Painterly coin suspended between two cupped hands above scattered autumn leaves.

Original artwork, not a still

Joseph Addison

‘We are always doing’, says he, ‘something for Posterity, but I would fain see Posterity do something for us.’

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker points out an imbalance: people constantly labour and sacrifice for future generations, yet those generations have done nothing in return. They would gladly see posterity give something back. The remark is wry, treating the unborn as beneficiaries who owe nothing.

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