---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I were to have an epitaph, I'd want it…"
description: "\"If I were to have an epitaph, I'd want it to read, 'She did stuff.'\" — Ory Okolloh"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c6/ory-okolloh-12470_books_if-i-were-to-have-an-epitaph-i-d-want-it_2396393.jpg"
---

#  If I were to have an epitaph, I'd want it to read, 'She…

![“If I were to have an epitaph, I'd want it to read, 'She did stuff.'” quote by Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c6/ory-okolloh-12470_books_if-i-were-to-have-an-epitaph-i-d-want-it_2396393.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c6/ory-okolloh-12470_books_if-i-were-to-have-an-epitaph-i-d-want-it_2396393.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c6/ory-okolloh-12470_books_if-i-were-to-have-an-epitaph-i-d-want-it_2396393.jpg)

> “If I were to have an epitaph, I'd want it to read, 'She did stuff.'”

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

## About This Quote

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

A desire for a simple, bold legacy that celebrates action over accolades.

**In simple terms:** Want a legacy that says “she did stuff”.

Key Takeaway

Focus on deeds, not titles.

Themes

legacy empowerment humor

Mood

lighthearted confident

Type

humorous inspirational

When to use this quote

- career retrospectives
- personal statements
- motivational speeches

Key Concepts

personal branding legacy building

Questions to Reflect On

- What actions define your legacy?
- How can humor shape how you’re remembered?

A Different Perspective

Might be seen as flippant, ignoring deeper impact.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Epitaph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epitaph/)

## Related quotes

> ["Gun-wielding recluse gunned down by local police" isn't the epitaph I want. I am hoping for "Witnesses reported the sound up to two hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/gun-wielding-recluse-gunned-down-by-local-police-isn-t-the-epitaph-i/)

[James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/)

> [I never have time to read now. I did all my reading before I was twenty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/i-never-have-time-to-read-now-i-did-all-my-reading-before-i-was-twenty/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [I think the first table read I ever did, my hand was vibrating the whole time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-macfarlane/i-think-the-first-table-read-i-ever-did-my-hand-was-vibrating-the/)

[Luke Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-macfarlane/)

> [I don't know if you saw the parting of the Red Sea with the chariots on the horses, I did stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-farnsworth/i-don-t-know-if-you-saw-the-parting-of-the-red-sea-with-the-chariots/)

[Richard Farnsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-farnsworth/)

> [I haven't done Vine in a long time, and when I first started, I just did stuff that I thought was funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-williams/i-haven-t-done-vine-in-a-long-time-and-when-i-first-started-i-just/)

[Maisie Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-williams/)

> [I remember that one time, before Facebook, when I went outside and did stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-remember-that-one-time-before-facebook-when-i-went-outside-and-did/)

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

> [I did all the stuff that people do - film, performance, photography, pictures and words, words and pictures. In retrospect, I was trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/i-did-all-the-stuff-that-people-do-film-performance-photography/)

[David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/)

> [I had to learn American sign language. And I did stuff in it, stuff that was just for me and was fun, that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-had-to-learn-american-sign-language-and-i-did-stuff-in-it-stuff/)

[Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/)

> [To waste! You are unknown and unwanted, save by me. This, because you are fairly adept at the various embalming arts and you occasionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/to-waste-you-are-unknown-and-unwanted-save-by-me-this-because-you-are/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [I always thought I'd like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I'd like it to say 'figment.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-always-thought-i-d-like-my-own-tombstone-to-be-blank-no-epitaph-and/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [Someone once asked me what I want on my epitaph when I pass away. Just the words 'I tried.' That's what this game of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rooney/someone-once-asked-me-what-i-want-on-my-epitaph-when-i-pass-away-just/)

[Mickey Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rooney/)

> [“I wouldn't mind that as my epitaph.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/i-wouldn-t-mind-that-as-my-epitaph/)

[Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/)

> [People asked me what I want as an epitaph: 'He tried'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/people-asked-me-what-i-want-as-an-epitaph-he-tried/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [“I want this epitaph engraved on my tombstone: “See you soon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douard-lev/i-want-this-epitaph-engraved-on-my-tombstone-see-you-soon/)

