--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Can you imagine 4,000 years passing, and…" description: "\"Can you imagine 4,000 years passing, and you're not even a memory? Think about it, friends. It's not just a possibility. It is a certainty.\" — Jean She..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/jean-shepherd-25156_certainty_can-you-imagine-4-000-years-passing-and_2577919.jpg" --- # Can you imagine 4,000 years passing, and you're not even a… ![“Can you imagine 4,000 years passing, and you're not even a memory? Think about it, friends. It's not just a possibility. It is a certainty.” quote by Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/jean-shepherd-25156_certainty_can-you-imagine-4-000-years-passing-and_2577919.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/jean-shepherd-25156_certainty_can-you-imagine-4-000-years-passing-and_2577919.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/jean-shepherd-25156_certainty_can-you-imagine-4-000-years-passing-and_2577919.jpg) > “Can you imagine 4,000 years passing, and you're not even a memory? Think about it, friends. It's not just a possibility. It is a certainty.” [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage emphasizes the inevitable passage of vast time, rendering individual existence fleeting and insignificant. **In simple terms:** Time erodes memory; we become almost forgotten. Key Takeaway Accept impermanence and cherish present moments. Themes mortality impermanence humility Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - personal reflection - philosophical contemplation - historical perspective Key Concepts existentialism temporal scale Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of time affect your priorities? - What legacy, if any, do you wish to leave? A Different Perspective Human significance feels limited despite cosmic timescales. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [These happy golden years are passing by, these happy golden years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingalls-wilder/these-happy-golden-years-are-passing-by-these-happy-golden-years/) [Laura Ingalls Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingalls-wilder/) > [Years were passing through the spaces between moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/years-were-passing-through-the-spaces-between-moments/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“For one brief, never-ending second, an entirely different path expanded behind the lids of my tear-wet eyes. As if I were looking through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/for-one-brief-never-ending-second-an-entirely-different-path-expanded/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [With the years passing I feel the need to know more about meditation, kriya yoga and chanting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mukul-dev/with-the-years-passing-i-feel-the-need-to-know-more-about-meditation/) [Mukul Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mukul-dev/) > [I actually don't feel the years passing, although the younger players make sure to remind me of my age. If there's a clip of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-giggs/i-actually-don-t-feel-the-years-passing-although-the-younger-players/) [Ryan Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-giggs/) > [Just because the years are passing doesn't mean that the quality of our lives must automatically go downhill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/just-because-the-years-are-passing-doesn-t-mean-that-the-quality-of/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [“ posterity , n . I try not to think about us growing old together, mostly because I try not to think about growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/posterity-n-i-try-not-to-think-about-us-growing-old-together-mostly/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“You think you're charging up that memory? Is that what you think? You are going to be so sorry when I dream about my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-crane/you-think-you-re-charging-up-that-memory-is-that-what-you-think-you/) [Carolyn Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-crane/) > [I don't particularly have a good memory. I think history is many times just the text written by the victors. I wanted to counter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/i-don-t-particularly-have-a-good-memory-i-think-history-is-many-times/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [As Siri says, who is deeply involved with neuroscience, emotion consolidates memory, and I think that's true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/as-siri-says-who-is-deeply-involved-with-neuroscience-emotion/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“Each time I have a lapse of memory, I think of the anguish which must afflict those who know they no longer remember anything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/each-time-i-have-a-lapse-of-memory-i-think-of-the-anguish-which-must/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [I don't think forgetting is an important feature of human memory. I think it's important to be able to remember things accurately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-bell/i-don-t-think-forgetting-is-an-important-feature-of-human-memory-i/) [Gordon Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bell/) > [When was the last time You thought of me Oh have you completely erased me from your memory I often think about where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/when-was-the-last-time-you-thought-of-me-oh-have-you-completely/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) > [“No, I’m no patriot, nor was I ever allowed to be. And yet, the country of my childhood lives within me with a primacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-hoffman/no-i-m-no-patriot-nor-was-i-ever-allowed-to-be-and-yet-the-country-of/) [Eva Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-hoffman/) > [Any tragic memory I have I also think is really funny. On any given day, I can think about how horrible something is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perfume-genius/any-tragic-memory-i-have-i-also-think-is-really-funny-on-any-given/) [Perfume Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perfume-genius/) ## More by Jean Shepherd > [The truth will always have a market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/the-truth-will-always-have-a-market/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [Manhattan cabs are born old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/manhattan-cabs-are-born-old/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [Randy lay there like a slug. It was his only defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/randy-lay-there-like-a-slug-it-was-his-only-defense/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [In all my years of New York cab riding I have yet to find the colorful, philosophical cabdriver that keeps popping up on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/in-all-my-years-of-new-york-cab-riding-i-have-yet-to-find-the/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [“Excelsior, you fatheads.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/excelsior-you-fatheads/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [Some men are Baptists, others Catholics. My father was an Oldsmobile man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/some-men-are-baptists-others-catholics-my-father-was-an-oldsmobile-man/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [In God we trust; all others pay cash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/in-god-we-trust-all-others-pay-cash/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [“Early December saw the first of the great blizzards of that year. The wind howling down out of the Canadian wilds a few hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/early-december-saw-the-first-of-the-great-blizzards-of-that-year-the/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [There are fewer things more thrilling in life than lumpy letters. That rattle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/there-are-fewer-things-more-thrilling-in-life-than-lumpy-letters-that/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [“Preparing to go to school was like getting ready for extended deep sea diving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/preparing-to-go-to-school-was-like-getting-ready-for-extended-deep/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [Being a White Sox fan meant measuring victory in terms of defeat. A 6-5 defeat was a good day. A big rally was Wally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/being-a-white-sox-fan-meant-measuring-victory-in-terms-of-defeat-a-6/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [The hand of fate had dipped into the ragbag of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/the-hand-of-fate-had-dipped-into-the-ragbag-of-humanity/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [“Whither goest all of us, huh...for cryin' out loud?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/whither-goest-all-of-us-huh-for-cryin-out-loud/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [The Bumpuses were so low down on the evolutionary totem pole that they weren't even included in Darwin's famous family tree. They had inbred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/the-bumpuses-were-so-low-down-on-the-evolutionary-totem-pole-that/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [I've met them down in the Cost and Accounting Department, clean-shaven and in white collars. They can't see a damn thing ridiculous about themselves...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/i-ve-met-them-down-in-the-cost-and-accounting-department-clean-shaven/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) [Explore all 23 Jean Shepherd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) ## More Certainty quotes > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Finding someone that trusted my vision helped me find certainty in who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/finding-someone-that-trusted-my-vision-helped-me-find-certainty-in/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) [Browse all 1,776 Certainty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Can you imagine 4,000 years passing, and you're not even a memory? Think about it, friends. It's not just a possibility. 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