The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
Don DelilloRead
When I read obituaries I always note the age of the deceased. Automatically I relate this figure to my own age. Four years to go, I think. Nine more years. Two years and I'm dead. The power of numbers is never more evident than when we use them to speculate on the time of our dying.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the inevitability of death and how we are often reminded of our mortality by the ages of others.
Don Delillo's quote explores the connection between age and mortality, emphasizing how we subconsciously measure our own lives against the lives of others. As we read obituaries, the ages of the deceased prompt a chilling reflection on our own lifespan, making us confront the reality of our mortality through the lens of numbers. This contemplation reveals the profound way in which statistics can shape our perceptions of life and death.
Themes
MortalityAgeDeathNumbersReflection
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a eulogy to reflect on the way we perceive lifespans.
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