What you are I once was, what I am you will surely become.

I don't think anybody knows the exact origin. It is a Roman epitaph. Often found carved on tombs.

Quod tu es, ego fui, quod ego sum, tu eris

Which you are I once was; which what I am you will become
Hey, I am currently taking a Humanities class and I saw this phrase on a painting by Masaccio, The Holy Trinity. Very cool stuff!!

You revived a thread nearly 2 years old!

Contrex--

Remember, on the Internet time bends and zigzags, particularly when dealing with eternity.

Better yet, you responded!



Phew, the expiration date on this thread expired. Oh wait, that's my milk.



Noddy's correct, bringing back a thread reverses time, and makes my skin turn glowing and young once again.

As you are, I once was. As I am, you soon shall be.
This is recorded on my great grandmother's tombstone in Seligman, MO, USA.

I would certainly have liked to meet her!!

This is a quote by Horace, "Eram quod es; eris quod sum" - I was what you are, you will become what I am.
Puritans used it to put on their tombstones - so when you were looking at the grave, you could think about your own existence, and your own mortality. Always cheered me up, that one. (for real) posted by mike - visit my blog at Edit [Moderator]: Link removed

Why would this even matter? I've resusitated 5 year old threads!

Time is irrelevent on the internet, in my opinion, much like Noddy said.

I've been wracking my brain trying to remember which painting I saw it in so that I could look it up and see exactly how it went. It's not just on the internet that time and space mess with your head.

Had I asked this question 2 years ago, the answers would not have been here. Thanks for reviving a 2 year old thread to answer my question.

That quote is in a famous Renaissance painting by Masaccio, called The Trinity With The Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist, and Donors. It is a fresco in the Chruch of Santa Maria Novella, in Florence, c. 1425-1427

Very interesting stuff here. I remember this quote "As you are, so once was I. As I am, so you will be." and being spoken by an old man to a young boy.

this qought is from an italian ronasants painting !! it is about jeususe

oh and also the quote is the promse of death and it translates into " i was what you are and what i am you shall be" and it from the Holy trinity (Masaccio) made some time between the 1425-1428 the quote is writen above a skelaton lying on his toom

which what i am wtf

i love this quote but it seems like there are many many vershons of the same thing the one on the painting is sead as i was what uou are and with i am you shall be but who knows i am also getting this as a tatto so if enyone finds the real one post it

The earliest known portion of this quote I could find was on the epitaph of Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince of Wales, son of King Edward III.

He passed at the age of 45 on June 8th, 1376. The phrase composes the first two lines of the epitaph upon his tomb in Canterbury Cathedral, Kent, England.

His epitaph read as such:

Such as thou art, sometime was I.
Such as I am, such shalt thou be.
I thought little on th'our of Death
So long as I enjoyed breath.
But now a wretched captive am I,
Deep in the ground, lo here I lie.
My beauty great, is all quite gone,
My flesh is wasted to the bone

Hope this helps!

-NF

It's an inscription in Latin here also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capuchin_Crypt

I first heard this quote as attributed to Josef Goebbels!
What a thief.