“A fame which has been pronounced eternal has been cut short by the caprices of the age.”

Observing how literary reputation changes with fashion · Preface to Recollections of Men of Letters (published 1877)

• Fame
• Time

“Never let us forget the past—the wise past, that has fed us, and taught us, and rendered us what we are. Rather, kneel down and thank the rich and faded centuries, that have left such jewels behind them.”

Urging gratitude for the intellectual inheritance of earlier ages · Preface to Recollections of Men of Letters (published 1877)

• Art
• Memory
• Time

“I scarcely know why I recall these things, which have been undisturbed in my recollection for more than half a century.”

Reflecting on the mysterious persistence of memory · Autobiographical fragment, Chapter I (published posthumously, 1877)

• Memory
• Time

“Matters of infinitely greater importance have long since faded away and been forgotten, but the pictures and characters of these men, after the lapse of seventy years, remain vivid and clear.”

Showing how human character can outlast supposedly greater events · Autobiographical fragment, Chapter I (published posthumously, 1877)

• Memory
• Time