Death Quotes – 91 Sayings For Grief About Transience and Dying

Looking for inspirational quotes about death and the best sayings for mourning and condolences? Then you've come to the right place! Death is an unavoidable reality and a natural, final part of life, which concerns, occupies and touches us all in the deepest way.

It is so much more than simply the end of life. Death changes our view of existence, reminds us once again of our own mortality and makes us feel the deepest pain of loss in tears.

In this article I would like to give you a collection of the best, short wisdoms, aphorisms and quotes about death and dying. May they give you comfort, help you with the mourning process and inspire you to think about transience and finiteness. Let's go!

My please: Keep in mind that many of the quotes about death have been translated into English from other languages. I cannot guarantee that it is the original quote in each case. Therefore, double check them before you share them. If you like and share any of the quotes in the internet, please link this elaborately created collection. Thank you for your support!

62 quotes about death and dying by famous people

We all want grow old healthy and live long. But death can occur unexpectedly and suddenly, as well as after a long period of suffering. It is a complex and emotional eventThis is a theme that has preoccupied the great thinkers and writers throughout the centuries. Their quotes offer us insights into the many aspects of death, from grief to acceptance, from fear to hope.

Use the following sayings to challenge your view of death and learn to better deal with bereavement.

Death Quotes 1 - 10

1. "Death smiles at all of us, the only thing you can do is smile back." (Marcus Aurelius)
2. "The only thing of importance, when we depart, will be the traces of love we have left behind." (Albert Schweitzer)
3. "You are no longer there, where you were, but you are everywhere where we are." (Victor Hugo)
4. "Mostly it is loss which teaches us about the worth of things." (Arthur Schopenhauer)
5. "It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." (Marcus Aurelius)
6. "You live twice: once in reality, the second time, in memories." (Honoré de Balzac)
7. "The meaning of life is that it stops." (Franz Kafka)
8. "No one knows whether death may not be the greatest of all blessings for a man, yet men fear it as if they knew it was the greatest of evils." (Socrates)
9. "Where there is most feeling, there is the greatest martyrdom." (Leonardo da Vinci)
10. "Each day is a little life: every waking and rising a little birth, every fresh morning a little youth, every going to rest and sleep a little death." (Arthur Schopenhauer)

Death Quotes 11 - 20

11. "The grave is still the best shelter against the storms of destiny." (Georg Christoph Lichtenberg)
12. "Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it." (Haruki Murakami)
13. "It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other." (Francis Bacon)
14. "A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it." (Oscar Wilde)
15. "If you live each day as it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right." (Steve Jobs)
16. "Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome." (Isaac Asimov)
17. "From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them, and that is eternity." (Edvard Munch)
18. "A friend who dies, it’s something of you who dies." (Gustave Flaubert)
19. "He who lives in the memory of his loved ones is not dead, he is only distant. Dead is only who is forgotten." (Immanuel Kant)
20. "For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance." (Khalil Gibran)

Death Quotes 21 - 30

21. "No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow." (Euripides)
22. "Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." (Norman Cousins)
23. "Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily." (Napoleon Bonaparte)
24. "You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire." (Lucius Annaeus Seneca)
25. "I’m the one that’s got to die when it’s time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to." (Jimi Hendrix)
26. "To himself everyone is immortal; he may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead." (Samuel Butler)
27. "The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." (Mark Twain)
28. "The goal of all life is death." (Sigmund Freud)
29. "I intend to live forever, or die trying." (Groucho Marx)
30. "Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another." (Ernest Hemingway)

Death Quotes 31 - 40

31. "For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one." (Khalil Gibran)
32. "If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live." (Martin Luther King)
33. "Nothing in this world is certain except death and taxes." (Benjamin Franklin)
34. "As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death." (Leonardo da Vinci)
35. "Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes: those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death." (Winston Churchill)
36. "Dying can’t be all that difficult-up to now everyone has managed to do it." (Norman Mailer)
37. "Death is nothing to us. When we exist, death is not; and when death exists, we are not." (Epicurus of Samos)
38. "And lastly there is the oldest and deepest desire, the Great Escape: the Escape from Death." (J.R.R. Tolkien)
39. "Death is the wish of some, the relief of many, and the end of all." (Lucius Annaeus Seneca)
40. "To die is not to be separated forever; there's a reunion on a brighter day." (Michael Faulhaber)

Death Quotes 41 - 50

41. "I do not believe in an afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear." (Woody Allen)
42. "While love may overcome death, it happens that a small, mean habit can overcome love." (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach)
43. "That which does not kill me, makes me stronger." (Friedrich Nietzsche)
44. "He who robs us of our dreams robs us of our life." (Confucius)
45. "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." (J.R.R. Tolkien)
46. "We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep." (William Shakespeare)
47. "To a father, when his child dies, the future dies; to a child, when his parents die, the past dies." (Berthold Auerbach)
48. "I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it." (Mark Twain)
49. "A person is really dead only when nobody thinks of him anymore." (Bertolt Brecht)
50. "The hourglasses remind us not only of the rapid flight of time, but simultaneously also of the dust into which we will once fall." (Georg Christoph Lichtenberg)

Death Quotes 51 - 62

51. "I believe that when death closes our eyes we shall awaken to a light, of which our sunlight is but the shadow." (Arthur Schopenhauer)
52. "It is not length of life, but depth of life." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
53. "We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us." (Charles Bukowski)
54. "The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living." (Marcus Tullius Cicero)
55. "Memory is the only paradise out of which we cannot be driven away." (Jean Paul)
56. "Do not fear death so much but rather the inadequate life." (Bertolt Brecht)
57. "You see the sun slowly setting and are still startled when it suddenly gets dark." (Franz Kafka)
58. "And my soul spread, her wings out wide, flew across the silent land, as though flying home." (Joseph von Eichendorff)
59. "It is love, not reason, that is stronger than death." (Thomas Mann)
60. "Tears cleanse the heart." (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
61. "The most beautiful monument a person can get is in the hearts of others." (Albert Schweitzer)
62. "In the end, only what we did and lived counts. Not what we longed for." (Arthur Schnitzler)

Tip: I also gave you another Best Quotes About Age List compiled. Feel free to have a look there as well.

