A small individual casts a long shadow when the sun is setting.

The line appears in Landor’s 1846 "Imaginary Conversations" in a fictional dialogue between Andrew Marvell and Bishop Samuel Parker. In the exchange, the Marvell character complains about unimpressive public figures elevated to high office, using the image of long shadows at sunset to suggest that their apparent importance is an effect of a declining era rather than genuine greatness.

When a period is in decline, mediocre people can seem larger or more influential than they really are—like a short object producing a long shadow when the sun is low. The metaphor criticizes inflated reputations and the way circumstances can magnify small talents.

Little men in lofty places, who throw long shadows because our sun is setting.

When small men cast long shadows it’s a sure sign the sun is setting.

When a small man casts a long shadow, it’s a sign the sun is going down.

When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set.