31 Inspiring Death And Dying Quotes

Confronting death and the inevitability of loss is one of the most profound experiences in our human journey. It is a subject often shrouded in mystery, fear, and reverence. Yet, amidst the inevitable grief, reflection on the nature of life and death can offer solace and a deep sense of understanding. This curated collection of 31 inspiring quotes on death and dying serves not only to honor the memories of those who have passed but to provide comfort and wisdom to those of us left behind. These words of insight and compassion from diverse voices across time and culture remind us that death, while an end, is also a poignant part of life’s journey, urging us to cherish our moments and connections.

1. “Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.” - Isaac Asimov

2. “It doesn't make a damned bit of difference who wins the war to someone who's dead.” - Joseph Heller

3. “To die, - To sleep, - To sleep!Perchance to dream: - ay, there's the rub;For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,Must give us pause: there's the respectThat makes calamity of so long life;” - William Shakespeare

4. “All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more. But I am of the House of Éorl and not a serving-woman. I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

5. “I've been ready to die since before you was Born!” - Marvel Comics (Sabretooth)

6. “If Christ is God, He cannot sin, and if suffering was a sin in and by itself, He could not have suffered and died for us. However, since He took the most horrific death to redeem us, He showed us in fact that suffering and pain have great power.” - E.A. Bucchianeri

7. “Strange, how death had a way of turning a table upside down in an instant. It swept away all the dust that covered treasures, blew the fog from one’s view, knockedaway facades.” - Julianne MacLean

8. “I’ll try to be around and about. But if I’m not, then you know that I’m behind your eyelids, and I’ll meet you there” - Terence McKenna

9. “It's harder to pick and choose when you're dead. It's like a photograph, you know. It doesn't matter as much.” - Neil Gaiman

10. “Death is not a tragedy to the one who dies; to have wasted the life before that death, that is the tragedy.” - Orson Scott Card

11. “I have a theory that as human beings get older, chemicals are released into the brain to prepare us for the end. Sort of like how the nurse lubes your ass up before the anus-cam. It makes the whole thing a lot easier to swallow. Easier, not enjoyable.” - Kris D'Agostino

12. “She wasted and grew so thin that she no longer was a little girl, but the shadow of a little girl. The flame of her life flickered so faintly that it appeared sufficient to blow at it to extinguish it. Stas understood that death did not have to wait for a third attack to take her and he expected it any day or any hour.” - Henryk Sienkiewicz

13. “One should part from life as Ulysses parted from Nausicaa-- blessing it rather than in love with it.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

14. “Sensei says funerals are not really for the dead. They are for those left behind. "The dead are long gone by the time a funeral is held," he told us. "Who would wait when the doors of Heaven are open? Only the living would be foolish enough to still hang around on earth.” - Sandy Fussell

15. “[In my dream] they slide their lips over my skin, whispering whispering whispering. They tell me their names, they tell me their lives, they tell me their pain...I can't struggle, I can't stop laughing, I can't resist these people who once were.” - Carrie Ryan

16. “Ich schwieg und dachte daran, was für ein Aschenputteldasein sieh geführt hatte, bis Mr. Wopsles Großtante endlich die schlechte Gewohnheit aufgab zu leben, die manche Menschen besser ablegen sollten.” - Charles Dickens

17. “Dying has a funny way of making you see people, the living and the dead, a little differently. Maybe that's just part of the grieving, or maybe the dead stand there and open our eyes a bit wider.” - Susan Gregg Gilmore

18. “We die well when we die with purpose fulfilled".~R. Alan Woods [2012]” - R. Alan Woods

19. “The wretch, concentred all in self,Living, shall forfeit fair renown,And, doubly dying, shall go downTo the vile dust, from whence he sprung,Unwept, unhonored, and unsung.” - Walter Scott

20. “In my opinion, anyone who says they have no anxiety at all over experiencing their own physical death is not in touch with their humanity".~R. Alan Woods [2012]” - R. Alan Woods

21. “Small said, "But what about when we are dead and gone, will you love me then, does love go on?"…Large (replied) "Look at the stars, how they shine and glow, some of the stars died a long time ago. Still they shine in the evening skies, for you see…love like starlight never dies…” - Debi Gliori

22. “Excerpt: Paradox – Bound By Blood. The hands on a clock never falter, not for a second. One day ends; and a new begins. If there was one thing on this earth that could be counted on, it was that. Time never paused to mourn the dead. That particular privilege is allotted to the living. It is for the survivor to mourn, bury the dead, and leave the rest to the earth. That is the way of it – the way of death - and the misery it leaves behind.” - Patti Roberts

23. “I went to a foot specialist recently and she said:"You've broken a bone, it's healed funny.""What can you do?""Not much."She strapped me up though and that's the reason my foot is hurting, because the strapping gave me cramp.When I'm about to die I'm going to head ti a swamp so I topple in when the time comes. In 50,000 years when they dig me up, pretty well preserved, the scientists will have to work out what sort of life I led from my bone structure, teeth and whatnot. Maybe I'll be clutching a Felt record or something to give them a clue. They'll look at my foot and say: "This man broke a bone and it's healed funny." And they'll look at the Felt record, analysing the grooves with a Groove Analyser and they'll say: "He was obviously in an indie band and one day the pressure got too much, and he booted a wall." And they wouldn't be far from the truth, those crazy scientists.” - Stuart Murdoch

24. “There were worse things than dying, and those worse things happened to the people you left behind.” - P.C. Cast Kristin Cast

25. “A dead body is much more fascinating than a live one, and I have learned that most corpses tell better stories.” - Alan Bradley

26. “...gripping the rim of the sink you claw your way to stand and cling there, quaking with will, on heron legs, and still the hot muck pours out of you. (p. 27)” - Barbara Blatner

27. “Death was painful, not because people couldn't see their loved ones anymore, but because they couldn't communicate with them anymore.” - Karen McQuestion

28. “As mortal humans we are born with a death sentence anyway, so what difference does a little poison make? Why not take a chance you will survive the ordeal and make something significant of your life?..." p330” - Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson

29. “We want all the benefits of the resurrection without acknowledging our dependence on God as mortal creatures.” - Matthew Lee Anderson

30. “I’m curious about why there’s so much honor given to death, when there is no honor in losing someone you love.” - Mackie Burt

31. “Are you scared?”“Of what?” “Dying.” Jemma was nothing, if she was not blunt.“I’m not expecting to die, Jemma. I’m expecting to have treatment, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, whatever it takes, but I’m expecting to come through this.” - Calvin Wade