---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In fact, I think 500 years from now, the…"
description: "\"In fact, I think 500 years from now, the two Americans so far who will be remembered are George Washington and Neil Armstrong, who, amazingly hasn't be..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/kevin-gutzman-45277_armstrong_in-fact-i-think-500-years-from-now-the-t_2892268.jpg"
---

#  In fact, I think 500 years from now, the two Americans so…

![“In fact, I think 500 years from now, the two Americans so far who will be remembered are George Washington and Neil Armstrong, who, amazingly hasn't been paid very much attention.” quote by Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/kevin-gutzman-45277_armstrong_in-fact-i-think-500-years-from-now-the-t_2892268.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/kevin-gutzman-45277_armstrong_in-fact-i-think-500-years-from-now-the-t_2892268.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/kevin-gutzman-45277_armstrong_in-fact-i-think-500-years-from-now-the-t_2892268.jpg)

> “In fact, I think 500 years from now, the two Americans so far who will be remembered are George Washington and Neil Armstrong, who, amazingly hasn't been paid very much attention.”

[Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He predicts only Washington and Armstrong will be remembered, Armstrong overlooked

**In simple terms:** Only two Americans will be remembered, Armstrong ignored

Key Takeaway

Consider how history selects figures

Themes

history legacy recognition

Mood

speculative reflective

Type

historical philosophical

When to use this quote

- education curricula
- public monuments
- media representation

Key Concepts

historical memory cultural bias

Questions to Reflect On

- What determines historical fame?
- How might other figures emerge?

A Different Perspective

Future remembrance is unpredictable and subjective

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [What we will have attained when Neil Armstrong steps down upon the moon is a completely new step in the evolution of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/what-we-will-have-attained-when-neil-armstrong-steps-down-upon-the/)

[Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/)

> [Apollo 11 was the movie premiere of moon landings, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Neil was a bit of a mystic, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-koppel/apollo-11-was-the-movie-premiere-of-moon-landings-with-neil-armstrong/)

[Lily Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-koppel/)

> [The soles of Neil Armstrong's boots on the moon made permanent impressions on our souls and in our national psyche. Ann and I watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/the-soles-of-neil-armstrong-s-boots-on-the-moon-made-permanent/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

> [If the American taxpayer knew how much they paid per person to put Neil Armstrong on the moon they would never have paid it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/if-the-american-taxpayer-knew-how-much-they-paid-per-person-to-put/)

[Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/)

> [If you want something bad enough, you've got to make a bold move. George Washington, took on the British Empire. Neil Armstrong walked on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/if-you-want-something-bad-enough-you-ve-got-to-make-a-bold-move/)

[Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/)

> [I am surprised nothing has been made of the fact that astronaut Neil Armstrong carried no sidearms when he landed on the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-goldberg/i-am-surprised-nothing-has-been-made-of-the-fact-that-astronaut-neil/)

[Arthur Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-goldberg/)

> [To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, the three astronauts from Apollo 11 visited the White House. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/to-commemorate-the-40th-anniversary-of-the-moon-landing-the-three/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [Everyone should take their hats off to Neil Armstrong. He is a humble guy who doesn't wave his own flag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/everyone-should-take-their-hats-off-to-neil-armstrong-he-is-a-humble/)

[Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/)

> [Fate has ordained that the men who went to the Moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/fate-has-ordained-that-the-men-who-went-to-the-moon-to-explore-in/)

[Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/)

> [Neil Armstrong was probably one of the most human guys I've ever known in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/neil-armstrong-was-probably-one-of-the-most-human-guys-i-ve-ever/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> ['2001' was written in an age which now lies beyond one of the great divides in human history; we are sundered from it forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/2001-was-written-in-an-age-which-now-lies-beyond-one-of-the-great/)

[Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/)

> [“Hoping you were the first to do something, and fearing you weren’t the first, won’t change the future by altering the past. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/hoping-you-were-the-first-to-do-something-and-fearing-you-weren-t-the/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [When I was little, my dad was in the Air Force. He introduced me to Neil Armstrong, and Neil Armstrong signed my moon book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-fulcher/when-i-was-little-my-dad-was-in-the-air-force-he-introduced-me-to/)

[Rich Fulcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-fulcher/)

> [Many short-sighted fools think that going to the Moon was just a stunt. But the astronauts knew the meaning of what they were doing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/many-short-sighted-fools-think-that-going-to-the-moon-was-just-a/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [I always respected Neil Armstrong highly. He was probably the coolest under pressure of anyone I ever had the privilege of flying with. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duke/i-always-respected-neil-armstrong-highly-he-was-probably-the-coolest/)

[Charles Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duke/)

## More by Kevin Gutzman

> [I don't think America needs 28,000 men on Okinawa. I don't think we need an army in Germany. What's it for, to protect Germans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/i-don-t-think-america-needs-28-000-men-on-okinawa-i-don-t-think-we/)

[Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/)

> [I think there's no doubt that George Washington was the most important American to this time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/i-think-there-s-no-doubt-that-george-washington-was-the-most/)

[Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/)

> [In fact, we haven't ever really recalibrated our foreign policy commitments since the end of the Cold War. We still have alliances throughout Asia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/in-fact-we-haven-t-ever-really-recalibrated-our-foreign-policy/)

[Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/)

