Death is staring too long into the burning sun and the relief of entering a cool, dark room.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
Dying is nothing to fear. It can be the most wonderful experience of your life. It all depends on how you've lived.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fear of death is unnecessary, as the experience can be positive depending on one's life choices.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross suggests that dying itself should not invoke fear; rather, it can be a profound and beautiful experience if one has lived fully and authentically. The quality of one's life is what ultimately shapes our perception of death, indicating that a life well-lived transforms the inevitable end into something meaningful.
Themes
DeathLifeFearExperienceLivingPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of living fully, one might use this quote to emphasize embracing life.
More from Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
All quotes βThe reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not "get over" the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
The simple life on the farm was everything to me. Nothing was more relaxing after a long plane flight than to reach the winding driveway that led up to my house. The quiet of the night was more soothing than a sleeping pill.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
There is no joy without hardship. If not for death, would we appreciate life? If not for hate, would we know the ultimate goal is love? At these moments you can either hold on to negativity and look for blame, or you can choose to heal and keep on loving.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
We're put here on Earth to learn our own lessons. No one can tell you what your lessons are; it is part of your personal journey to discover them. On these journeys we may be given a lot, or just a little bit, of the things we must grapple with, but never more than we can handle.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
Similar quotes
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We are doomed to cling to a life even while we find it unendurable.
William JamesRead
Men go forth to wonder at the height of mountains, the huge waves of the sea, the broad flow of the ocean, the course of the stars-and forget to wonder at themselves. Beware of despairing about yourself: you are commanded to put your trust in God, and not in yourself.
Saint AugustineRead
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Albert EinsteinRead
Man sometimes thinks he's been elevated to be the controller, the ruler, but he's not. He's only part of the whole. Man's job is not to exploit, but to oversee, to be a steward. Man has responsibility, not power.
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Walt WhitmanRead