"Merely famous people have pictures of themselves on the wall. Really great people have pictures of dead people on the wall, and on their desks. It's one of the first things I look for when I go into somebody's office."

I think the point about connecting to the past is a good one. I'm not completely sure why, but great people and projects certainly seem to have a sense that they are connected to a long line of predecessors.

(Go Deacons!!)