--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who gives a damn about being remembered?…" description: "\"Who gives a damn about being remembered? That's really for amateurs.\" — Gore Vidal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/gore-vidal-466_damn_who-gives-a-damn-about-being-remembered_1310620.jpg" --- # Who gives a damn about being remembered? That's really for… ![“Who gives a damn about being remembered? That's really for amateurs.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/gore-vidal-466_damn_who-gives-a-damn-about-being-remembered_1310620.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/gore-vidal-466_damn_who-gives-a-damn-about-being-remembered_1310620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/gore-vidal-466_damn_who-gives-a-damn-about-being-remembered_1310620.jpg) > “Who gives a damn about being remembered? That's really for amateurs.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being remembered is a concern for amateurs, not for those focused on impact. **In simple terms:** Remembering isn’t for amateurs. Key Takeaway Focus on lasting impact, not fame. Themes legacy humility impact Mood skeptical thoughtful Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - public policy - artistic work - scientific research Key Concepts philosophy existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What truly matters: impact or remembrance? - How do you measure lasting influence? A Different Perspective May dismiss valuable historical memory. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amateur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateur/) [Amateurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateurs/) [Damn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damn/) [Damn Remembered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damn-remembered-4335682/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Really Amateurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-amateurs-2473136/) [Remembered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembered/) [Remembered Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembered-really-326595/) ## Related quotes > [I think the Chinese are really amateurs when it comes to running markets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wessel/i-think-the-chinese-are-really-amateurs-when-it-comes-to-running/) [David Wessel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wessel/) > [History is one of the only fields where contributions by amateurs are taken seriously, providing you follow the rules and document your sources. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/history-is-one-of-the-only-fields-where-contributions-by-amateurs-are/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [Amateurs know that contributing something is better than contributing nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/amateurs-know-that-contributing-something-is-better-than-contributing/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/amateurs-look-for-inspiration-the-rest-of-us-just-get-up-and-go-to/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Amateurs believe their enthusiasm will suffice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/amateurs-believe-their-enthusiasm-will-suffice/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Amateurs... venture into scenes that a writer with more experience (and more professional concern) would bypass or eschew altogether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/amateurs-venture-into-scenes-that-a-writer-with-more-experience-and/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs--the rest of us just show up and get to work. - Chuck Close”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-fig/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up-and-get-to/) [Joe Fig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-fig/) > [Waiting for inspiration is for amateurs; professionals get to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs-professionals-get-to-work/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Turning pro is a mindset. If we are struggling with fear, self-sabotage, procrastination, self-doubt, etc., the problem is, we're thinking like amateurs. Amateurs don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/turning-pro-is-a-mindset-if-we-are-struggling-with-fear-self-sabotage/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Amateurs want to be right. Professionals want to make money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/amateurs-want-to-be-right-professionals-want-to-make-money/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“...most gentlemen of breeding considered themselves amateurs at all kinds of disciplines. Go all the way back to Jefferson, who collected fossils and wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hitt/most-gentlemen-of-breeding-considered-themselves-amateurs-at-all/) [Jack Hitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hitt/) > [“True artists unburden their envies and work toward encouraging amateurs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aniruddha-sastikar/true-artists-unburden-their-envies-and-work-toward-encouraging/) [Aniruddha Sastikar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aniruddha-sastikar/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs,” Close says. “The rest of us just show up and get to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-currey/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-close-says-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up/) [Mason Currey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-currey/) > [Inspiration is for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/inspiration-is-for-amateurs/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More Amateur quotes > [“The amateur doesn't appreciate the need for experimentation. He wants his experts to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner-2/the-amateur-doesn-t-appreciate-the-need-for-experimentation-he-wants/) [B.F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner-2/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [My father was a GP; my mother was a teacher and amateur actress. My father was a bit of a storyteller, but the acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/my-father-was-a-gp-my-mother-was-a-teacher-and-amateur-actress-my/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [I did a musical when I was 17, an amateur show, and I loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taron-egerton/i-did-a-musical-when-i-was-17-an-amateur-show-and-i-loved-it/) [Taron Egerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taron-egerton/) > [Every artist was first an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-artist-was-first-an-amateur/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/the-definition-of-a-professional-is-one-who-does-a-job-well-even-when/) [Alan Sheinwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sheinwald/) > [I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-els/i-think-most-amateurs-dread-playing-a-180-plus-yard-par-3-even-more/) [Ernie Els](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-els/) > [I read a lot of 'Nancy Drew' books as a kid and considered myself a bit of an amateur detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-read-a-lot-of-nancy-drew-books-as-a-kid-and-considered-myself-a-bit/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) > [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [You count a man's U.S. Amateur titles after he starts winning professional majors. That's something any intelligent golf writer with a sense of history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/you-count-a-man-s-u-s-amateur-titles-after-he-starts-winning/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) > [Amateur boxing is one of the safest sports around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-calzaghe/amateur-boxing-is-one-of-the-safest-sports-around/) [Joe Calzaghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-calzaghe/) > [“Amateur: One reckless enough to risk being interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barringer/amateur-one-reckless-enough-to-risk-being-interesting/) [David Barringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barringer/) > [Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-fowler/time-management-is-probably-the-biggest-thing-i-ve-had-to-learn-to/) [Rickie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-fowler/) > [When people buy, rescue, or otherwise acquire a dog from unscrupulous breeders or amateur rescue groups, they are making a decision with ethical consequences.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/when-people-buy-rescue-or-otherwise-acquire-a-dog-from-unscrupulous/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) [Browse all 352 Amateur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateur/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Who gives a damn about being remembered? 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