---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not marble nor the gilded monuments Of…"
description: "\"“Not marble nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme, But you shall shine more bright in these contents Than unswept ston..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/william-shakespeare-4_art_not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-p_3140542.jpg"
---

#  Not marble nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall…

![“Not marble nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme, But you shall shine more bright in these contents Than unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time. When wasteful war shall statues overturn And broils roots out the work of masonry, Nor mars his sword nor war's…” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/william-shakespeare-4_art_not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-p_3140542.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/william-shakespeare-4_art_not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-p_3140542.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/william-shakespeare-4_art_not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-p_3140542.jpg)

> ““Not marble nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme, But you shall shine more bright in these contents Than unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time. When wasteful war shall statues overturn And broils roots out the work of masonry, Nor mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn The living record of your memory. 'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room Even in the eyes of all posterity That wear this world out to the ending doom. So, till judgement that yourself arise, You in this, and dwell in lovers eyes.””

[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.

Poetry can outlive monuments, preserving memory beyond physical decay.

**In simple terms:** Words endure longer than stone.

Key Takeaway

Create lasting impact through expression.

Themes

legacy memory artistic immortality

Mood

hopeful inspirational

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing
- public monuments
- historical preservation
- personal remembrance

Key Concepts

poetry ephemerality cultural heritage

Questions to Reflect On

- What will you leave behind?
- How does art shape future perception?

A Different Perspective

Physical structures may still dominate public memory.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Monuments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monuments/) [Remembrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembrance/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [“Not marble, nor the gilded monuments / Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme; / But you shall shine more bright in these contents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-princes-shall-outlive-this/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs. Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers eyes. Being vexed, a sea nourished with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-a-smoke-made-with-the-fume-of-sighs-being-purged-a-fire/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [A lover's eyes will gaze an eagle blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-lover-s-eyes-will-gaze-an-eagle-blind/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vexed, a sea nourished with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-a-smoke-raised-with-the-fume-of-sighs-being-purged-a-fire/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. 2. And a man shall be as an hiding place from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/behold-a-king-shall-reign-in-righteousness-and-princes-shall-rule-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When my mouth shall be filled with dust, and the worm shall feed, and feed sweetly upon me, when the ambitious man shall have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/when-my-mouth-shall-be-filled-with-dust-and-the-worm-shall-feed-and/)

[John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/)

> [Our days of praise shall ne'er be past While life, and thought, and being last, And immortality endures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morley-punshon/our-days-of-praise-shall-ne-er-be-past-while-life-and-thought-and/)

[William Morley Punshon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morley-punshon/)

> [I tell you the groans of the damned in hell are the deep bass of the universal anthem of praise that shall ascend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-tell-you-the-groans-of-the-damned-in-hell-are-the-deep-bass-of-the/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [“will bless the LORD at all times;     His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyndale/will-bless-the-lord-at-all-times-his-praise-shall-continually-be-in/)

[Tyndale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyndale/)

> [ “He will praise you when you shall do well to him,” \[96\]  but few sing and give thanks to God in the night of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-de-osuna/he-will-praise-you-when-you-shall-do-well-to-him-96-but-few-sing-and/)

Francisco De Osuna

> [“Three hundred and sixty-five days— Golden days! Opportunity? Privilege? Praise? Grateful praise; Shall this be the story of the year? Happy year! Only One,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pansy/three-hundred-and-sixty-five-days-golden-days-opportunity-privilege/)

[Pansy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pansy/)

> [But fame is theirs - and future days On pillar'd brass shall tell their praise; Shall tell - when cold neglect is dead -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-freneau/but-fame-is-theirs-and-future-days-on-pillar-d-brass-shall-tell-their/)

[Philip Freneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-freneau/)

> [They say that these are not the best of times, but they're the only times I've ever known. And I believe there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/they-say-that-these-are-not-the-best-of-times-but-they-re-the-only/)

[Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/)

> [Faults are beauties in a lovers eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theocritus/faults-are-beauties-in-a-lovers-eye/)

[Theocritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theocritus/)

> [Love is dead; let lovers' eyes, Locked in endless dreams, The extremes of all extremes, Ope no more, for now Love dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ford/love-is-dead-let-lovers-eyes-locked-in-endless-dreams-the-extremes-of/)

[John Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ford/)

## 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 Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Not marble nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme, But you shall shine more bright in these contents Than unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time. When wasteful war shall statues overturn And broils roots out the work of masonry, Nor mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn The living record of your memory. 'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room Even in the eyes of all posterity That wear this world out to the ending doom. So, till judgement that yourself arise, You in this, and dwell in lovers eyes.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Shakespeare"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-princes-shall-outlive-this-3/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-princes-shall-outlive-this-3/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/william-shakespeare-4_art_not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-p_3140542.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/william-shakespeare-4_art_not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-p_3140542.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/william-shakespeare-4_art_not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-p_3140542.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Not marble nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme, But you shall shine more…” — 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": "“Not marble nor the gilded monuments...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-princes-shall-outlive-this-3/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/not-marble-nor-the-gilded-monuments-of-princes-shall-outlive-this-3/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