> [Those who would give us a "living" Constitution are actually giving us a dead one, since such a thing is completely unable to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/those-who-would-give-us-a-living-constitution-are-actually-giving-us/)

[Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/)

> [Some things have changed, but there's a lot of what went on in the Washington administration that's just been done ever since because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/some-things-have-changed-but-there-s-a-lot-of-what-went-on-in-the/)

[Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/)

> [A 'living constitution' is a dead constitution, because it does not do the one and only thing a written constitution is supposed to do:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/a-living-constitution-is-a-dead-constitution-because-it-does-not-do/)

[Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/)

> [What good would it be to fight a war with the British and end up with your own king? Nobody had any idea that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/what-good-would-it-be-to-fight-a-war-with-the-british-and-end-up-with/)

[Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/)

> [There are a lot of things that are done in the federal government that are done because Washington did them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/there-are-a-lot-of-things-that-are-done-in-the-federal-government/)

[Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/)

[Explore all 9 Kevin Gutzman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/)

## More Armstrong quotes

> [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/i-think-we-ve-all-had-enough-of-coltrane-saxophonists-there-s-a-case/)

[Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/)

> [Man, you'd be surprised how much I'm learning - not only about myself, but about the musicians who came before me. You don't realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-hubbard/man-you-d-be-surprised-how-much-i-m-learning-not-only-about-myself/)

[Freddie Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-hubbard/)

> [Lance Armstrong won seven Tours, that's 147 days of racing, and he never had a puncture or a mechanical. You can really minimise your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cavendish/lance-armstrong-won-seven-tours-that-s-147-days-of-racing-and-he/)

[Mark Cavendish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cavendish/)

> [Fantastic truths perish slower... Sappho's moon will survive the moon of Armstrong. Different computations are necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odysseas-elytis/fantastic-truths-perish-slower-sappho-s-moon-will-survive-the-moon-of/)

[Odysseas Elytis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odysseas-elytis/)

> [I listened to King Oliver and I listened to Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp... I listened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-listened-to-king-oliver-and-i-listened-to-louis-armstrong-jelly/)

[Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/)

> [I saw a guy wearing a "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelet and a Lance Armstrong bracelet, and he went up to this blind kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tosh/i-saw-a-guy-wearing-a-what-would-jesus-do-bracelet-and-a-lance/)

[Daniel Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tosh/)

> [Then there are some minor points that strike me as suggestive - for instance, the position of Mrs. Hubbard's sponge bag, the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/then-there-are-some-minor-points-that-strike-me-as-suggestive-for/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [I went on a Buddha jag. I read 'Confession of a Buddhist Atheist' by Stephen Batchelor and Karen Armstrong's biography of Buddha, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-o-hare/i-went-on-a-buddha-jag-i-read-confession-of-a-buddhist-atheist-by/)

[Denis O'Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-o-hare/)

> [ \[Louis Armstrong\] could play a trumpet like nobody else, then put it down and sing a song like no one else could. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-condon/louis-armstrong-could-play-a-trumpet-like-nobody-else-then-put-it/)

[Eddie Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-condon/)

> [Louis Armstrong is jazz. He represents what the music is all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/louis-armstrong-is-jazz-he-represents-what-the-music-is-all-about/)

[Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/)

> [What we will have attained when Neil Armstrong steps down upon the moon is a completely new step in the evolution of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/what-we-will-have-attained-when-neil-armstrong-steps-down-upon-the/)

[Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/)

> [I've never felt Truth was Beauty. Never. I've always felt that people can't take too much reality. I like being in Ingmar Bergman's world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-ve-never-felt-truth-was-beauty-never-i-ve-always-felt-that-people/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [If it weren't for greed, intolerance, hate, passion and murder, you would have no works of art, no great buildings, no medical science, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/if-it-weren-t-for-greed-intolerance-hate-passion-and-murder-you-would/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [Armstrong, sitting in the commander's seat, spacesuit on, helmet on, plugged into electrical and environmental umbilical's, is a man who is not only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/armstrong-sitting-in-the-commander-s-seat-spacesuit-on-helmet-on/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [If you look at anyone who has achieved great success and wealth, people like Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, or Lance Armstrong, they have all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/if-you-look-at-anyone-who-has-achieved-great-success-and-wealth/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

Browse all 180 Armstrong quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In fact, I think 500 years from now, the two Americans so far who will be remembered are George Washington and Neil Armstrong, who, amazingly hasn't been paid very much attention.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kevin Gutzman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/in-fact-i-think-500-years-from-now-the-two-americans-so-far-who-will/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Armstrong"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/in-fact-i-think-500-years-from-now-the-two-americans-so-far-who-will/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/kevin-gutzman-45277_armstrong_in-fact-i-think-500-years-from-now-the-t_2892268.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/kevin-gutzman-45277_armstrong_in-fact-i-think-500-years-from-now-the-t_2892268.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/kevin-gutzman-45277_armstrong_in-fact-i-think-500-years-from-now-the-t_2892268.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In fact, I think 500 years from now, the two Americans so far who will be remembered are George Washington…” — Kevin Gutzman",
                "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": "Kevin Gutzman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In fact, I think 500 years...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/in-fact-i-think-500-years-from-now-the-two-americans-so-far-who-will/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/in-fact-i-think-500-years-from-now-the-two-americans-so-far-who-will/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
