Quotes / The saddest epitaph

To the point. Depressing. How sad.

hi there,

it’s a good one..especially for a writer but it doesn’t say WHY he failed, did he waste his talent..die trageically,,,if you answer that question..(why) it’ll be an even better one..good luck..jim

  It seems both, saying everthing about the character and yet I know nothing about the character whatsoever. This is a good memoir submission, better than most I have read. Nice job. It’s nice to be left wondering, yet still have the answer.

not a bad quote. i just couldnt score good because whats potential? life kicks in different direction, acceptance should be more universal.

I would view this more as a funny epitaph than a sad one if I were to actually see it on someone’s tombstone.  That is because an epitaph is usually very serious and complementary, placed either by the dying individual or loved ones.  Hence, it would be very unconventional, and humorous, to have an unflattering epitaph.

In terms of six word memoirs, stating this in the first person, as “I failed…my potential,” would be more appropriate, because it has more of a personal, witty touch and story line to it.

Brilliant!  It’s powerful, hard-hitting and bittersweet.  As a memoir, I would have thought the first person would be more appropriate.  But the clever use of the title – making it a self-penned epitaph – solves that problem brilliantly.

This is better than all the other I have seen.

It can also be changed to ‘I failed to achieve his potential’ to talk about loss and the pressures put on other family members.

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July 29, 2008

by dpak

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But can one achieve some one else’s potential?  It might work as “I failed to achieve MY potential,” but the mixture of first and third person would be confusing and meaningless.

July 29, 2008

by JohnQuick

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Actually, I really like reylen’s suggestion.  ”His potential” would not literally be someone else’s, but rather the potential that was impressed upon the writer by someone else – the potential that he thought the writer should have (hence it was his).  It adds a much deeper dynamic to the entire story than keeping it completely vague as it currently is.  There is a balance to being too vague and too specific in these, but I really like this idea because it hits the appropriate point between those spectrums.

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after reading this over a few times i realized it is very clever. initially it is a clear message but just seemed so simple but then i read it again and once again, where i found the antonyms and synonyms in this 6 word sentence to be loud and clear. failed, achieve, potential. Great powerful use of words in such a short sentence.

completely false! i have failed in nothing but brains…i lack alot of them

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July 28, 2008

by dpak

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Not sure what you mean by “I lack a lot of them.”  As far as false is concerned, do you mean in relation to yourself or me? It was my memoir and certainly describes my life.  See comment in response to SMRB.

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I like this. For many this would be a perfect memoir, although sad for them.
Good Job!