Augustus Quote by John Green
“I did some research on this a couple years ago," Augustus continued. "I was wondering if everybody could be remembered. Like, if we got organized, and assigned a certain number of corpses to each living person, would there be enough living people to remember all the dead people?" "And are there?" "Sure, anyone can name fourteen dead people. But we're disorganized mourners, so a lot of people end up remembering Shakespeare and no one ends up remembering the person he wrote Sonnet Fifty-five about”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Fault in Our Stars, 2012
Memory is selective; we remember famous figures while ordinary lives fade, highlighting how we organize remembrance.
In simple terms: We remember the famous, not everyone.
Key Takeaway
Create systems to honor all lives.
Themes
memory
legacy
humanity
Mood
thoughtful
somber
Type
cultural
inspirational
When to use this quote
- family histories
- community memorials
- historical archives
Key Concepts
selective remembrance
social memory
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we broaden collective memory?
- What practices help remember ordinary people?
A Different Perspective
Focusing only on celebrities can erase everyday contributions.
