Do you agree with this quote by Benjamin Franklin?

Question

"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing".

i do not agree with it because i dont think that you have to do something worth writing to be remembered. I just want some other opinions. do you agree or disagree and why

Answer 1

If you wnt to be remembered by those other then family and friends i totally agree...

Answer 2

With those quotes that support the Conservative ideology of not helping the poor, no I don't agree. Benjamin Franklin was not a US president, not that that matters. I thoroughly disagreed with most of what George W Bush said. I do agree with the 'teach a man to fish' theory in general. But if he has no fishing pole, and no bait to get started, he's not going to get anywhere. There has to be a balance of state assistance, and pushing people to take care of themselves if they can.

Answer 3

Nobody not worth writing about is going to be remembered beyond a generation or two. So, agree. It's pretty much undeniable.

Answer 4

We do remember people by the impact that they have had on our lives. I suppose I agree as any one who has impacted my life enough that I will remember them is also some one that I could write a few pages on. That said maybe I am wrong as sometimes it is what a person does not do that makes them memorable. Good question.

Answer 5

the quote is perfectly right. public memory is very short. even if written many people will not be remembered for their good deeds. look at what happened to Dravid! this is why shakespeare said " the good that men do is often interred with their bones. the evil lives after them.
therefore write or do something worth being written about.

Answer 6

I agree. You don't have to be a writer but years from now when you pass on your grandkids can pass on stories of how you used to make fresh biscuits every morning and fresh OJ, as an example. They may seem like trivial things at the time but to me, it's worth writing about.

Answer 7

Understand this
Sitting on One's rear end all day, night, week,month, years...
will not get you remembered.

Writing a personal history kinda counts as "something worth reading..." Right?

History only remembers those who made a splash or had voice...
Almost everyone remembers Paul Revere
but do you know who Paul Laves was?

Answer 8

I'm kind of ambivalent about the quote, as we are all remembered in different ways by different people for various reasons. As for being remembered by strangers, whom we have never met, it has the ring of truth, whereas the people who have known us personally will have a different take on it. So, I think that (for the masses) it would generally hold true. Sorry, I'm a Franklin fan. Very good question! Thanks.

Answer 9

Such quotes have limited applications and also acceptance as these are purpose and occasion specific and not of universal nature. As far as your contention is concerned,how and why should any body remember a person who hasn't done anything(a work or a writing) as such people die in millions on every single day?How does a remembering by others affect a person who is dead and gone?It's all a social norm(actually Bullshit) and should only be taken on it's face value by those who care to be remembered after their death and not by down to earth people like You and me.

Answer 10

I disagree with this quote because your worth or who you are isn't defined by the opinion of others. There are so many quiet achievers who work tirelessly, are not Hollywood stars, are not rich, but are successful in other ways that are not reported by the media. They are the unsung heroes.

Answer 11

I think it is talking about using power for the greater good. In the first part, it seems like you would already have fame. The second part seems to say that you should do something or write something that people will appreciate or use, instead of wasting your authority.