Monuments! what are they? the very pyramids have forgotten their builders, or to whom they were dedicated. Deeds, not stones, are the true monuments of the great.
Interpretation
True greatness is measured by actions rather than physical memorials.
In this quote, John Lothrop Motley emphasizes the transient nature of physical monuments, such as pyramids, which even history forgets over time. He suggests that the true legacy of a person lies in their deeds and contributions to society, rather than the stone structures that might commemorate them. The essence of greatness is found in the impact one has made in the world, which outlasts any monument created in their honor.
In practice
During a speech at a memorial service, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of actions over accolades.
The rationale that etiquette should be eschewed because it fosters inequality does not ring true in a society that openly admits to a feverish interest in the comparative status-conveying qualities of sneakers. Manners are available to all, for free.
I am accused. I dream of massacres. I am a garden of black and red agonies. I drink them, Hating myself, hating and fearing. And now the world conceives Its end and runs toward it, arms held out in love.
People hurried past, the others of the street, endless anonymous, twenty-one lives per second, race-walking in their faces and pigments, sprays of fleetest being.
The Holy Spirit upon my left leads my feet without ceasing into the camp of the righteous and into the tents of the free.
Human life is inherently creative. It's why we all have different résumés. … It's why human culture is so interesting and diverse and dynamic.
Lack of awareness of the basic unity of organism and environment is a serious and dangerous hallucination.
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