--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now these ashes have grown cold, we open…" description: "\"“Now these ashes have grown cold, we open the old book. These oil-stained pages recount the tales of the Fallen, a frayed empire, words without warmth...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/steven-erikson-588_ashes_now-these-ashes-have-grown-cold-we-open_2730950.jpg" --- # Now these ashes have grown cold, we open the old book… ![“Now these ashes have grown cold, we open the old book. These oil-stained pages recount the tales of the Fallen, a frayed empire, words without warmth. The hearth has ebbed, its gleam and life's sparks are but memories against dimming eyes - what cast my mind, what hue my thoughts as I open the…” quote by Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/steven-erikson-588_ashes_now-these-ashes-have-grown-cold-we-open_2730950.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/steven-erikson-588_ashes_now-these-ashes-have-grown-cold-we-open_2730950.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/steven-erikson-588_ashes_now-these-ashes-have-grown-cold-we-open_2730950.jpg) > ““Now these ashes have grown cold, we open the old book. These oil-stained pages recount the tales of the Fallen, a frayed empire, words without warmth. The hearth has ebbed, its gleam and life's sparks are but memories against dimming eyes - what cast my mind, what hue my thoughts as I open the Book of the Fallen and breathe deep the scent of history? Listen, then, to these words carried on that breath. These tales are the tales of us all, again yet again. We are history relived and that is all, without end that is all.”” [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History repeats itself; the past is alive in the present, urging us to listen. **In simple terms:** History repeats and lives on. Key Takeaway Pay attention to past lessons. Themes history repetition memory legacy Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - reading historical texts - museum visits - family storytelling - academic study Key Concepts cyclical time cultural myth collective identity Questions to Reflect On - What lessons does the past teach you? - How can you apply them today? A Different Perspective Focusing on past can hinder present action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashes/) [Book Fallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-fallen-2955029/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Epigraph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epigraph-56617/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Relived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-relived-2955028/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Tales Fallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales-fallen-2955026/) [Words Carried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-carried-513106/) ## Related quotes > [“The rising and falling cadence of words, carried on the wind, spoken in a language other than human.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-shepherd/the-rising-and-falling-cadence-of-words-carried-on-the-wind-spoken-in/) [Megan Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-shepherd/) > [“I am about to say something that must have been said by men to women several times before”I informed her , “However, I don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-am-about-to-say-something-that-must-have-been-said-by-men-to-women/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [It was as if he had come to mistrust words somehow. Words, and the sentiments words carried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-was-as-if-he-had-come-to-mistrust-words-somehow-words-and-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“Let freedom ring / let the white dove sing / let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning. As epigraph…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/let-freedom-ring-let-the-white-dove-sing-let-the-whole-world-know/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) > [“One flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo's nest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/one-flew-east-one-flew-west-one-flew-over-the-cuckoo-s-nest/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“I didn’t have a good idea, but I had an idea. Which would be a fitting quote on my tombstone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-johnson/i-didn-t-have-a-good-idea-but-i-had-an-idea-which-would-be-a-fitting/) [B.C. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-johnson/) > [“He was hounded by the shade of his brother, demanding terribly the price of blood... William of Malmesbury, the History of the English Kings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-bracewell/he-was-hounded-by-the-shade-of-his-brother-demanding-terribly-the/) [Patricia Bracewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-bracewell/) > [Conrad placed on the title page an epigraph taken from Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene: "Sleep after toyle, port after stormie seas, Ease after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/conrad-placed-on-the-title-page-an-epigraph-taken-from-edmund-spenser/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“You are in love with intelligence, until it frightens you. For your ideas are terrifying and your hearts are faint. Your acts of pity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/you-are-in-love-with-intelligence-until-it-frightens-you-for-your/) [Paul Valéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [“The sun is high and I’m surrounded by sand. For as far as my eyes can see I’m strapped into a rocking chair With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-ngel-ma-as/the-sun-is-high-and-i-m-surrounded-by-sand-for-as-far-as-my-eyes-can/) [José Ángel Mañas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-ngel-ma-as/) > [“I even gave up, for a while, stopping by the window of the room to look out at the lights and deep, illuminated streets.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-even-gave-up-for-a-while-stopping-by-the-window-of-the-room-to-look/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [I don't want to have a gravestone. I want to have all my friends burn me and then snort the ashes. I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-don-t-want-to-have-a-gravestone-i-want-to-have-all-my-friends-burn/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-is-gold-does-not-glitter-not-all-those-who-wander-are-lost/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can flush my ashes down the toilet, for all I care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-flush-my-ashes-down-the-toilet-for-all-i-care/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Steven Erikson > [“No matter, they weren’t going anywhere. Never again. Two skeletons buried beneath a dead city. No more fitting a barrow for a warrior of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/no-matter-they-weren-t-going-anywhere-never-again-two-skeletons/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“I was reminded ... the way that wood crumbles into dissolution.’ ‘The release of energy. Perhaps a better way of seeing it.’ ‘Such release…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/i-was-reminded-the-way-that-wood-crumbles-into-dissolution-the/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“I am here to arrest your manservant. The one named Bugg.’ ‘Oh, now really, his cooking isn’t that bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/i-am-here-to-arrest-your-manservant-the-one-named-bugg-oh-now-really/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [The more civilized a nation, the more conformed its population, until that civilization's last age arrives, when multiplicity wages war with conformity. The former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-more-civilized-a-nation-the-more-conformed-its-population-until/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“People in great need were quick to find blame in themselves, quick to assume the burden of guilt for things they in truth had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/people-in-great-need-were-quick-to-find-blame-in-themselves-quick-to/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“Envy shrugged. 'Can no value be found in good intentions?' 'What, precisely, are you trying to justify? And to me, or yourself?' She glared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/envy-shrugged-can-no-value-be-found-in-good-intentions-what-precisely/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [Any reasonable ruler would have the expectation and the demand the other way round.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/any-reasonable-ruler-would-have-the-expectation-and-the-demand-the/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“The existance of many gods conveys true complexity of mortal life. Conversely, the assertion of but one god leads to a denial of complexity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-existance-of-many-gods-conveys-true-complexity-of-mortal-life/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“All right, shadow-priest, you've been spying — on what? What state secrets have you learned watching me groom these horses?' 'Only that they hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/all-right-shadow-priest-you-ve-been-spying-on-what-what-state-secrets/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“There is nothing wrong with where we are, how we are. You spit on satisfaction, leaving you always unsettled and miserable. I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/there-is-nothing-wrong-with-where-we-are-how-we-are-you-spit-on/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“Why do I hate spiders? Gods, who doesn't? What a stupid question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/why-do-i-hate-spiders-gods-who-doesn-t-what-a-stupid-question/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [It is an extraordinary act of courage,' said Tulas Shorn, 'to come to know a stranger's pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/it-is-an-extraordinary-act-of-courage-said-tulas-shorn-to-come-to/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“I admit,’ said Spite, ‘to a certain melancholy when visiting vibrant cities, as is this Darujhistan. A long life teaches one just how ephemeral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/i-admit-said-spite-to-a-certain-melancholy-when-visiting-vibrant/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [All art is an intensely vulnerable gesture, and it is made with no small amounts of risk, and fear. So, I have plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/all-art-is-an-intensely-vulnerable-gesture-and-it-is-made-with-no/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“People who make up their minds about something never listen to advice - especially when it's to the contrary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/people-who-make-up-their-minds-about-something-never-listen-to-advice/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) [Explore all 452 Steven Erikson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) ## More Ashes quotes > [You can flush my ashes down the toilet, for all I care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-flush-my-ashes-down-the-toilet-for-all-i-care/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-is-gold-does-not-glitter-not-all-those-who-wander-are-lost/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want to have a gravestone. I want to have all my friends burn me and then snort the ashes. I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-don-t-want-to-have-a-gravestone-i-want-to-have-all-my-friends-burn/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [He said that he will never let you cry,he will always be there for you no matter how hard the situation is,that he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhra/he-said-that-he-will-never-let-you-cry-he-will-always-be-there-for/) [Zhra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhra/) > [“The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-past-is-to-be-learned-from-but-not-lived-in-we-look-back-to-claim/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Much can they praise the trees so straight and high, The sailing pine,the cedar proud and tall, The vine-prop elm, the poplar never dry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/much-can-they-praise-the-trees-so-straight-and-high-the-sailing-pine/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [When any civilization is dust and ashes," he said, "art is all that's left over. Images, words, music. Imaginative structures. Meaning—human meaning, that is—is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-any-civilization-is-dust-and-ashes-he-said-art-is-all-that-s/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/man-is-a-noble-animal-splendid-in-ashes-and-pompous-in-the-grave/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [“Bury us, and mark our names above. Let us be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/bury-us-and-mark-our-names-above-let-us-be-free/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [There is nothing quite like an Ashes trip Down Under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anderson/there-is-nothing-quite-like-an-ashes-trip-down-under/) [James Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anderson/) > [I think momentum is huge in sport, especially in a series like the Ashes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stokes/i-think-momentum-is-huge-in-sport-especially-in-a-series-like-the/) [Ben Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stokes/) > [Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man-yesterday in embryo, tomorrow a mummy or ashes. So for the hairsbreadth of time assigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/mark-how-fleeting-and-paltry-is-the-estate-of-man-yesterday-in-embryo/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“When you burn a bridge, you have to be prepared to live with some ashes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-coppernoll/when-you-burn-a-bridge-you-have-to-be-prepared-to-live-with-some-ashes/) [Chris Coppernoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-coppernoll/) > [I would rather be ashes than dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-ashes-than-dust/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) [Browse all 900 Ashes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Now these ashes have grown cold, we open the old book. These oil-stained pages recount the tales of the Fallen, a frayed empire, words without warmth. 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