--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a man do not erect in this age his own…" description: "\"“If a man do not erect in this age his own tomb ere he dies, he shall live no longer in monument than the bell rings and the widow weeps”\" — William Sh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/william-shakespeare-4_benedict_if-a-man-do-not-erect-in-this-age-his-ow_1907820.jpg" --- # If a man do not erect in this age his own tomb ere he… ![“If a man do not erect in this age his own tomb ere he dies, he shall live no longer in monument than the bell rings and the widow weeps” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/william-shakespeare-4_benedict_if-a-man-do-not-erect-in-this-age-his-ow_1907820.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/william-shakespeare-4_benedict_if-a-man-do-not-erect-in-this-age-his-ow_1907820.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/william-shakespeare-4_benedict_if-a-man-do-not-erect-in-this-age-his-ow_1907820.jpg) > ““If a man do not erect in this age his own tomb ere he dies, he shall live no longer in monument than the bell rings and the widow weeps”” [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Legacy depends on creating lasting works; without them, one is forgotten like a fleeting sound. **In simple terms:** Without lasting deeds, we fade away. Key Takeaway Create lasting impact. Themes legacy mortality memory Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic creation - personal achievements - historical remembrance Key Concepts ephemerality monumentality Questions to Reflect On - What will you build that outlives you? - How do you measure lasting impact? A Different Perspective Even monuments decay; fame is fleeting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age Tomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-tomb-2854961/) [Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benedict/) [Dies Shall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies-shall-2854962/) [Longer Monument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longer-monument-2854964/) [Monument Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monument-bell-2854963/) [Tomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomb/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [The earth, that is nature's mother, is her tomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-earth-that-is-nature-s-mother-is-her-tomb/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Zed and Sky had stayed behind and were chatting with Will, Sky sitting on Zed's knee as if nothing was going to get them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/zed-and-sky-had-stayed-behind-and-were-chatting-with-will-sky-sitting/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [“Out from behind the desk where he’d been sitting, hidden by the piles of books, appeared a bespectacled, green-eyed man in a green plaid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trenton-lee-stewart/out-from-behind-the-desk-where-he-d-been-sitting-hidden-by-the-piles/) [Trenton Lee Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trenton-lee-stewart/) > ['Benedict' means 'blessed.' My parents liked the sound of the name and felt slightly blessed because they'd been trying for a child for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/benedict-means-blessed-my-parents-liked-the-sound-of-the-name-and/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [“Here's how to get started with the antipolitical politics of the Benedict Option. Secede culturally from the mainstream. Turn off the television. Put the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-dreher/here-s-how-to-get-started-with-the-antipolitical-politics-of-the/) [Rod Dreher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-dreher/) > [“Oh my gosh, don’t you both look pretty!” We looked like rejects from the auditions for The Sound of Music. “I will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/oh-my-gosh-don-t-you-both-look-pretty-we-looked-like-rejects-from-the/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [Bruce Benedict is so slow he'd finish third in a race with a pregnant woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lasorda/bruce-benedict-is-so-slow-he-d-finish-third-in-a-race-with-a-pregnant/) [Tommy Lasorda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lasorda/) > [People call me Benny. And as long as they put Benedict on my paycheck, I don't care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-wong/people-call-me-benny-and-as-long-as-they-put-benedict-on-my-paycheck/) [Benedict Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-wong/) > [“Hospitality is a prized virtue of monastic communities. Benedict's rule says: 'All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-shigematsu/hospitality-is-a-prized-virtue-of-monastic-communities-benedict-s/) [Ken Shigematsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-shigematsu/) > [“How am I going to help you?” “You are going to jump.” “Ha.” “You are.” “Have you done this before?” “Yeah, with fruit.” That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/how-am-i-going-to-help-you-you-are-going-to-jump-ha-you-are-have-you/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [“I daily discover so much baseness and ingratitude among mankind that I almost blush at being of the same species, and could quit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-sterne-randall/i-daily-discover-so-much-baseness-and-ingratitude-among-mankind-that/) [Willard Sterne Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-sterne-randall/) > [“Saul tapped his wife's obstinate chin. "Mrs. Benedict, you certainly are. You promised to obey." "That was thirty years ago! Before the wedding ceremony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/saul-tapped-his-wife-s-obstinate-chin-mrs-benedict-you-certainly-are/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [Benedict may not be as hurt as he really is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-coleman/benedict-may-not-be-as-hurt-as-he-really-is/) [Jerry Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-coleman/) > [“Xav tugged Yves off me and handed me the call button. “You’ll be needing this, Phee, when my irritating little squirt of a brother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/xav-tugged-yves-off-me-and-handed-me-the-call-button-you-ll-be/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) ## More by William Shakespeare > [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/divers-philosophers-hold-that-the-lips-is-parcel-of-the-mouth/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-a-smoke-made-with-the-fume-of-sighs-being-purg-d-a-fire/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies Which busy care draws in the brains of men; Therefore thou sleep’st so sound. Julius Caesar (2.1.248-251)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thou-hast-no-figures-nor-no-fantasies-which-busy-care-draws-in-the/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Truth needs no color; beauty, no pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/truth-needs-no-color-beauty-no-pencil/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Have you not heard it said full oft, A woman's nay doth stand for naught?