--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How long is this posthumous life of mine…" description: "\"“How long is this posthumous life of mine to last?”\" — John Keats" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/john-keats-620_contradictory_how-long-is-this-posthumous-life-of-mine_519872.jpg" --- # How long is this posthumous life of mine to last? ![“How long is this posthumous life of mine to last?” quote by John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/john-keats-620_contradictory_how-long-is-this-posthumous-life-of-mine_519872.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/john-keats-620_contradictory_how-long-is-this-posthumous-life-of-mine_519872.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/john-keats-620_contradictory_how-long-is-this-posthumous-life-of-mine_519872.jpg) > ““How long is this posthumous life of mine to last?”” [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He questions the duration and impact of his posthumous reputation. **In simple terms:** He wonders how long his legacy will last. Key Takeaway Consider the lasting impact of your work. Themes legacy mortality artistic fame Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - artistic creation - historical legacy Key Concepts ephemerality eternity Questions to Reflect On - What legacy do you wish to leave? - How do you measure lasting influence? A Different Perspective Fame can be fleeting and unpredictable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deathbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deathbed/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/) ## Related quotes > [He no longer wished to be dead. At the same time, it cannot be said that he was glad to be alive. But at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/he-no-longer-wished-to-be-dead-at-the-same-time-it-cannot-be-said/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I have a habitual feeling of my real life having past, and that I am now leading a posthumous existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/i-have-a-habitual-feeling-of-my-real-life-having-past-and-that-i-am/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [I have an habitual feeling of my real life having past, and that I am leading a posthumous existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/i-have-an-habitual-feeling-of-my-real-life-having-past-and-that-i-am/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [“I shall stay here as long as I may, I don't want to think — I needn't think. I don't care for anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-shall-stay-here-as-long-as-i-may-i-don-t-want-to-think-i-needn-t/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [Posthumous reputations have little to do with real lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/posthumous-reputations-have-little-to-do-with-real-lives/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [“He pinched the remaining chapters’ pages delicately between his fingers and sighed. He always hated reaching the end of a good book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-e-zapanta/he-pinched-the-remaining-chapters-pages-delicately-between-his/) [David S.E. Zapanta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-e-zapanta/) > [Reputation being essentially contemporaneous, is always at the mercy of the Envious and the Ignorant. But Fame, whose very birth is posthumous, and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-brownell-jameson/reputation-being-essentially-contemporaneous-is-always-at-the-mercy/) [Anna Brownell Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-brownell-jameson/) > [Posthumous fame is a plant of tardy growth, for our body must be the seed of it; or we may liken it to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/posthumous-fame-is-a-plant-of-tardy-growth-for-our-body-must-be-the/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [“Walsh was too full of his own—how shall I put it?—posthumous importance; too convinced that he should be seen almost as much a victim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-w-buffa/walsh-was-too-full-of-his-own-how-shall-i-put-it-posthumous/) D.W. Buffa > [And yet, after all, what is posthumous fame? Altogether vanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/and-yet-after-all-what-is-posthumous-fame-altogether-vanity/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Proust has been dead since 1922, yet the annual appearance of his posthumous works has left him, to the reader, alive. Now there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-flanner/proust-has-been-dead-since-1922-yet-the-annual-appearance-of-his/) [Janet Flanner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-flanner/) > [Posthumous charities are the very essence of selfishness when bequeathed by those who, even alive, would part with nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/posthumous-charities-are-the-very-essence-of-selfishness-when/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [“If you try to write posthumously, however, fashion doesn’t apply. You step off the catwalk, ignoring this season’s trends and resigning yourself to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/if-you-try-to-write-posthumously-however-fashion-doesn-t-apply-you/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [You should die now if you was born so far within posthumous name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tivea/you-should-die-now-if-you-was-born-so-far-within-posthumous-name/) [Tivea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tivea/) > [“Dismemberment, even posthumous, is obscene.