Why we should put ourselves out of our way to do anything for posterity, for what has posterity ever done for us?" - Meaning and context.">
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In a debate in the Irish House of Commons on the vote of a grant which was recommended by Sir John Parnell, Chancellor of the Exchequer, as one not likely to be felt burdensome for many years to come, it was observed in reply that the House had no right to load posterity with a debt for what could in no degree operate to their advantage. This quotation was Sir Boyle's response.
 • [https://archive.org/details/personalsketche06barrgoog Barrington, Jonah Personal sketches and recollections of his own times chapter: Chapter XVII]
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Why we should put ourselves out of our way to do anything for posterity, for what has posterity ever done for us?

— Boyle Roche

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Why we should put ourselves out of our way to do anything for posterity, for what has posterity ever done for us?" in the context of "In a debate in the Irish House of Commons on the vote of a grant which was recommended by Sir John Parnell, Chancellor of the Exchequer, as one not likely to be felt burdensome for many years to come, it was observed in reply that the House had no right to load posterity with a debt for what could in no degree operate to their advantage. This quotation was Sir Boyle's response.
 • [https://archive.org/details/personalsketche06barrgoog Barrington, Jonah Personal sketches and recollections of his own times chapter: Chapter XVII]" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Boyle Roche" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

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Boyle Roche

About Boyle Roche

Sir Boyle Roche, 1st Baronet (October 1736 – 5 June 1807) was an Irish politician, famed for his highly ornamented and often inaccurate speech, which often included amusing mixed metaphors and malapropisms.