110 Legacy Quotes to Remind Us of Where We Come From

By Max Cordova

Writer, Teacher and Inspirational quote curator

Published April 18, 2023

These legacy quotes will inspire you to start making your mark on the world today.

Have you ever learned anything about your family history?

Perhaps you’ve done a DNA test or you’ve spoken to family members about where your ancestors come from, what they did, and what kind of people they were.

Who you are in relation to them says a lot about their legacy, and what you do with your life may or may not leave behind a legacy for your future family.

But legacy is not just about your ancestors and your kin.

It’s about something – anything – that you leave behind after you pass on from this world.

These legacy quotes will remind us of where we come from, and who we can strive to be for the next generation.

If you enjoy this article, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily motivation.

If you want more motivational quotes, check out our motivational quotes category page.

Legacy quotes that will inspire you to start making your mark on the world

1. “The only thing you take with you when you’re gone is what you leave behind.” ― John Allston

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2. “We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” ― David Brower

3. “Please think about your legacy because you are writing it every day.” — Gary Vaynerchuk

4. “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” ― Warren Buffett

5. “I don’t fight for the money. I fight for my legacy. I fight for history. I fight for my people.” ― Khabib Nurmagomedov

6. “The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” — William James

7. “No legacy is so rich as honesty.” ― William Shakespeare

8. “The past is a pebble in my shoe.” ― Edgar Allan Poe

9. “The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories.” ― Og Mandino

10. “Legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people. — Peter Strople

You will also enjoy our article on history quotes.

Legacy quotes to inspire greatness

11. “Death comes to all, but great achievements build a monument which shall endure until the sun grows cold.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

12. “Even though your time on the job is temporary, if you do a good enough job, your work there will last forever.” ― Idowu Koyenikan

13. “Someone once said that every man is trying to live up to his father’s expectations or make up for their father’s mistakes….” ― Barack Obama
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of father daughter quotes about their unbreakable bond.

14. It seems to me that at 19 or 20, a young man is burning to be great at something. I was. You have a vision that’s beyond the neighborhood. You want to make a mark while you’re alive. You don’t know exactly your future, but you want to be great at it. And greatness is an important word. And you dare not tell anybody how extreme and how burning are your visions, because you don’t want anybody to mess with them.” ― Art Garfunkel

15. “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” — Jesus

16. “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” ― Shannon Alder

17. “We will always be with you. We internalize traits we observe in others as a way to honor and remeber them. we are all living memorials” ― Jomny Sun

18. “No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.” ― Taylor Swift

19. “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.” — Billy Graham

20. “All good men and women must take responsibility to create legacies that will take the next generation to a level we could only imagine.” ― Jim Rohn

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Legacy quotes to elevate your perspective

21. “Even though our time in this life is temporary, if we live well enough, our legacy will last forever.” ― Idowu koyenikan

22. “The little bit you and me might change the world,” Malloy smiled, “it wouldn’t show up until a hundred years after we were dead. We’d never see it.” “But it’d be there.” ― James Jones

23. “The marks humans leave are too often scars. You build a hideous minimall or start a coup or try to become a rockstar and you think, “They’ll remember me now,” but (a) they don’t remember you, and (b) all you leave behind are more scars. Your coup becomes a dictatorship. Your minimall becomes a lesion.” ― John Green

24. “We must begin thinking like a river if we are to leave a legacy of beauty and life for future generations.” ― David Brower

25. “What is the point of it all? Not leaving legacies. But being ripe. Being ripe.” ― Maurice Sendak

26. “Are we being good ancestors?” ― Jonas Salk

27. “There is no escape—we pay for the violence of our ancestors.” ― Frank Herbert

28. “I had an inheritance from my father, It was the moon and the sun. And though I roam all over the world, The spending of it’s never done.”― Ernest Hemingway

29. “Your story is the greatest legacy that you will leave to your friends. It’s the longest-lasting legacy you will leave to your heirs.” — Steve Saint

30. “The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones.” ― William Shakespeare

Legacy quotes that will inspire you to take control of your destiny

31. “Inside of all of us there is the need and the desire to be heard, to have our innermost thoughts, feelings and desires expressed for others to hear, to see and to understand. We all want to matter to someone, to leave a mark. Writers just take those thoughts, feelings and desires and express them in such a way that the reader not only reads them but feels them as well.” ― V. Vee

32. “Fake friends; those who only drill holes under your boat to get it leaking; those who discredit your ambitions and those who pretend they love you, but behind their backs they know they are in to destroy your legacies.” ― Israelmore Ayivor

33. “Only the passionate were immortal, it seemed. If you fought, screwed, screamed, laughed, or otherwise experienced life intensely, for better or worse, you left a record. Those who lived a quiet, well-behaved, well-tempered life? Gone without a trace. ― Magnus Flyte