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kimberling/dismemberment-even-posthumous-is-obscene/) [Brian Kimberling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kimberling/) ## More by John Keats > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Phylosophy will clip an angel's wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/phylosophy-will-clip-an-angel-s-wings/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [There was an awful rainbow once in heaven: We know her woof, her texture; she is given In the dull catalogue of common things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/there-was-an-awful-rainbow-once-in-heaven-we-know-her-woof-her/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [“I was never afraid of failure; for I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/i-was-never-afraid-of-failure-for-i-would-sooner-fail-than-not-be/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Thou wast not born for death, immortal bird! No hungry generations tread thee down; The voice I hear this passing night was heard In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/thou-wast-not-born-for-death-immortal-bird-no-hungry-generations/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Deep in the shady sadness of a vale Far sunken from the healthy breath of morn, Far from the fiery noon and eve's one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/deep-in-the-shady-sadness-of-a-vale-far-sunken-from-the-healthy/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [So let me be thy choir, and make a moan Upon the midnight hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/so-let-me-be-thy-choir-and-make-a-moan-upon-the-midnight-hours/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Everything that reminds me of her goes through me like a spear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/everything-that-reminds-me-of-her-goes-through-me-like-a-spear/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [I have been astonished that men could die martyrs for their religion - I have shudder'd at it. I shudder no more. I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/i-have-been-astonished-that-men-could-die-martyrs-for-their-religion/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Dance and Provencal song and sunburnt mirth! On for a beaker full of the warm South, Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene! With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/dance-and-provencal-song-and-sunburnt-mirth-on-for-a-beaker-full-of/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Many have original minds who do not think it - they are led away by custom!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/many-have-original-minds-who-do-not-think-it-they-are-led-away-by/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Alas! when passion is both meek and wild!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/alas-when-passion-is-both-meek-and-wild/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Load every rift with ore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/load-every-rift-with-ore/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [I shall soon be laid in the quiet grave - thank God for the quiet grave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/i-shall-soon-be-laid-in-the-quiet-grave-thank-god-for-the-quiet-grave/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [When old age shall this generation waste, Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/when-old-age-shall-this-generation-waste-thou-shalt-remain-in-midst/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) [Explore all 438 John Keats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) ## More Contradictory quotes > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Wise people are able to give themselves gracefully to seemingly contradictory experiences, because they know that they belong to different seasons of life, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/wise-people-are-able-to-give-themselves-gracefully-to-seemingly/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) > [We've got a great team sport, but we harp on about individuals. It's a bit contradictory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/we-ve-got-a-great-team-sport-but-we-harp-on-about-individuals-it-s-a/) [Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/) > [In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/in-years-to-come-he-would-be-a-giver-of-bread-not-a-stealer-proof/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [Strong men don't compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/strong-men-don-t-compromise-it-is-said-and-principles-should-never-be/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [Ruth and I don't have a perfect marriage, but we have a great one. How can I say two things that seem so contradictory?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/ruth-and-i-don-t-have-a-perfect-marriage-but-we-have-a-great-one-how/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“Away from Lev, she craves his need for her. When with him, it enervates. Why is that? She cannot help it. Nothing to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-richler/away-from-lev-she-craves-his-need-for-her-when-with-him-it-enervates/) [Emma Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-richler/) > [“Throughout my life, I have always felt torn between my dual contradictory natures. I'm the obedient daughter and devoted friend, but also a self-destructive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elyse-schein/throughout-my-life-i-have-always-felt-torn-between-my-dual/) Elyse Schein > [When faced with a loss, it is no use trying to recover what has gone. On the other hand, a great space has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-faced-with-a-loss-it-is-no-use-trying-to-recover-what-has-gone/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [ The typical white intellectual considers himself superior to ordinary white people for two contradictory reasons: a\] he constantly proclaims belief in human equality, but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-sailer/the-typical-white-intellectual-considers-himself-superior-to-ordinary/) [Steve Sailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-sailer/) > [It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/it-is-only-through-literature-that-one-can-put-oneself-in-someone/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [The form most contradictory to human life that can appear among the human species is the "self-sat-isfied man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-form-most-contradictory-to-human-life-that-can-appear-among-the/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [A girl asks her doctor, "Doctor, I've forgotten to take my contradictory pill!" The doctor says: "Are you ignorant?" 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