--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Centuries from now our…" description: "\"Centuries from now our great-great-great-grandchildren will look back at us with amazement at how we could allow such a precious achievement of human c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/werner-herzog-964_acceptable_centuries-from-now-our-great-great-great_3011138.jpg" --- # Centuries from now our great-great-great-grandchildren… ![“Centuries from now our great-great-great-grandchildren will look back at us with amazement at how we could allow such a precious achievement of human culture as the telling of a story to be shattered into smithereens by commercials, the same amazement we feel today when we look at our ancestors…” quote by Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/werner-herzog-964_acceptable_centuries-from-now-our-great-great-great_3011138.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/werner-herzog-964_acceptable_centuries-from-now-our-great-great-great_3011138.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/werner-herzog-964_acceptable_centuries-from-now-our-great-great-great_3011138.jpg) > “Centuries from now our great-great-great-grandchildren will look back at us with amazement at how we could allow such a precious achievement of human culture as the telling of a story to be shattered into smithereens by commercials, the same amazement we feel today when we look at our ancestors for whom slavery, capital punishment, burning of witches, and the inquisition were acceptable everyday events.” [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Future generations will marvel at how commercialism threatens storytelling, just as we now marvel at past cruelties. **In simple terms:** Commercialism endangers stories. Key Takeaway Protect narrative art. Themes culture commercialism storytelling Mood critical reflective Type cultural philosophical When to use this quote - advertising - film - education Key Concepts media studies history Questions to Reflect On - How can art resist commodification? - What values preserve storytelling? A Different Perspective Commercial pressure can dilute truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [Ancestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) [Capital punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Grandchildren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandchildren/) [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Inquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inquisition/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Witch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witch/) ## Related quotes > [“The gods we ourselves have created ruled us for centuries! What a great comedy! And what a great tragedy!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-gods-we-ourselves-have-created-ruled-us-for-centuries-what-a/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [We should not look down on our first ancestors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/we-should-not-look-down-on-our-first-ancestors/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [But what about you? Have you prayed about your own ancestors’ work? Set aside those things in your life that don’t really matter. Decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-scott/but-what-about-you-have-you-prayed-about-your-own-ancestors-work-set/) [Richard G. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-scott/) > [What do you think happens after we die? We don't know. The establishment will say, 'Your neurons will stop firing. Your body will rot.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-hovland/what-do-you-think-happens-after-we-die-we-don-t-know-the/) [Viktor Hovland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-hovland/) > [I could not become an American citizen. I would not like to become a citizen of a country that has capital punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-could-not-become-an-american-citizen-i-would-not-like-to-become-a/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [One of the problems, and it's one which is obviously going to get worse, is that all the people at the party are either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-problems-and-it-s-one-which-is-obviously-going-to-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not a career kind of person. When I saw new music, new trends coming in, I didn't see any place for me. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-horne/i-m-not-a-career-kind-of-person-when-i-saw-new-music-new-trends/) [Lena Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-horne/) > [I'm still learning…learning from my great grandchildren and everyone around me. I would advise others to keep trying, stop and listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-chase/i-m-still-learning-learning-from-my-great-grandchildren-and-everyone/) [Leah Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-chase/) > [Like many dads I know, I've long been motivated in all aspects of my life by my love for my children - and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/like-many-dads-i-know-i-ve-long-been-motivated-in-all-aspects-of-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/what-children-need-most-are-the-essentials-that-grandparents-provide/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [In the time just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when Perfidia opens, we were pre-psychologized. There were no concepts of identity, no politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/in-the-time-just-before-the-bombing-of-pearl-harbor-when-perfidia/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [“He's cutting off circulation to my balls! If you want great grandchildren, woman, do something!" Joshua sputtered”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-mathewson/he-s-cutting-off-circulation-to-my-balls-if-you-want-great/) [R.L. Mathewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-mathewson/) > [If you want to live a hundred years, how do you want to live your life? At the age of 100, you should go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bikram-choudhury/if-you-want-to-live-a-hundred-years-how-do-you-want-to-live-your-life/) [Bikram Choudhury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bikram-choudhury/) > [My family - my husband, my daughters, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren, all of them - are the most important thing in the world to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolina-herrera/my-family-my-husband-my-daughters-my-grandchildren-my-great/) [Carolina Herrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolina-herrera/) > [Being popular is the most important thing in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/being-popular-is-the-most-important-thing-in-the-world/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) ## More by Werner Herzog > [If your project has real substance, ultimately the money will follow you like a common cur in the street with its tail between its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/if-your-project-has-real-substance-ultimately-the-money-will-follow/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Every man should pull a boat over a mountain once in his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/every-man-should-pull-a-boat-over-a-mountain-once-in-his-life/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I know whenever it comes