34. “Language allows us to reach out to people, to touch them with our innermost fears, hopes, disappointments, victories. To reach out to people we’ll never meet. It’s the greatest legacy you could ever leave your children or your loved ones: The history of how you felt.” ― Simon Van Booy

35. “Einstein is referring to ones ‘legacy’ and its intended future recipients as being willfully purposed to benefit them on their journey through this gift of life given to us by God” ― R. Alan Woods

36. “What should our second generation have done, what should it do with the knowledge of the horrors of the extermination of the Jews? We should not believe we can comprehend the incomprehensible, we may not compare the incomparable, we may not inquire because to inquire is to make the horrors an object of discussion, even if the horrors themselves are not questioned, instead of accepting them as something in the face of which we can only fall silent in revulsion, shame and guilt. Should we only fall silent in revulsion, shame and guilt? To what purpose?” ― Bernhard Schlink

37. “I don’t really care if people forget me. My legacy wasn’t about me. It was about everything I could do for another. When that sinks in…well you try a little harder. You dream a little broader. Your heart stretches a little farther and you find that you can’t go back to the same place and make it fit. You become a person of ideas and seek out your own kind. And then it happens: One day you discover that staying the same is scary and changing has become your new home.” ― Shannon L. Alder

38. “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” ― Benjamin Franklin

39. “Never regard study as a duty but as an enviable opportunity to learn to know the liberating influence of beauty in the realm of the spirit for your own personal joy and to the profit of the community to which your later works belong.” ― Albert Einstein

40. “History is the essence of innumerable biographies.” ― Thomas Carlyle

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Legacy quotes to enlighten you

41. “Outlive your life!” ― Max Lucado

42. “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” ― Pericles

43. “We stand our best chance of leaving a legacy to those who want to learn, our children, by standing firm. In matters of style, hey, swing with the stream. But in matters of principle, you need to stand like a rock.” ― Kevin Costner

44. “Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you’re there. It doesn’t matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime.” ― Ray Bradbury

45. “Our pictures are our footprints. It’s the best way to tell people we were here.” ― Joe McNally

46. “Everybody’s trying to leave their mark on the world. That’s why there’s graffiti and babies.” ― Kristen Schaal

47. “I never thought about leaving a tennis legacy. I always thought about leaving a legacy of fulfillment, living out your dreams, and giving back.” ― Serena Williams

48. “My new year’s resolution: Never be afraid to be kicked in the teeth. Let the blood and the bruises define your legacy.” ― Lady Gaga

49. “A friend of mine said something powerful at his grandfather’s funeral. He said that the greatest lesson from his grandfather’s life was that he died empty, because he accomplished everything he wanted, with no regrets. I think that, along with leaving a legacy, would be the greatest sign of success.” ― Marvin Sapp

50. “In a way, it’s a great thing that I have the opportunity to stand at the crossroads of Los Angeles and Indianapolis, and stay right here…People say that reality is in the footsteps, and not the words. That, as much as anybody, gives you a chance to show your sincerity and commitment, and what you’re all about as far as leaving a legacy.” ― Jim Irsay

More legacy quotes to inspire you

51. “If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.” – Maya Angelou

52. “The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” – N. D. Kalu

53. If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” – Dolly Parton

54. “Our most important legacy will be the contributions we make to the lives of other human beings.” – Thomas Kinkad

55. “It’s about the journey–mine and yours–and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better.” – Tony Dungy

56. “It is up to us to live up to the legacy that was left for us, and to leave a legacy that is worthy of our children and of future generations.” – Christine Gregoire

57. “How you use the opportunities you’re given to affect the world around you will determine the legacy you leave behind.” – Tony Dungy

58. “Each day we choose to live the legacy we want to leave.” – Pam Farrel

59. “This land, this water, this air, this planet – this is our legacy to our young.” – Paul Tsongas

60. Be intense, passionate, and fired up, but about things that matter, things that change your life and your legacy.” – Dave Ramsey

Legacy quotes to show you what a legacy is

61. “You can’t impose a legacy.” — Iain Sinclair

62. “Worry about going out there and making your own legacy.” — Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

63. “My buildings will be my legacy… they will speak for me long after I’m gone.” — Julia Morgan

64. “Legacy is not what I did for myself. It’s what I’m doing for the next generation.” — Vitor Belfort

65. “That is your legacy on this Earth when you leave this Earth: how many hearts you touched.” — Patti Davis

66. “It’s about legacy, it’s about moments, it’s about being an icon – I’ll do what I do and the money will flow.” — Israel Adesanya

67. “My legacy is that I will hustle and grind. No one will stop me from hustling. I’ll be where God wants me to be.” — August Alsina

68. “My legacy is that I stayed on course… from the beginning to the end, because I believed in something inside of me.” — Tina Turner

69. “We want our legacy to stand upon the youth. We want to give knowledge to the younger generation and be a part of changing the game.” — Takeoff

