It sounds like a cruel and almost bleak quote, but it isn't really. That concept struck me as I started to study genealogy. Until that point, I really didn't even know the names of but one or two of my great-grandparents. It probably would have broken their hearts to think they'd be forgotten so quickly. But, forgotten they're not, because they left an indelible mark on their children, who left pieces of that mark on their children's children, who then left it on me and I can see still see some of them in my grandchildren. I do think each individual is important, just like a cell in a body. It's how they conduct themselves in relation to the whole however, over the span of the entire human experience. Most people have a vested importance to their families, their friends, their community.......but what is left behind is less their history, and more the history of the entirety. So, you touch those close to you frequently, and gently so that they pass your essence for a very long time, hopefully in a positive way. And I truly believe those who are so adamant about seeking recognition and fame are those who need someone else to validate their experience, because they can't really believe it of themselves.

The older I get the less timid I am!

Well, you go, Ella!! LOL

THAT is so true. I really like that one. By chance to you have an author to which it's attributed as saying it first?