"Alas, how quickly the gratitude owed to the dead flows off, how quick to be proved a deceiver"
- Sophocles
About this Quote
This quote by Sophocles talks to the fleeting nature of appreciation. It suggests that when somebody dies, the appreciation owed to them rapidly vanishes. This is a pointer that we need to not take individuals in our lives for granted, as they can be gone in an instant. The quote also implies that appreciation can be a deceiver, as it can be easily forgotten. This is a warning to be conscious of our relationships and to reveal gratitude for those around us while they are still alive. It is necessary to keep in mind that life is delicate which we need to value the people in our lives while we still have the possibility.
"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us"
"If future generations are to remember us more with gratitude than sorrow, we must achieve more than just the miracles of technology. We must also leave them a glimpse of the world as it was created, not just as it looked when we got through with it"
"There are minds so impatient of inferiority that their gratitude is a species of revenge, and they return benefits, not because recompense is a pleasure, but because obligation is a pain"
