Full Idea
Within the original tribal association the living generation always acknowledged a legal obligation towards the earlier generation, and in particular towards the earliest.
Gist of Idea
Old tribes always felt an obligation to the earlier generations, and the founders
Source
Friedrich Nietzsche (On the Genealogy of Morals [1887], II.§19)
Book Reference
Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'On the Genealogy of Morals', ed/tr. Diethe, Carol [CUP 1997], p.60
A Reaction
This is still a factor in modern politics, though the people remember are either military heroes or the great figures of a particular political movement. We remember the big artists and personalities, but don't feel obligated to them.