“Sometimes people say, you know, you’re 78, all that stuff, and you’ve been doing this for a long time — But should I be quitting now? When you look out and you talk to these beautiful, beautiful young people who want to move this country forward in such a decent, humane way, it really does inspire me. And to the degree that I have gotten those folks involved in the political process, yeah, I am very proud of that. I don’t know that I’ve ever done anything in my life more important than that.”
It's absurd to claim Bernie ever had a cult of personality -- look at what happened when he dropped out. The ideologically-committed leftists shit all over him and the left-ish Democrats who just wanted healthcare sighed and settled for Biden. Don't repeat what was always just a reactionary talking point.
If there's no cult of personality then there's nothing to mourn here.