to be really dysfunctional and vile and base and hostile on screen, I'm good at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-know-whenever-it-comes-to-be-really-dysfunctional-and-vile-and-base/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [When we speak about trespassing, we speak about artistic trespassing. You have to be prudent and have common sense and a sense of responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/when-we-speak-about-trespassing-we-speak-about-artistic-trespassing/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [If you want to propose marriage to your girlfriend and you live in England and she is in Sicily, do the decent thing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/if-you-want-to-propose-marriage-to-your-girlfriend-and-you-live-in/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I'm a very circumspect and prudent person, and I eliminate danger as far as it can be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-m-a-very-circumspect-and-prudent-person-and-i-eliminate-danger-as/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [It is not only my dreams, my belief is that all these dreams are yours as well. The only distinction between me and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/it-is-not-only-my-dreams-my-belief-is-that-all-these-dreams-are-yours/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [My non-fiction films are pretty much fiction, or at least close... It's all "movies" for me. I never have searched for a subject. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/my-non-fiction-films-are-pretty-much-fiction-or-at-least-close-it-s/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [If an actor knows how to milk a cow, I always know it will not be difficult to be in business with him,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/if-an-actor-knows-how-to-milk-a-cow-i-always-know-it-will-not-be/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [ِِِِِِِِِِArt house theaters are vanishing. They have almost disappeared completely, and that means there's a shift in what audiences want to see. And they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/art-house-theaters-are-vanishing-they-have-almost-disappeared/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I always had a feeling, for example, that there should be something from Verdi's "Requiem" in the film. You hear it when you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-always-had-a-feeling-for-example-that-there-should-be-something/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Along with this rapid growth of forms of communication at our disposal - be it fax, phone, email, Internet or whatever - human solitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/along-with-this-rapid-growth-of-forms-of-communication-at-our/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [ I had complete freedom. They \[Netflix\] knew roughly what I was doing. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-had-complete-freedom-they-netflix-knew-roughly-what-i-was-doing/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [For example, the face of Nicole Kidman in Queen of the Desert and she is the most beautiful goddess on screen that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/for-example-the-face-of-nicole-kidman-in-queen-of-the-desert-and-she/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I have always postulated that we have to find a new way to deal with reality. It's not so much facts that interest me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-have-always-postulated-that-we-have-to-find-a-new-way-to-deal-with/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) [Explore all 318 Werner Herzog quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) ## More Acceptable quotes > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. When somebody actually picked up a copy, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-remember-being-a-kid-and-seeing-the-national-inquirer-at-the/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [THE REAL PURPOSE OF HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM IS TO MAKE NATIONAL SOCIALISM AN ACCEPTABLE POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE AGAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/the-real-purpose-of-holocaust-revisionism-is-to-make-national/) Harold Covington > [The government has once again made the right socially acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elfriede-jelinek/the-government-has-once-again-made-the-right-socially-acceptable/) [Elfriede Jelinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elfriede-jelinek/) > [The study of Freemasonry is the study of man as a candidate for a blessed eternity. It furnishes examples of holy living, and displays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/the-study-of-freemasonry-is-the-study-of-man-as-a-candidate-for-a/) [William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [If a man is pictured chopping off a woman's breast, it only gets an R rating; but if, God forbid, a man is pictured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-struthers/if-a-man-is-pictured-chopping-off-a-woman-s-breast-it-only-gets-an-r/) Sally Struthers > [We cannot guess the outcome of our actions... 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And to puncture that is sticking your neck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-krasner/we-get-used-to-a-certain-kind-of-colour-of-form-or-format-and-it-s/) [Lee Krasner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-krasner/) Browse all 750 Acceptable quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Centuries from now our great-great-great-grandchildren will look back at us with amazement at how we could allow such a precious achievement of human culture as the telling of a story to be shattered into smithereens by commercials, the same amazement we feel today when we look at our ancestors for whom slavery, capital punishment, burning of witches, and the inquisition were acceptable everyday events.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Werner Herzog" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/centuries-from-now-our-great-great-great-grandchildren-will-look-back/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acceptable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/centuries-from-now-our-great-great-great-grandchildren-will-look-back/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/werner-herzog-964_acceptable_centuries-from-now-our-great-great-great_3011138.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/werner-herzog-964_acceptable_centuries-from-now-our-great-great-great_3011138.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/werner-herzog-964_acceptable_centuries-from-now-our-great-great-great_3011138.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Centuries from now our great-great-great-grandchildren will look back at us with amazement at how we could…” — Werner Herzog", "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": "Werner Herzog", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Centuries from now our great-great-great-grandchildren will...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/centuries-from-now-our-great-great-great-grandchildren-will-look-back/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/centuries-from-now-our-great-great-great-grandchildren-will-look-back/#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 } } ] } ```