"why is it we want so badly to memorialize ourselves ? even while we’re still alive . we wish to assert our existence , like dogs peeing on fire hydrants . we put on display our framed photographs , our parchment diplomas , our silver-plated cups ; we monogram our linen , we carve our names on trees , we scrawl them on washroom walls . it’s all the same impulse . what do we get from it ? applause , envy , respect ? or simply attention , of any kind we can get ?
at the very least we want a witness . we can’t stand the idea of our own voices falling silent finally , like a radio winding down ."
- margaret atwood