[Édouard Levé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douard-lev/)

> [Once someone asked me, "What do you want to be your epitaph?" So I said, "Paulo Coelho died when he was alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/once-someone-asked-me-what-do-you-want-to-be-your-epitaph-so-i-said/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

## More by Ory Okolloh

> [Beyond providing some level of scrutiny of Kenyan MPs, we built Mzalendo to demonstrate that there is only so much bemoaning you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/beyond-providing-some-level-of-scrutiny-of-kenyan-mps-we-built/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [I didn't grow up in the slums or anything that dire, but I know what it is to grow up without having money or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/i-didn-t-grow-up-in-the-slums-or-anything-that-dire-but-i-know-what/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [Omidyar Network first supported Africa Check in 2014 when they were a team of just three dedicated people intent on building a more fact-based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/omidyar-network-first-supported-africa-check-in-2014-when-they-were-a/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [I always tell people that I am most proud of the fact that the Ushahidi story has provided an inspiration to other techies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/i-always-tell-people-that-i-am-most-proud-of-the-fact-that-the/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [I believe in the power of ideas. I believe in the power of sharing knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/i-believe-in-the-power-of-ideas-i-believe-in-the-power-of-sharing/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [People thought I wrote in a very 'masculine' way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/people-thought-i-wrote-in-a-very-masculine-way/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [Technology is the perfect refuge for African capability stifled elsewhere by badly run governments and years of misplaced foreign aid. Ubiquitous connectivity in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/technology-is-the-perfect-refuge-for-african-capability-stifled/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [21st-century activism is different perhaps in the sense that the individual can be more present in the process, especially via social media, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/21st-century-activism-is-different-perhaps-in-the-sense-that-the/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [Press and Internet freedom correlate against economic and social success, GDP, innovation, number of patents filed, and educational attainment. The more freedom there is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/press-and-internet-freedom-correlate-against-economic-and-social/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [I think there's sort of an extra oomph with the younger people coming up. They're writing. They're communicating. They're sharing, and they are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/i-think-there-s-sort-of-an-extra-oomph-with-the-younger-people-coming/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [All of us salute the ITU's excellent work in the telecommunications space. It has set standards which encourage investment in infrastructure and ensure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/all-of-us-salute-the-itu-s-excellent-work-in-the-telecommunications/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [As I see it, tech in Africa 1.0 was the mobile-phone boom, and version 2.0 was about new apps developed in response to local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/as-i-see-it-tech-in-africa-1-0-was-the-mobile-phone-boom-and-version/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [The depiction of Africa has changed in the media in that it is not always poverty, disease, and so on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/the-depiction-of-africa-has-changed-in-the-media-in-that-it-is-not/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [As much as innovation is important, I think we also need to just make stuff. If we look at Kenya, where I'm from, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/as-much-as-innovation-is-important-i-think-we-also-need-to-just-make/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

> [Anyone who has been successful and has knowledge to share is a potential mentor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/anyone-who-has-been-successful-and-has-knowledge-to-share-is-a/)

[Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

[Explore all 54 Ory Okolloh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If I were to have an epitaph, I'd want it to read, 'She did stuff.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ory Okolloh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/if-i-were-to-have-an-epitaph-i-d-want-it-to-read-she-did-stuff/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/if-i-were-to-have-an-epitaph-i-d-want-it-to-read-she-did-stuff/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c6/ory-okolloh-12470_books_if-i-were-to-have-an-epitaph-i-d-want-it_2396393.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c6/ory-okolloh-12470_books_if-i-were-to-have-an-epitaph-i-d-want-it_2396393.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c6/ory-okolloh-12470_books_if-i-were-to-have-an-epitaph-i-d-want-it_2396393.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If I were to have an epitaph, I'd want it to read, 'She did stuff.'” — Ory Okolloh",
                "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": "Ory Okolloh",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If I were to have an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/if-i-were-to-have-an-epitaph-i-d-want-it-to-read-she-did-stuff/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/if-i-were-to-have-an-epitaph-i-d-want-it-to-read-she-did-stuff/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
