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/) [Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/) [Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/) > [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. 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With or without a record, with or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ike-turner/i-m-really-thankful-to-god-man-like-now-i-m-really-making-a-real/) [Ike Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ike-turner/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) [Browse all 6,789 Behinds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "They say that each generation inherits from those that have gone before; if this were so there would be no limit to man's improvements or to his power of reaching perfection. But he is very far from receiving intact that storehouse of knowledge which the centuries have piled up before him; he may perfect some inventions, but in others, he lags behind the originators, and a great many inventions have been lost entirely. 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