I think about death all the time. I think that's a good thing because we're all going to die, and the only thing we can control is how we are and what we're doing in the meantime.
Interpretation
Contemplating death can lead to a deeper appreciation for life and the choices we make.
Steve Gleason emphasizes the importance of being aware of our mortality as it encourages us to live meaningfully. By acknowledging that death is inevitable, we can focus on how we live our lives and the legacy we build in the time we have, ultimately gaining a better understanding of what truly matters.
In practice
In a motivational speech about living life to the fullest, this quote can encourage listeners to seize the day.
I have been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). It's a terminal disease with an average lifespan of two to five years post-diagnosis, and scientists don't know what causes it. ALS prevents your brain from talking to your muscles. As a result, muscles die. As a result, every 90 minutes people die. I am a person.
I'm afraid to walk in public, because people look at me. But I'm not going to stop. I'm afraid because if I want to commune with my friend Shad (Meier), I have to ask him to cut my chicken for me. But I did it. And I'm afraid to go back and see my teammates and coaches because I know that I'll feel envy. But I'm going to do it anyway. Because fear is just a feeling, and if you can acknowledge that fear, digest that fear and overcome it, the rewards are incredible.
We have all made mistakes in this life. How we learn from our mistakes is the measure of who we are.
Through adversity we find our heroes.
Suddenly you’re ripped into being alive. And life is pain, and life is suffering, and life is horror, but my god you’re alive and its spectacular.
We both grew up in the atmosphere of struggle, both Ossie and me, ... I come out of Harlem and Harlem comes out of me - wailing police sirens and street parties, rumors and landlords, that cultural, spiritual scene. And Ossie came up from the South, where struggle and dying were part of everyday life. That is who we are.
Everyone who is taken by death asks for more time, while everyone who still has time makes excuses for procrastination.
Sometimes bad luck hits you like in an ancient Greek tragedy, and it's not your own making. When you have a plane crash, it's not your fault.
The beauty of life is in people who feel some obligation to enhance life. Without that, we're only half alive.
I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.