--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Remember your ancestors, dream of your…" description: "\"Remember your ancestors, dream of your descendants and work hard while you're living.\" — Karen Lord" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/karen-lord-21941_ancestor_remember-your-ancestors-dream-of-your-de_910036.jpg" --- # Remember your ancestors, dream of your descendants and… ![“Remember your ancestors, dream of your descendants and work hard while you're living.” quote by Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/karen-lord-21941_ancestor_remember-your-ancestors-dream-of-your-de_910036.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/karen-lord-21941_ancestor_remember-your-ancestors-dream-of-your-de_910036.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/karen-lord-21941_ancestor_remember-your-ancestors-dream-of-your-de_910036.jpg) > “Remember your ancestors, dream of your descendants and work hard while you're living.” [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing respect for heritage, future aspirations, and diligent effort in the present. **In simple terms:** Honor past, envision future, work hard now. Key Takeaway Live fully, honor lineage. Themes legacy purpose work ethic Mood reflective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family planning - career building - personal development Key Concepts intergenerational responsibility mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor ancestors while pursuing personal dreams? - What daily actions reflect this balance? A Different Perspective Balancing past and future can create pressure; prioritize realistic goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Work hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-hard/) ## Related quotes > [So as you go into battle, remember your ancestors and remember your descendants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-as-you-go-into-battle-remember-your-ancestors-and-remember-your/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Christianity doesn't demand that we worship our ancestors. If we don't remember our ancestors, then, in all likelihood, we cannot also recall the distant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/christianity-doesn-t-demand-that-we-worship-our-ancestors-if-we-don-t/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [The Day of the Dead is a joyful celebration when you can connect with and remember your ancestors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-gonzalez/the-day-of-the-dead-is-a-joyful-celebration-when-you-can-connect-with/) [Anthony Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-gonzalez/) > [“that means that to be Africentric I need to remember my ancestors, which is the way to resurrect myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minster-faust/that-means-that-to-be-africentric-i-need-to-remember-my-ancestors/) Minster Faust > [Today marks the first day of black history month. Do a little research. Remember your ancestors and the greats who are the reason for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/today-marks-the-first-day-of-black-history-month-do-a-little-research/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you remember your ancestors, they can cross over and be with you again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-gonzalez/if-you-remember-your-ancestors-they-can-cross-over-and-be-with-you/) [Anthony Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-gonzalez/) > [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Southerners, whose ancestors a hundred years ago knew the horrors of a homeland devastated by war, are particularly determined that war shall never come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/southerners-whose-ancestors-a-hundred-years-ago-knew-the-horrors-of-a/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [“A very long time ago, some 2.5 million years B.C., the mother of human species as we know it, our ultimate ancestor, appeared in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/a-very-long-time-ago-some-2-5-million-years-b-c-the-mother-of-human/) [Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/) > [I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-use-the-phrase-sibling-society-to-suggest-a-culture-fundamentally/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [Going where no man has gone before is more difficult than it sounds. Our cousins and ancestors were no less curious than we are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/going-where-no-man-has-gone-before-is-more-difficult-than-it-sounds/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-allen/whereas-our-ancestors-not-of-choice-were-the-first-successful/) [Richard Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-allen/) > [Food binds us to our roots as strongly as any song or poem. Many of us have learned more about our ancestors in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-thomas/food-binds-us-to-our-roots-as-strongly-as-any-song-or-poem-many-of-us/) [Anna Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-thomas/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) ## More by Karen Lord > [I think if a story has a message it should be incidental and accidental, otherwise it leans too close to indoctrination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/i-think-if-a-story-has-a-message-it-should-be-incidental-and/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [“Everything teaches, everyone preaches, all have a gospel to sell! Better the one who is honest and open in declaring an agenda than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/everything-teaches-everyone-preaches-all-have-a-gospel-to-sell-better/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [“This is my universe, my time, my world. There is no going back to what was. There is only the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/this-is-my-universe-my-time-my-world-there-is-no-going-back-to-what/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [Names are very important for humans, aren't they? How do I translate for you the name of this town as it seems to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/names-are-very-important-for-humans-aren-t-they-how-do-i-translate/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [All my tales are true, drawn from life, and a life story is not a tidy thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/all-my-tales-are-true-drawn-from-life-and-a-life-story-is-not-a-tidy/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [“Ever wonder if you've done the right thing?" I asked him finally. "Frequently," he replied. "Legalities notwithstanding, to not wonder indicates a dangerous lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/ever-wonder-if-you-ve-done-the-right-thing-i-asked-him-finally/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [“I've always thought academics should get a little slurry on their boots from time to time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/i-ve-always-thought-academics-should-get-a-little-slurry-on-their/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [“I was still excited. Big or small, elephants are elephants, after all. Just before we mounted, when I was sure no one could see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/i-was-still-excited-big-or-small-elephants-are-elephants-after-all/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [“Indigo,’ his mother clarified. ‘Yes, I bet you would.’ He”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/indigo-his-mother-clarified-yes-i-bet-you-would-he/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [“She had imagined her mind would be bare before his, naked under a scorching desert sun, with neither shelter nor refuge. Instead, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/she-had-imagined-her-mind-would-be-bare-before-his-naked-under-a/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [“Do I have any recommendations for a Sadiri boys' night out?" I shrugged, smiled, and allowed myself a laugh. "I can come up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/do-i-have-any-recommendations-for-a-sadiri-boys-night-out-i-shrugged/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [In the beginning, God created human beings, which is to say God put the ingredients together, embedded the instructions for building on the template,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/in-the-beginning-god-created-human-beings-which-is-to-say-god-put-the/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [I find that sometimes if you just sit still, things have a way of finding you before you can find them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/i-find-that-sometimes-if-you-just-sit-still-things-have-a-way-of/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [“Let me tell you, there's no long-distance relationship like an interstellar one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/let-me-tell-you-there-s-no-long-distance-relationship-like-an/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) > [“You must never tell people their own stories. They have no interest in them, or they think they can tell them better themselves. Give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/you-must-never-tell-people-their-own-stories-they-have-no-interest-in/) [Karen Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) [Explore all 27 Karen Lord quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/) ## More Ancestor quotes > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [Food binds us to our roots as strongly as any song or poem. Many of us have learned more about our ancestors in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-thomas/food-binds-us-to-our-roots-as-strongly-as-any-song-or-poem-many-of-us/) [Anna Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-thomas/) > [Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-allen/whereas-our-ancestors-not-of-choice-were-the-first-successful/) [Richard Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-allen/) > [Going where no man has gone before is more difficult than it sounds. Our cousins and ancestors were no less curious than we are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/going-where-no-man-has-gone-before-is-more-difficult-than-it-sounds/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-use-the-phrase-sibling-society-to-suggest-a-culture-fundamentally/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [“A very long time ago, some 2.5 million years B.C., the mother of human species as we know it, our ultimate ancestor, appeared in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/a-very-long-time-ago-some-2-5-million-years-b-c-the-mother-of-human/) [Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [Southerners, whose ancestors a hundred years ago knew the horrors of a homeland devastated by war, are particularly determined that war shall never come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/southerners-whose-ancestors-a-hundred-years-ago-knew-the-horrors-of-a/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [And I saw for the first time how, despite the isolation of our own lives, we are always connected to our ancestors; our bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-richman/and-i-saw-for-the-first-time-how-despite-the-isolation-of-our-own/) [Alyson Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-richman/) > [There is an ancient Indian saying: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." If we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/there-is-an-ancient-indian-saying-we-do-not-inherit-the-earth-from/) [Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/) > [It is how it has always been. We will accept the legacy of our ancestors,' Asha says, smiling, and in her smile I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/it-is-how-it-has-always-been-we-will-accept-the-legacy-of-our/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [My ancestors came over from Germany about the time of the Civil War and one of them lost a leg and went back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/my-ancestors-came-over-from-germany-about-the-time-of-the-civil-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) Empress Dowager Cixi > [A solitary American monk named Thomas Berry writes that in our relationship to nature, we have been autistic for centuries. Wrapped tightly in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/a-solitary-american-monk-named-thomas-berry-writes-that-in-our/) [Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/) [Browse all 767 Ancestor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Remember your ancestors, dream of your descendants and work hard while you're living.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karen Lord" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/remember-your-ancestors-dream-of-your-descendants-and-work-hard-while/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancestor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/remember-your-ancestors-dream-of-your-descendants-and-work-hard-while/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/karen-lord-21941_ancestor_remember-your-ancestors-dream-of-your-de_910036.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/karen-lord-21941_ancestor_remember-your-ancestors-dream-of-your-de_910036.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/karen-lord-21941_ancestor_remember-your-ancestors-dream-of-your-de_910036.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Remember your ancestors, dream of your descendants and work hard while you're living.” — Karen Lord", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Karen Lord", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lord/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Remember your ancestors, dream of your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/remember-your-ancestors-dream-of-your-descendants-and-work-hard-while/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lord/remember-your-ancestors-dream-of-your-descendants-and-work-hard-while/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```