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/have-you-not-heard-it-said-full-oft-a-woman-s-nay-doth-stand-for/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Omittance is no quittance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/omittance-is-no-quittance/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Yes, madam: yet I cannot choose but laugh, To think it should leave crying and say 'Ay.' And yet, I warrant, it had upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/yes-madam-yet-i-cannot-choose-but-laugh-to-think-it-should-leave/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-take-thee-at-thy-word-call-me-but-love-and-i-ll-be-new-baptized/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Explore all 5,604 William Shakespeare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More Benedict quotes > [“Zed and Sky had stayed behind and were chatting with Will, Sky sitting on Zed's knee as if nothing was going to get them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/zed-and-sky-had-stayed-behind-and-were-chatting-with-will-sky-sitting/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [Benedict may not be as hurt as he really is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-coleman/benedict-may-not-be-as-hurt-as-he-really-is/) [Jerry Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-coleman/) > [“Saul tapped his wife's obstinate chin. "Mrs. Benedict, you certainly are. You promised to obey." "That was thirty years ago! Before the wedding ceremony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/saul-tapped-his-wife-s-obstinate-chin-mrs-benedict-you-certainly-are/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [“I daily discover so much baseness and ingratitude among mankind that I almost blush at being of the same species, and could quit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-sterne-randall/i-daily-discover-so-much-baseness-and-ingratitude-among-mankind-that/) [Willard Sterne Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-sterne-randall/) > [“How am I going to help you?” “You are going to jump.” “Ha.” “You are.” “Have you done this before?” “Yeah, with fruit.” That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/how-am-i-going-to-help-you-you-are-going-to-jump-ha-you-are-have-you/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [“Hospitality is a prized virtue of monastic communities. Benedict's rule says: 'All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-shigematsu/hospitality-is-a-prized-virtue-of-monastic-communities-benedict-s/) [Ken Shigematsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-shigematsu/) > [People call me Benny. And as long as they put Benedict on my paycheck, I don't care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-wong/people-call-me-benny-and-as-long-as-they-put-benedict-on-my-paycheck/) [Benedict Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-wong/) > [Bruce Benedict is so slow he'd finish third in a race with a pregnant woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lasorda/bruce-benedict-is-so-slow-he-d-finish-third-in-a-race-with-a-pregnant/) [Tommy Lasorda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lasorda/) > [“Oh my gosh, don’t you both look pretty!” We looked like rejects from the auditions for The Sound of Music. “I will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/oh-my-gosh-don-t-you-both-look-pretty-we-looked-like-rejects-from-the/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [“Here's how to get started with the antipolitical politics of the Benedict Option. Secede culturally from the mainstream. Turn off the television. Put the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-dreher/here-s-how-to-get-started-with-the-antipolitical-politics-of-the/) [Rod Dreher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-dreher/) > ['Benedict' means 'blessed.' My parents liked the sound of the name and felt slightly blessed because they'd been trying for a child for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/benedict-means-blessed-my-parents-liked-the-sound-of-the-name-and/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [“Out from behind the desk where he’d been sitting, hidden by the piles of books, appeared a bespectacled, green-eyed man in a green plaid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trenton-lee-stewart/out-from-behind-the-desk-where-he-d-been-sitting-hidden-by-the-piles/) [Trenton Lee Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trenton-lee-stewart/) > [“Xav tugged Yves off me and handed me the call button. “You’ll be needing this, Phee, when my irritating little squirt of a brother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/xav-tugged-yves-off-me-and-handed-me-the-call-button-you-ll-be/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [“Mr. Benedict’s amusement sent him right off to sleep, for he had a condition called narcolepsy that caused him to nod off at unexpected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trenton-lee-stewart/mr-benedict-s-amusement-sent-him-right-off-to-sleep-for-he-had-a/) [Trenton Lee Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trenton-lee-stewart/) > [The one and only time I met Pope Benedict XVI was when he was Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/the-one-and-only-time-i-met-pope-benedict-xvi-was-when-he-was-joseph/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) [Browse all 63 Benedict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benedict/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If a man do not erect in this age his own tomb ere he dies, he shall live no longer in monument than the bell rings and the widow weeps”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shakespeare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-a-man-do-not-erect-in-this-age-his-own-tomb-ere-he-dies-he-shall/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Benedict" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-a-man-do-not-erect-in-this-age-his-own-tomb-ere-he-dies-he-shall/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/william-shakespeare-4_benedict_if-a-man-do-not-erect-in-this-age-his-ow_1907820.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/william-shakespeare-4_benedict_if-a-man-do-not-erect-in-this-age-his-ow_1907820.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/william-shakespeare-4_benedict_if-a-man-do-not-erect-in-this-age-his-ow_1907820.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If a man do not erect in this age his own tomb ere he dies, he shall live no longer in monument than the…” — William Shakespeare", "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 Shakespeare", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If a man do not erect...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-a-man-do-not-erect-in-this-age-his-own-tomb-ere-he-dies-he-shall/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-a-man-do-not-erect-in-this-age-his-own-tomb-ere-he-dies-he-shall/#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 } } ] } ```