--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our works decay and disappear but God…" description: "\"Our works decay and disappear but God gentlest works stay looking down on the ruins we toil to rear.\" — Walter Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/walter-smith-30153_decay_our-works-decay-and-disappear-but-god-ge_2077149.jpg" --- # Our works decay and disappear but God gentlest works stay… ![“Our works decay and disappear but God gentlest works stay looking down on the ruins we toil to rear.” quote by Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/walter-smith-30153_decay_our-works-decay-and-disappear-but-god-ge_2077149.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/walter-smith-30153_decay_our-works-decay-and-disappear-but-god-ge_2077149.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/walter-smith-30153_decay_our-works-decay-and-disappear-but-god-ge_2077149.jpg) > “Our works decay and disappear but God gentlest works stay looking down on the ruins we toil to rear.” [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He contrasts fleeting human works with enduring divine creations that overlook human toil, suggesting spiritual humility. **In simple terms:** Divine works outlast human efforts. Key Takeaway Seek humility, recognize lasting spiritual impact. Themes humility spirituality legacy Mood contemplative reverent Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - architecture - art - community projects - personal legacy Key Concepts theology philosophy human endeavor Questions to Reflect On - What lasting impact do you wish to leave? - How does humility shape your work? A Different Perspective Human achievements can still hold meaning despite transience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [Toil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toil/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Can we wonder that men perish and are forgotten when their noblest and most enduring works decay?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/decimius-magnus-ausonius/can-we-wonder-that-men-perish-and-are-forgotten-when-their-noblest/) [Decimius Magnus Ausonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/decimius-magnus-ausonius/) > [The very utterness of the crash and ruin, the desperation of the case, might be its hope. On ruins one can begin to build.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/the-very-utterness-of-the-crash-and-ruin-the-desperation-of-the-case/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [Better to toil blindly, beating every stone in turn for grains of gold, whether they contain any or not, than lie down in apathetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/better-to-toil-blindly-beating-every-stone-in-turn-for-grains-of-gold/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [“As a people we practiced excess. Excess in everything - pleasure, gaud display, endless toil, and death. Vagrant children slept in the alleys. Ragpicking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-a-people-we-practiced-excess-excess-in-everything-pleasure-gaud/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The less we show our love to a woman, Or please her less, and neglect our duty, The more we trap and ruin her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/the-less-we-show-our-love-to-a-woman-or-please-her-less-and-neglect/) [Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/) > [The path to Heaven is narrow, rough and full of wearisome and trying ascents, nor can it be trodden without great toil; and therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southwell/the-path-to-heaven-is-narrow-rough-and-full-of-wearisome-and-trying/) [Robert Southwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southwell/) > [Archaeology, I found, comprehended all manner of excitement and achievement. Adventure is coupled with bookish toil. Romantic excursions go hand in hand with scholarly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/archaeology-i-found-comprehended-all-manner-of-excitement-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay; the cause of the destruction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-decline-of-rome-was-the-natural-and-inevitable-effect-of/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [“The broken pink pillars, in the half-light, might have been waiting to fall down on him: the pool, covered with green scum, its steps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/the-broken-pink-pillars-in-the-half-light-might-have-been-waiting-to/) [Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/) > [Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/look-for-yourself-and-you-will-find-in-the-long-run-only-hatred/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [As a beast of toil an ox is fixed capital. If he is eaten, he no longer functions as an instrument of labour, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-a-beast-of-toil-an-ox-is-fixed-capital-if-he-is-eaten-he-no-longer/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Our life is what we make it. An insignificant game or a noble trial; a dream or a reality; a play of the senses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/our-life-is-what-we-make-it-an-insignificant-game-or-a-noble-trial-a/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [My God, whose son, as on this night, took on Him the form of man, and for man vouchsafed to suffer and bleed, controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/my-god-whose-son-as-on-this-night-took-on-him-the-form-of-man-and-for/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That toil of growing up; The ignominy of boyhood; the distress Of boyhood changing into man; The unfinished man and his pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/that-toil-of-growing-up-the-ignominy-of-boyhood-the-distress-of/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) ## More by Walter Smith > [At Rangers you are never more than 2 defeats away from a crisis!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/at-rangers-you-are-never-more-than-2-defeats-away-from-a-crisis/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [The Old Firm clubs are not easy clubs to manage and sometimes I think frustration comes in that, in the end, make you happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/the-old-firm-clubs-are-not-easy-clubs-to-manage-and-sometimes-i-think/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [Whether people like it or not, you have to say the Old Firm are a major part of Scottish football. I know there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/whether-people-like-it-or-not-you-have-to-say-the-old-firm-are-a/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [There are people for whom Rangers Football Club is their entire way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/there-are-people-for-whom-rangers-football-club-is-their-entire-way/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [The best things are not bought and sold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/the-best-things-are-not-bought-and-sold/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [From my own point of view, I hope everybody would realise that people who work in Scottish football - referees included - are always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/from-my-own-point-of-view-i-hope-everybody-would-realise-that-people/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [Every good lawyer knows that if there is something in his client's cause that so personally offends you, morally, religiously, or if it so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/every-good-lawyer-knows-that-if-there-is-something-in-his-client-s/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [Whether