Vitality and beauty are gifts of Nature for those who live according to its laws.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
How many emperors and how many princes have lived and died and no record of them remains, and they only sought to gain dominions and riches in order that their fame might be ever-lasting.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the transient nature of fame and power, suggesting that despite the immense efforts of many leaders to achieve lasting recognition, most are ultimately forgotten.
Leonardo Da Vinci's quote emphasizes the futility of seeking eternal fame and wealth through power, as the vast majority of rulers throughout history are lost to time, leaving no trace of their existence. It serves as a reminder that the pursuit of dominion and riches does not guarantee lasting impact, since history often overlooks those who once sought such greatness. This raises questions about what truly matters in life and legacy, suggesting that the values we hold and the lives we lead may be more significant than the temporal accolades we chase.
Themes
FamePowerLegacyHistoryWealth
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of fame and its ephemerality, one might reference this quote to illustrate the point.
More from Leonardo Da Vinci
All quotes →Small rooms or dwellings set the mind in the right path, large ones cause it to go astray.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
Patience serves us against insults precisely as clothes do against the cold. For if you multiply your garments as the cold increases, that cold cannot hurt you; in the same way increase your patience under great offenses, and they cannot hurt your feelings.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
The smallest feline is a masterpiece.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
For, verily, great love springs from great knowledge of the beloved object, and if you little know it, you will be able to love it only little or not at all.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
It is a far worthier thing to read by the light of experience than to adorn oneself with the labors of others.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
Similar quotes
The most High approveth not the gifts of the wicked.
Saint PatrickRead
Six feet of dirt make all men equal.
Charles SpurgeonRead
As long as I live under the capitalistic system I expect to have my life influenced by the demands of moneyed people. But I will be damned if I propose to be at the beck and call of every itinerant scoundrel who has two cents to invest in a postage stamp. This, sir, is my resignation.
William FaulknerRead
A man in a desert can hold absence in his cupped hands knowing it is something more than water. There is a plant whose heart, if one cuts it out is replaced with fluid containing herbal goodness. Every morning one can drink the liquid amount of the missing heart.
Michael OndaatjeRead
How can you respect the world when you see it's being run by a bunch of kids turned old?
John UpdikeRead
For the beginning is assuredly the end- since we know nothing, pure and simple, beyond our own complexities.
William Carlos WilliamsRead