--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be remembered after we are dead, is…" description: "\"To be remembered after we are dead, is but poor recompense for being treated with contempt while we are living.\" — William Hazlitt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f5/william-hazlitt-326_contempt_to-be-remembered-after-we-are-dead-is-bu_1828161.png" --- # To be remembered after we are dead, is but poor recompense… ![“To be remembered after we are dead, is but poor recompense for being treated with contempt while we are living.” quote by William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f5/william-hazlitt-326_contempt_to-be-remembered-after-we-are-dead-is-bu_1828161.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f5/william-hazlitt-326_contempt_to-be-remembered-after-we-are-dead-is-bu_1828161.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f5/william-hazlitt-326_contempt_to-be-remembered-after-we-are-dead-is-bu_1828161.png) > “To be remembered after we are dead, is but poor recompense for being treated with contempt while we are living.” [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being remembered after death offers little comfort compared to facing contempt while alive, highlighting the futility of posthumous recognition. **In simple terms:** Posthumous fame is less valuable than present respect. Key Takeaway Seek respect now, not just legacy. Themes legacy respect contempt Mood reflective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career decisions - public speaking - personal relationships - activism Key Concepts philosophy of fame ethical living social reputation Questions to Reflect On - What actions earn lasting respect? - How does present treatment affect your goals? A Different Perspective Legacy can inspire future generations despite present contempt. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contempt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contempt/) [Contempt Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contempt-living-2251111/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Remembered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembered/) [Remembered Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembered-dead-2251112/) [Treated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treated/) [Treated Contempt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treated-contempt-2121288/) ## Related quotes > [He who feels contempt for any living thing hath faculties that he hath never used, and thought with him is in its infancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/he-who-feels-contempt-for-any-living-thing-hath-faculties-that-he/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [“It is so refreshing to be treated with contempt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-donaldson/it-is-so-refreshing-to-be-treated-with-contempt/) [Julianne Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-donaldson/) > [“Yes, Lewis concludes, God may at times treat us harshly, but he has never treated us with contempt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-a-markos/yes-lewis-concludes-god-may-at-times-treat-us-harshly-but-he-has/) [Louis A. Markos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-a-markos/) > [I wanted desperately to go on living in someone's memory. If we are not remembered, we are more than dead, for it is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/i-wanted-desperately-to-go-on-living-in-someone-s-memory-if-we-are/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) > [“HAVE you learned lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leaves-of-grass-walt-whitman-1867/have-you-learned-lessons-only-of-those-who-admired-you-and-were/) [Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman 1867](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leaves-of-grass-walt-whitman-1867/) > [“The tone of voice cut through him like a diamond saw. He could dimly remember being scolded by his mother when he was small;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-tone-of-voice-cut-through-him-like-a-diamond-saw-he-could-dimly/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You are remembered more when you are dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/you-are-remembered-more-when-you-are-dead/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Though familiarity may not breed contempt, it takes off the edge of admiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/though-familiarity-may-not-breed-contempt-it-takes-off-the-edge-of/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [No wise man can have a contempt for the prejudices of others; and he should even stand in a certain awe of his own,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-wise-man-can-have-a-contempt-for-the-prejudices-of-others-and-he/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Christ-as always, the model-never sat back, crossed his arms, and dismissed the annoying, the troublesome, or the unpromising. He never name-called, never judged, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-king/christ-as-always-the-model-never-sat-back-crossed-his-arms-and/) [Heather King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-king/) > [I have seen so many bands and musicians fade away, especially the ones in my early days that treated me and my bands with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-marsden/i-have-seen-so-many-bands-and-musicians-fade-away-especially-the-ones/) [Bernie Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-marsden/) > [Nothing living should ever be treated with contempt. Whatever it is that lives, a man, a tree, or a bird, should be touched gently,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/nothing-living-should-ever-be-treated-with-contempt-whatever-it-is/) [Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/) > [Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Donald Trump mainly shows contempt for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/our-security-depends-on-having-good-relationships-with-our-allies/) [Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) ## More by William Hazlitt > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [We are thankful for good-will rather than for services, for the motive than the quantum of favor received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-thankful-for-good-will-rather-than-for-services-for-the-motive/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The discussing the characters and foibles of common friends is a great sweetness and cement of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-discussing-the-characters-and-foibles-of-common-friends-is-a/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Want of principle is power. Truth and honesty set a limit to our efforts, which impudence and hypocrisy easily