"Our children's children will hear a good story"
About this Quote
Stories are one of the oldest and most profound ways human beings share wisdom, values, and connection. Richard Adams’s words evoke a gentle confidence in the endurance of storytelling, not just for ourselves but projected far into the future. The phrase "our children's children" extends the horizon of imagination and hope, encompassing not only the next generation, but generations yet unborn. It is both a promise and a reassurance: what we create, cherish, and pass on now has the power to ripple forward, touching lives long after we are gone.
This perspective suggests story as a legacy, a bridge from past to present to future. Stories are alive, they carry culture, preserve memories, and link people who have never met. The assurance that "a good story" will be heard by descendants implies faith in the quality and endurance of stories worth telling. It also highlights the responsibility storytellers hold: to craft narratives filled with meaning, empathy, and truth, so they sustain and nourish generations beyond their own.
The sentiment also acknowledges the natural human need for stories. No matter how much societies evolve technologically or culturally, the act of storytelling remains essential, a way of finding comfort, entertainment, and understanding. There is optimism in the idea that story survives whatever changes may come; it adapts, perhaps with new forms or voices, yet its core value persists.
Fundamentally, the phrase is a tribute to the timelessness of a good tale and the human impulse to listen, learn, and dream. It invokes the image of future children sitting enraptured, their imaginations kindled by narratives passed down the ages. Through this cycle, stories renew communities and keep alive the spirit of those who came before. The words express confidence in continuity, purpose, and the unbroken chain that links all people through the art and act of storytelling.
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