QuoteProject
The long habit of living indisposeth us for dying.
Thomas Browne
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that becoming accustomed to life makes us unprepared for death.

Thomas Browne's quote reflects on the nature of human existence and the psychological impact of living for an extended period. As individuals grow accustomed to their daily lives and routines, the inevitability of death may become a less immediate concern, leading to a sense of unpreparedness when faced with its reality. It challenges us to reflect on our mortality and the ways we navigate life in the face of this certainty.

Themes

DeathLifeHabitPreparednessReflection

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the importance of living life fully, one could use this quote to emphasize our tendency to avoid thinking about death.

More from Thomas Browne

No one should approach the temple of science with the soul of a money changer.
Thomas BrowneRead
Content may dwell in all stations. To be low but above contempt may be high enough to be happy.
Thomas BrowneRead
Thus there are two books from whence I collect my Divinity; besides that written one of God, another of his servant Nature, that universal and public Manuscript, that lies expans'd unto the eyes of all; those that never saw him in the one, have discovered him in the other.
Thomas BrowneRead
To be content with death may be better than to desire it.
Thomas BrowneRead
Life itself is but the shadow of death, and souls departed but the shadows of the living.
Thomas BrowneRead
Life is a pure flame and we live by an invisible sun within us.
Thomas BrowneRead

Similar quotes

The utterly fallacious idea at the heart of the pro-war argument is that it is the duty of the anti-war argument to provide an alternative to war. The onus is on them to explain just cause.
Zadie SmithRead
In a Town like Twin Peaks noone is innocent
David LynchRead
We cannot think of being acceptable to others until we have first proven acceptable to ourselves.
Malcolm XRead
As Kierkegaard was the first to suggest, we can never know where our prayers are likely to go nor from whom the answers will come. When we think we are nearest to God, we could be assisting the Devil.
Norman MailerRead
The universe unfolds in the body, which is its mirror and its creature.
Octavio PazRead
Time heals griefs and quarrels, for we change and are no longer the same persons. Neither the offender nor the offended are any more themselves.
Blaise PascalRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.