--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We do not want to destroy unnecessarily…" description: "\"“We do not want to destroy unnecessarily what men spent so much time and care and skill in making... for these examples of craftsmanship tell us so muc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ronald-balfour-british-monumen_monuments-men_we-do-not-want-to-destroy-unnecessarily_1090750.jpg" --- # We do not want to destroy unnecessarily what men spent so… ![“We do not want to destroy unnecessarily what men spent so much time and care and skill in making... for these examples of craftsmanship tell us so much about our ancestors... If these things are lost or broken or destroyed, we lose a valuable part of our knowledge about our forefathers. No age…” quote by Ronald Balfour British Monuments Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ronald-balfour-british-monumen_monuments-men_we-do-not-want-to-destroy-unnecessarily_1090750.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ronald-balfour-british-monumen_monuments-men_we-do-not-want-to-destroy-unnecessarily_1090750.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ronald-balfour-british-monumen_monuments-men_we-do-not-want-to-destroy-unnecessarily_1090750.jpg) > ““We do not want to destroy unnecessarily what men spent so much time and care and skill in making... for these examples of craftsmanship tell us so much about our ancestors... If these things are lost or broken or destroyed, we lose a valuable part of our knowledge about our forefathers. No age lives entirely alone; every civilization is formed not merely by its own achievements but by what it has inherited from the past. If these things are destroyed, we have lost a part of our past, and we shall be the poorer for it.”” Ronald Balfour British Monuments Man ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Warns that destroying cultural heritage erases ancestral knowledge, urging preservation of craftsmanship and history. **In simple terms:** Destroying heritage loses our ancestors’ knowledge. Key Takeaway Protect historic artifacts and traditions. Themes heritage history craftsmanship culture legacy memory Mood reflective somber inspirational Type Monuments-men:1 Time:1 Things Destroyed:1 Tell Ancestors:1 Ancestors Things:1 Examples Craftsmanship:1 Craftsmanship Tell:1 When to use this quote - archaeology - museum work - education - policy making Key Concepts cultural preservation intergenerational learning identity Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance progress and preservation? - What responsibilities do we have to past generations? A Different Perspective Preservation can conflict with development needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“If you destroy an entire generation of people's culture, it's as if they never existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lt-frank-stokes/if-you-destroy-an-entire-generation-of-people-s-culture-it-s-as-if/) Lt. Frank Stokes > [“One day a few houses appeared," said Toshaway. "Someone had been cutting the trees. Of course we did not mind, in the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/one-day-a-few-houses-appeared-said-toshaway-someone-had-been-cutting/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“History is nothing but the lies we tell about our ancestors”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/history-is-nothing-but-the-lies-we-tell-about-our-ancestors/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [Of course I can have a simple reaction of sympathy and sorrow to destruction. But you also know that you can't have new things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/of-course-i-can-have-a-simple-reaction-of-sympathy-and-sorrow-to/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [If other things must be destroyed in order for fire to exist, that's all right with fire. As far as fire is concerned, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-wells/if-other-things-must-be-destroyed-in-order-for-fire-to-exist-that-s-2/) [Dan Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-wells/) > [Lives are destroyed by many things. They are destroyed by anti-racism too, as Ray Honeyford's was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/lives-are-destroyed-by-many-things-they-are-destroyed-by-anti-racism/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Don't despair too much if you see beautiful things destroyed, if you see them perish. Because the best things are always growing in secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/don-t-despair-too-much-if-you-see-beautiful-things-destroyed-if-you/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [My dear, beautiful and imaginative things can be destroyed. Beauty and imagination cannot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/my-dear-beautiful-and-imaginative-things-can-be-destroyed-beauty-and/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [Four things are destroyed by the other fours: kindness by ingratitude, strength (of government) by crime, power by power and human love by arrogance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khwaja-abdullah-ansari/four-things-are-destroyed-by-the-other-fours-kindness-by-ingratitude/) Khwaja Abdullah Ansari > [“There are things that must be destroyed--or they'll destroy us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-things-that-must-be-destroyed-or-they-ll-destroy-us/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [If other things must be destroyed in order for fire to exist, that's all right with fire. As far as fire is concerned, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-wells/if-other-things-must-be-destroyed-in-order-for-fire-to-exist-that-s/) [Dan Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-wells/) > [Dead, we become the lumber of the world, And to that mass of matter shall be swept Where things destroyed with things unborn are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/dead-we-become-the-lumber-of-the-world-and-to-that-mass-of-matter/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) ## More Monuments-men quotes > [“If you destroy an entire generation of people's culture, it's as if they never existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lt-frank-stokes/if-you-destroy-an-entire-generation-of-people-s-culture-it-s-as-if/) Lt. 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