70. “We build our legacy piece by piece, and maybe the whole world will remember you or maybe just a couple of people, but you do what you can to make sure you’re still around after you’re gone.” — David Lowery

Legacy Quotes to Inspire You to Create Your Own

71.”I believe our legacy will be defined by the accomplishments and fearless nature by which our daughters and sons take on the global challenges we face. I also wonder if perhaps the most lasting expression of one’s humility lies in our ability to foster and mentor our children.” – Naveen Jain

72. “Legacy is greater than currency.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

73. “Legacy above finances; artistry above fame.” – Jimmy Chamberlin

74. “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” – Shannon L. Alder

75. “The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” – Kalu Ndukwe Kalu

76. “Live, laugh, leave a legacy.” – Stephen R. Covey

77. “Immortality is to live your life doing good things, and leaving your mark behind.” – Brandon Lee

78. “What we do now echoes in eternity.” – Marcus Aurelius

79. “The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” – Benjamin Disraeli

80. “What you do is your history. What you set in motion is your legacy.” – Leonard Sweet

IInspirational Legacy Quotes to Live Your Life By

81. “The need to leave a legacy is our spiritual need to have a sense of meaning, purpose, personal congruence, and contribution.” – Stephen R. Covey

82. “You can’t make footprints in the sands of time if you’re sitting on your butt.” – Bob Moawad

83. “Stop giving your gift to those who want to use you for the development of their legacy, at the cost of yours.” – Steve Harvey

84. “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something the will.” – Chuck Palahniuk

85. “There’s only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” – Oscar Wilde

86. “Do whatever you gotta do to chase your legacy every second of your life.” – Ray Lewis

87. “You only live once. But if you work it right, once is enough my friend.” – Greg Plitt

88. “It is your decisions, and not your conditions, that determine your destiny.” – Tony Robbins

89. “The great and glorious legacy of a human being is to live with purpose.” – Robin Sharma

90. “The choices we make about the lives we live determine the kinds of legacies we leave.” – Tavis Smiley

Legacy Quotes To Inspire Others To Build A Great Legacy

91. “A true legacy is established over a lifetime and relates to what a human being does for others, not for himself.” — Bill Courtney

92. “It’s all part of my father’s legacy. If you have a dream, go for it.” — Kim Fisher

93. “Unlike wealth, there is an infinite value in legacy.” — Chris Jammi

94. “This is my legacy, leaving trails of love without even living on.” — Saaj

95. “It takes strength, courage and wisdom to build a legacy.” — Anyaele Sam Chiyson

96. “Be remembered for the right reasons. Leave a legacy and a smile in your heart beyond life.” — Jasmina Siderovski

97. “Your family legacy is determined by the actions that you take today.” — John Di Lemme

98. “Legacy is not what’s left tomorrow when you’re gone. It’s what you give, create, impact and contribute today while you’re here that then happens to live on.” — Rasheed Ogunlaru

99. “Our legacy is how we spend our time and who we spend it with.” — Jim Stengel

100. “When we let the expectations of others or our own unreasonable self-expectations rule, we silence the power of our legacies.” — Joy Dekok

Legacy Quotes to Create an Empire

101. “The best way to leave a legacy is to believe, teach, defend, and promote what is true.” ― Kevin DeYoung

102. “Love is the human family’s most precious legacy. Its richest bequest. Its golden inheritance.” ― Michael Jackson

103. “Influencers refuse to leave the world they way they found it. They leave a legacy.” ― Johnny Hunt

104. I don’t want to leave my kids an inheritance, I want to leave them a legacy.” ― Daymond John

105. “There is nothing more important than parents passing on a generational legacy of faith and values to their children.” ― James Dobson

106. “Pride and power fall when the person falls, but discoveries of truth form legacies that can be built upon for generations.” ― Criss Jami

107. “Hopefully, we can build a rivalry and we’ll be able to do this a lot. Make a legacy, then retire champions.” ― Serena Williams

108. I can’t go back and change the hands of time but what I can do is create a new legacy.” ― Eric Thomas

109. “If your life is motivated by your ambition to leave a legacy, what you’ll probably leave as a legacy is ambition.” ― Rich Mullins

110. “I would hope my legacy would be bringing smiles to faces. Happiness with my music.” ― Janet Jackson

What did you learn from these legacy quotes?

There are not many guarantees in life.

One of the only things we know for sure is that we will eventually leave this world behind.

That’s not something that we have any control over.

But what we leave behind after we are gone – there is something we can do about that.

If you’re not sure about whether or not your existence makes a difference in this world, think what people will say about you when you’re gone.

Will they miss you?

Will they follow in your footsteps?

Will they ask questions about who you were?

Chances are, your legacy will mean something to someone.

You don’t need to be famous to leave behind a legacy, as long as your life had meaning for you and the people who knew you.