It is indeed a desirable thing to be well-descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors. Plutarch
Every book is a quotation; and every house is a quotation out of all forests, and mines, and stone quarries; and every man is a quotation from all his ancestors. Ralph Waldo Emerson
I shall cheerfully bear the reproach of having descended below the dignity of history if I can succeed in placing before the English of the nineteenth century a true picture of the life of their ancestors. Thomas Babington Macaulay
The glory of ancestors should not prevent a man winning glory for himself. Serbian Proverb
Praise borrowed from ancestors is but very sorry praise. Danish Proverb
Hold on tight to the words of your ancestors. New Zealander Proverb