12 Quotes About Death & Mortality
Every wisdom tradition circles back to the same fact: that we are here briefly, and that knowing it is what makes a life vivid. These quotes on death and mortality are not morbid — they are the oldest known cure for wasting your days.
“The soul is never born, nor does it die. Unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying, primeval — it is not slain when the body is slain.”
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. W…”
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
“He who fears death will never do anything worth of a man who is alive.”
“If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.”
“You can either die young at any age, or you can die old at a very old age. Compress your morbidity.”
“Loneliness is now associated with a greater risk of premature death than obesity, and is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.”
“We are designed to be in relationship. From birth to the day we die, we need others to survive and to thrive.”
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
“Death is not an end but a moment of arising into another bardo. The way we have lived is the way we will die. The way we die is the way the next state begins.”
“When you understand the meaning of impermanence, all clinging falls away. When clinging falls away, the heart is light. When the heart is light, the mind is free.”