Giant shoulders...

Historical cultures that today pride themselves on the accidental remains or achievements of their predecessors run the risk of becoming lazy and/or self-important. And it ain't just cultures, it's people too, with the blue bloods and the famous dead relatives and the dusty heirlooms. Oy! In order to really live, we must resist the temptation to borrow from lives that are not and should not be our own. What came before is there for us to marvel at and learn from. It is generally our fear of our own powers of creation and our own insignificance that cause us to use the past as a currency or a validator. Don't do it!

("Hercules, Vaux-le-Vicomte, France. 1998" by Michael Kenna)