Via-Larry Solov- Breitbart.com
“The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.” – Lao Tzu
The funny thing is, Andrew would give me an endless hard time for quoting Lao Tzu–pretentious, he’d say.But Andrew did live larger than life–which made his sudden passing so truly hard to believe and accept. He was a flame that burned twice as bright. It was in his DNA. I know. I knew him since he was less than one year old. (Some pictorial proof below.)
But if Andrew’s flame burned half as long, his legacy will never burn out. To the contrary, it will only burn brighter and brighter. It is one of love and laughter, of an amazing family consisting of his widow Susie and their four extraordinary young children, and of a friend, a patriot and a happy warrior.
It burns in my heart and the heart of all those who loved him and whom he so deeply affected.
It also burns as his mission continues and expands at Breitbart News Network.
In his book, Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save The World (which was largely written at my kitchen table while I hovered over Andrew forcing him to focus) he wrote some words I find particularly pertinent about that mission.
First:
The left does not win its battles in debate. It doesn’t have to. In the twenty-first century, media is everything. The left wins because it controls the narrative. The narrative is controlled by the media. The left is the media. Narrative is everything. I call it the Democrat-Media Complex–and I am at war to gain back control of the American narrative.
Second:
Walk toward the fire. Don’t worry about being called a racist, a homophobe, a sociopath, a violent heteronormative xenophobe with fascistic impulses. They say all those things about you because they’re keeping you inside the Complex, forcing you to respond to their playbook. They want to stop you in your tracks. But if you keep going, if you tell them you can stop their verbal bullets and keep walking, you’ll send messages to people who are rooting for you, who agree with you. That’s how you build an invincible movement willing to play by its own rules.
As CEO and President of Breitbart News Network, and as Breitbart.com attests over the last year, let me assure you that Andrew’s mission and vision only grows brighter with every day that passes.
Now, as promised, let me show you a few pictures. Why? Because for all of us who knew Andrew personally, and especially for those who did not–supporters and detractors alike–at the end of the day, I think it is important on this anniversary, to humanize Andrew. He was a man who did extraordinary things that guarantee him a place in the history books of this great country, but still a man.
We should all take personal inspiration from that. No matter who we are. No matter where we came from. No matter which side of the aisle we are on. There is nothing we cannot do if we live with passion and are willing to sacrifice and fight for what we believe in. Andrew embodied that very premise.
I call the following picture, “First Business Meeting.” It took place in 1972 over the hood of my Mom’s Ford Country Squire, with authentic, fake wood paneling. What could be so serious to four year olds? I have no idea.
Queen Of Liberty™ 
Yesterday was a sad day for me, but very fulfilling. I stood over my mothers grave, sprucing it up with flowers in her brand new headstone, talking to her and knowing her every answer. It was as if she was sitting there talking to me. She hasn’t been gone long, and I still have times I try to call her for a little moral support.
Yesterday was the anniversary of Breitbart’s passing, the day I remember all too well. He had become a personal hero of mine. He was brilliant and knew just how to play the left. He seemed like one of a kind. Anytime I could hear him talk on tv or read his tweets he was getting under the skin of the left like no other. One year ago yesterday was truly a sad day. We lost a great patriot. RIP Breitbart!
#WAR
I’m so sorry for you loss and I’m sorry you had some sadness remembering your mother. Grief is the worst emotion. I know what you mean about the phone call. I still expect some of my family members who have passed to call me. I’ll even look at the phone and then it hits me that they are gone. I will keep you and your family in my prayers. I hope the happy memories begin to bring you comfort soon. Maybe our loved ones that are with God now can be angels aiding us in this fight to save our country. God bless you my friend.
“Walk toward the fire. Don’t worry about being called a racist, a homophobe, a sociopath, a violent heteronormative xenophobe with fascistic impulses. They say all those things about you because they’re keeping you inside the Complex, forcing you to respond to their playbook. They want to stop you in your tracks. But if you keep going, if you tell them you can stop their verbal bullets and keep walking, you’ll send messages to people who are rooting for you, who agree with you. That’s how you build an invincible movement willing to play by its own rules.”
This is pure poetry! If more people lived by these words and it became our nation’s mantra, we can excel further than our dreams have ever taken us.
I never knew him personally, but I knew of him and it’s true that he was a great patriot.
Has it already been a year? Time is so precious and fleeting.
A loss like this is always much easier to deal with when we know that the person would always stand up for what they believed in and never surrendered to anyone whom they felt was not worthy.
I never had the pleasure of meeting him but he sounds like a great man and a great friend. Our lives may one day end but our accomplishments can last forever.
Such a sad sad thing. I am truly sorry about your loss and I can understand why he was such a great person in your life. I always ask myself why all the good people have to go first.
I had someone very close to me die and it still seams unreal. It has been almost 6 years and I still wonder how this could have happened. I swear if I listen real close that I can still hear his voice in my head and certain smells remind me of him. It is always how we remember a person that matters and if they did something amazing then it is a story that must be told.
Before my grandfather died he told me that the memories we had together would always live in my heart no matter what happened. After he passed away I still remember all the times that we spent together. I will never forget him and although he never did anything amazing for others, he amazed me everyday by the strength that he had.