overleap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/want-of-principle-is-power-truth-and-honesty-set-a-limit-to-our/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/repose-is-as-necessary-in-conversation-as-in-a-picture/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [No act terminating in itself constitutes greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-act-terminating-in-itself-constitutes-greatness/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Vice is man's nature: virtue is a habit--or a mask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/vice-is-man-s-nature-virtue-is-a-habit-or-a-mask/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-never-do-anything-well-till-we-cease-to-think-about-the-manner/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/man-is-the-only-animal-that-laughs-and-weeps-for-he-is-the-only/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Those who have had none of the cares of this life to harass and disturb them, have been obliged to have recourse to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/those-who-have-had-none-of-the-cares-of-this-life-to-harass-and/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Poverty, when it is voluntary, is never despicable, but takes an heroical aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/poverty-when-it-is-voluntary-is-never-despicable-but-takes-an/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [We are not satisfied to be right, unless we can prove others to be quite wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-not-satisfied-to-be-right-unless-we-can-prove-others-to-be/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The world judge of men by their ability in their profession, and we judge of ourselves by the same test: for it is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-world-judge-of-men-by-their-ability-in-their-profession-and-we/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The best part of our lives we pass in counting on what is to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-best-part-of-our-lives-we-pass-in-counting-on-what-is-to-come/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) [Explore all 671 William Hazlitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) ## More Contempt quotes > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Donald Trump mainly shows contempt for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/our-security-depends-on-having-good-relationships-with-our-allies/) [Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/) > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [There is no real elevation of mind in a contempt of little things; it is, on the contrary, from too narrow views that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/there-is-no-real-elevation-of-mind-in-a-contempt-of-little-things-it/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Somebody once told me that if you laugh at a George Bush joke, or you send an email cartoon to your friends that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/somebody-once-told-me-that-if-you-laugh-at-a-george-bush-joke-or-you/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [Unless a man gives himself entirely to the Cross, in a spirit of humility and self-abasement; unless he casts himself down to be trampled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-the-evangelist/unless-a-man-gives-himself-entirely-to-the-cross-in-a-spirit-of/) [Mark the Evangelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-the-evangelist/) > [Much of the same sort of degraded and filthy talk can still be heard among the orc-minded; dreary and repetitive with hatred and contempt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/much-of-the-same-sort-of-degraded-and-filthy-talk-can-still-be-heard/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [Contempt for an assailant is best shown by bravery in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/contempt-for-an-assailant-is-best-shown-by-bravery-in-action/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Statuettes of drunken sailors, velvet pictures of island maidens, plastic seashell lamps made in Taiwan. What contempt the people who think up souvenirs have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/statuettes-of-drunken-sailors-velvet-pictures-of-island-maidens/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [Every person of any rank in the left, from voter on up to cabinet member to elected official in the Democrat Party, has contempt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/every-person-of-any-rank-in-the-left-from-voter-on-up-to-cabinet/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/those-with-a-gift-for-action-for-their-part-often-express-contempt/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [“opprobrious term, employed to impose contempt upon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jabari-asim/opprobrious-term-employed-to-impose-contempt-upon/) [Jabari Asim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jabari-asim/) > [Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/heterosexual-intercourse-is-the-pure-formalized-expression-of/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) [Browse all 1,034 Contempt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contempt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To be remembered after we are dead, is but poor recompense for being treated with contempt while we are living.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Hazlitt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/to-be-remembered-after-we-are-dead-is-but-poor-recompense-for-being/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contempt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/to-be-remembered-after-we-are-dead-is-but-poor-recompense-for-being/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f5/william-hazlitt-326_contempt_to-be-remembered-after-we-are-dead-is-bu_1828161.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f5/william-hazlitt-326_contempt_to-be-remembered-after-we-are-dead-is-bu_1828161.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f5/william-hazlitt-326_contempt_to-be-remembered-after-we-are-dead-is-bu_1828161.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be remembered after we are dead, is but poor recompense for being treated with contempt while we are…” — William Hazlitt", "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": "William Hazlitt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To be remembered after we are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/to-be-remembered-after-we-are-dead-is-but-poor-recompense-for-being/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/to-be-remembered-after-we-are-dead-is-but-poor-recompense-for-being/#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 } } ] } ```