D.C. residents will be full-fledged citizens seems to be a case worthy of the Supreme Court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/whether-d-c-residents-will-be-full-fledged-citizens-seems-to-be-a/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [Dying is no big deal. The least of us will manage that. Living is the trick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/dying-is-no-big-deal-the-least-of-us-will-manage-that-living-is-the/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [God gave Davie Cooper a talent. He would not be disappointed with how it was used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/god-gave-davie-cooper-a-talent-he-would-not-be-disappointed-with-how/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [Virginia and Maryland attorneys argued this is a national problem and needs a national solution. I'm hoping that with a federal court agreeing this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/virginia-and-maryland-attorneys-argued-this-is-a-national-problem-and/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [If you can achieve winning a league championship, that, to me, is the full test of the team and management because it is over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/if-you-can-achieve-winning-a-league-championship-that-to-me-is-the/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [Overall, going to the moon is a daunting project because of the amount of fuel it takes to send a payload from Earth,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/overall-going-to-the-moon-is-a-daunting-project-because-of-the-amount/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [The main thing in a cup tie is to get through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/the-main-thing-in-a-cup-tie-is-to-get-through/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) > [I started out in Scotland, not as a footballer of any note, and I didn't play to draw the attention of people abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/i-started-out-in-scotland-not-as-a-footballer-of-any-note-and-i-didn/) [Walter Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) [Explore all 17 Walter Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/) ## More Decay quotes > [Unfortunately, moral beauty in art - like physical beauty in a person - is extremely perishable. It is nowhere so durable as artistic or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/unfortunately-moral-beauty-in-art-like-physical-beauty-in-a-person-is/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [One reason why my memory decays is that I have three cats, all so loving and insistent that they play cat's-cradle with every train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/one-reason-why-my-memory-decays-is-that-i-have-three-cats-all-so/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [We think literature is immortal, but even that decays and ultimately turns to dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-farren/we-think-literature-is-immortal-but-even-that-decays-and-ultimately/) [Mick Farren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-farren/) > [Wise people are able to give themselves gracefully to seemingly contradictory experiences, because they know that they belong to different seasons of life, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/wise-people-are-able-to-give-themselves-gracefully-to-seemingly/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) > [The ensouled is distinguished from the unsouled by its being alive. Now since being alive is spoken of in many ways, even if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-ensouled-is-distinguished-from-the-unsouled-by-its-being-alive/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It seems that the whole world is beginning to decay, and that its putrefaction has chosen to spread outward from here, from the land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginning-to-decay-and-that-its/) [Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/) > [No government can be strong and flourishing while the national character is weak and degraded. A government must flourish and decay with its subjects;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-robbins-curtis/no-government-can-be-strong-and-flourishing-while-the-national/) [Benjamin Robbins Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-robbins-curtis/) > [But the grind has begun. The windows don’t open, and even the availability of near-constant jokes about Jews and Mormons fails to stem the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/but-the-grind-has-begun-the-windows-don-t-open-and-even-the/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Cocaine decisions that you make today, will mean nothing later on when you get nose decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/cocaine-decisions-that-you-make-today-will-mean-nothing-later-on-when/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Youth should be radical. Youth should demand change in the world. Youth should not accept the old order if the world is to move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-allen-white/youth-should-be-radical-youth-should-demand-change-in-the-world-youth/) [William Allen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-allen-white/) > [Waiting makes wine better; but waiting makes man decay! Don't wait because you have no time! Move fast!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/waiting-makes-wine-better-but-waiting-makes-man-decay-don-t-wait/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Without adventure all civilization is full of decay. Adventure rarely reaches its predetermined end. Columbus never reached China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/without-adventure-all-civilization-is-full-of-decay-adventure-rarely/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [“Out of all its squalor and human decay, its eruptions of butchery, India produced so many people of grace and beauty, ruled by elaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/out-of-all-its-squalor-and-human-decay-its-eruptions-of-butchery/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 744 Decay quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our works decay and disappear but God gentlest works stay looking down on the ruins we toil to rear.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/our-works-decay-and-disappear-but-god-gentlest-works-stay-looking/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Decay" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/our-works-decay-and-disappear-but-god-gentlest-works-stay-looking/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/walter-smith-30153_decay_our-works-decay-and-disappear-but-god-ge_2077149.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/walter-smith-30153_decay_our-works-decay-and-disappear-but-god-ge_2077149.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/walter-smith-30153_decay_our-works-decay-and-disappear-but-god-ge_2077149.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Our works decay and disappear but God gentlest works stay looking down on the ruins we toil to rear.” — Walter Smith", "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": "Walter Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Our works decay and disappear but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/our-works-decay-and-disappear-but-god-gentlest-works-stay-looking/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-smith/our-works-decay-and-disappear-but-god-gentlest-works-stay-looking/#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 } } ] } ```