--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: (Man's) history is a tale that is told…" description: "\"(Man's) history is a tale that is told, and his very monument becomes a ruin\" — Washington Irving" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/washington-irving-1386_history_man-s-history-is-a-tale-that-is-told-and_1592282.png" --- # (Man's) history is a tale that is told, and his very… ![“(Man's) history is a tale that is told, and his very monument becomes a ruin” quote by Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/washington-irving-1386_history_man-s-history-is-a-tale-that-is-told-and_1592282.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/washington-irving-1386_history_man-s-history-is-a-tale-that-is-told-and_1592282.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/washington-irving-1386_history_man-s-history-is-a-tale-that-is-told-and_1592282.png) > “(Man's) history is a tale that is told, and his very monument becomes a ruin” [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human achievements are fleeting; monuments become ruins over time. **In simple terms:** Great works fade. Key Takeaway Remember humility. Themes impermanence legacy history Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - archaeology - urban planning - personal legacy - cultural preservation Key Concepts mortality ephemerality Questions to Reflect On - How do you want to be remembered? - What does a ruin teach us about success? A Different Perspective Even ruins can inspire reflection on what truly lasts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-tale-6037948/) [Monument Ruin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monument-ruin-1411535/) [Ruin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruin/) [Tale Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tale-told/) [Told Monument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-monument-1411536/) ## Related quotes > [Man passes away; his name perishes from record and recollection; his history is as a tale that is told, and his very monument becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/man-passes-away-his-name-perishes-from-record-and-recollection-his/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [“History isn’t a tale told once, it’s a series of revisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lavalle/history-isn-t-a-tale-told-once-it-s-a-series-of-revisions/) [Victor LaValle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lavalle/) > [Now will I rehearse before you a very ancient Breton Lay. As the tale was told to me, so, in turn, will I tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-de-france/now-will-i-rehearse-before-you-a-very-ancient-breton-lay-as-the-tale/) [Marie de France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-de-france/) > [“In the end, every man's life is but a tale told to him that's lived it, and to him alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-willocks/in-the-end-every-man-s-life-is-but-a-tale-told-to-him-that-s-lived-it/) [Tim Willocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-willocks/) > [“A folklore study differs from most writing, in that the tale is told in the voice of the individual telling the story, not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-jones-gowen/a-folklore-study-differs-from-most-writing-in-that-the-tale-is-told/) [Karen Jones Gowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-jones-gowen/) > ['Tis an old tale, and often told; But did my fate and wish agree, Ne'er had been read, in story old, Of maiden true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/tis-an-old-tale-and-often-told-but-did-my-fate-and-wish-agree-ne-er/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [“Nothing ever begins. There is no first moment; no single word or place from which this or any other story springs. The threads can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/nothing-ever-begins-there-is-no-first-moment-no-single-word-or-place/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-bible/for-all-our-days-are-passed-away-in-thy-wrath-we-spend-our-years-as-a/) [King James Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-bible/) > [...the tale that's told for no other reason but companionship, which is another (and my favorite) definition of literature, the tale that's told for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-tale-that-s-told-for-no-other-reason-but-companionship-which-is/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [This life, which had been the tomb of his virtue and of his honour, is but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/this-life-which-had-been-the-tomb-of-his-virtue-and-of-his-honour-is/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“What a tale he's told, what a bitter bowl of war he's drunk to the dregs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/what-a-tale-he-s-told-what-a-bitter-bowl-of-war-he-s-drunk-to-the/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [Life ... is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-a-tale-told-by-an-idiot-full-of-sound-and-fury-signifying/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you are tempted to reveal A tale to you someone has told About another, make it pass, Before you speak, three gates of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-day/if-you-are-tempted-to-reveal-a-tale-to-you-someone-has-told-about/) [Beth Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-day/) > [Such is life, my fellow-mummers-just like a poor player that bluffs and feints his hour upon the stage, and then cheapens down to mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-furphy/such-is-life-my-fellow-mummers-just-like-a-poor-player-that-bluffs/) [Joseph Furphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-furphy/) > [“You are the fairy tale told by your ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/you-are-the-fairy-tale-told-by-your-ancestors/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) ## More by Washington Irving > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Language gradually varies, and with it fade away the writings of authors who have flourished their allotted time; otherwise, the creative powers of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/language-gradually-varies-and-with-it-fade-away-the-writings-of/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A woman's life is a history of the affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Over no nation does the press hold a more absolute control than over the people of America, for the universal education of the poorest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/over-no-nation-does-the-press-hold-a-more-absolute-control-than-over/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [I have never found, in anything outside of the four walls of my study, an enjoyment equal to sitting at my writing desk with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/i-have-never-found-in-anything-outside-of-the-four-walls-of-my-study/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is no character in the comedy of human life more difficult to play well than that of an old bachelor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-no-character-in-the-comedy-of-human-life-more-difficult-to/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [He who thinks much says but little in proportion to his thoughts. He selects that language which will convey his ideas in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/he-who-thinks-much-says-but-little-in-proportion-to-his-thoughts-he/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A woman's whole life is a history of the affections. The heart is her world: it is there her ambition strives for empire; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-whole-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections-the-heart-is-her/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Redundancy of language is never found with deep reflection. Verbiage may indicate observation, but not thinking. He who thinks much says but little in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/redundancy-of-language-is-never-found-with-deep-reflection-verbiage/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet: the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/history-fades-into-fable-fact-becomes-clouded-with-doubt-and/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is a majestic grandeur in tranquillity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-a-majestic-grandeur-in-tranquillity/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-england-that-exercises-a-more-delightful-spell/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [It is but seldom that any one overt act produces hostilities between two nations; there exists, more commonly, a previous jealousy and ill will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/it-is-but-seldom-that-any-one-overt-act-produces-hostilities-between/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) [Explore all 244 Washington Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "(Man's) history is a tale that is told, and his very monument becomes a ruin", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Washington Irving" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/man-s-history-is-a-tale-that-is-told-and-his-very-monument-becomes-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/man-s-history-is-a-tale-that-is-told-and-his-very-monument-becomes-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/washington-irving-1386_history_man-s-history-is-a-tale-that-is-told-and_1592282.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/washington-irving-1386_history_man-s-history-is-a-tale-that-is-told-and_1592282.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/washington-irving-1386_history_man-s-history-is-a-tale-that-is-told-and_1592282.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“(Man's) history is a tale that is told, and his very monument becomes a ruin” — Washington Irving", "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": "Washington Irving", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "(Man's) history is a tale that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/man-s-history-is-a-tale-that-is-told-and-his-very-monument-becomes-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/man-s-history-is-a-tale-that-is-told-and-his-very-monument-becomes-a/#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 } } ] } ```