30 funeral sayings for sympathy cards and funerals

Grief is a deep and personal experience that is often difficult to put into words. In addition to classic quotes can also carefully chosen personal words help us express our feelings and give comfort to others.

Here are some selected Condolence texts and funeral sayingsThese can help articulate the pain of loss, honor the memory of the deceased, and support loved ones during the difficult time. Add a personal touch to convey your deepest sympathy and condolences at the time of death. 

Funeral and condolence sayings 1 - 10

1. "The most beautiful thing a person can leave behind is a smile on the face of those who think of them."
2. "In beautiful memories, the past smiles."
3. "Time does not heal all wounds, it only teaches us to live with the incomprehensible."
4. "Life ends, love doesn't."
5. "We are helpless and in pain since we heard that [___] passed away so suddenly."
6. "Our sincere condolences for your loss. Our family will be with you in thoughts and prayers."
7. "Death can separate two people, but it cannot take away their connection."
8. "There are no words for the legacy [___] has left in our family. His/her radiant personality will always live on in our hearts."
9. "Death opens unknown doors."
10. "At the end of the rainbow, loving people are reunited."

Funeral and condolence sayings 11 - 20

11. "Gone from the earth – remained in the heart."
12. "And always there are traces of your life, thoughts, images and moments. They will remind us of you, make us happy and sad – and will never let us forget you."
13. "Memory is a window through which I can see you whenever I want."
14. "We only let go of the hand, not the man."
15. "Our family will never be the same without [___]. I know we will comfort each other and we will get through this together."
16. "It's not a goodbye forever, it's a »see you soon«."
17. "Sending you healing prayers and comforting hugs. My heartfelt condolences for your loss."
18. "I want to be there for you, but I don't know how. I want you to know that I am thinking of you and praying for you. Please feel free to let me know if there is anything I can do for you."
19. "For us it is the sunset, but for you it is a rise."
20. "Joined in silent grief."

Funeral and condolence sayings 21 - 30

21. "We learned of [___'s] death today and are just stunned and incredibly saddened."
22. "You are no longer where you were, but you are everywhere we are."
23. "Grieving is loving."
24. "An eternal mystery is life – and a secret remains death."
25. "Your footsteps have fallen silent, but your traces will remain."
26. "Deeply shocked, the news reached me today that [___] passed away so suddenly."
27. "I know I can't ease your pain, but I want you to know that I am always there for you, offering a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen."
28. "Good people are like stars, they shine long after they end."
29. "We just learned of the heavy blow to your family and would like to extend our deepest sympathies on the passing of [___]."
30. "As a leaf falls from a tree, so a man departs from this world. But the birdies continue to sing."

Can you think of any other sayings for condolences or famous quotes about death that should not be missing from this list here? Then just write me your ideas and suggestions in the comments.

How do you define death?

Death is seen as the final Standstill of all vital functions of the body defined - including heartbeat, respiration, circulation, nervous system and brain activity. It thus marks the end of life through failure of essential bodily functions.

What does grief do to the psyche?

Grief can cause strong emotional reactions, such as. Sadness, helplessness, longing, fear or even anger. The loss can also lead to physical symptoms such as insomnia and loss of appetite.

Basically, however, each person processes their grief individually and at their own pace. The Swiss psychologist Verena Kast However, has defined the 4 stages of the grieving process that are usually experienced:

• 1st phase: Not wanting to be true
• 2nd phase: Bursting chaotic emotions
• 3rd phase: Search - Find - and Separate
• 4th phase: Reorientation

What happens in the first hours after death?

In the first hours after death, the body's metabolic functions and the Rigor mortis occurs. The muscles harden, the body cools and the skin discolors. About 1-2 days after the onset of death begins the natural Dissolution of dead cells by enzymes, the so-called autolysis.

Using The Best Quotes About Death For Grief Recovery And Inspiration

Whether it's saying goodbye, processing grief, expressing condolences, or simply understanding the inevitable -. death cannot be ignored. It will hit us all sooner or later and bring us together in the cemetery, in heaven or in the afterlife. That's why it's important to learn to deal with it, to let go, to accept transience and to keep loved ones in the best of memories.

In conclusion, I have here some further articles for you that can help you cope with loss and grief in everyday life and see death as an integral part of life:

• What do dying people regret? Things that many people regret at the end of life
• Stopping world hunger - What to do so that no one ever dies of hunger again
• Sustainable funeral - tips for an environmentally friendly funeral

I wish that I could inspire you with this collection of quotes about death and maybe even help you with saying goodbye and coping with grief. Do you have questions, suggestions or can you think of more aphorisms and sayings about dying? Then I look forward to your comment!

Stay Inspired,

PS: Death also plays a major role in the animal world - it is even accelerated by us humans. You can find out more about this now in the detailed articles on the topics of species extinction and Coral mortality.