“Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so.”
John Donne
FaithCourage
Death Quotes
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · DEATH
Death Quotes
Read 200 of the best death quotes about grief, loss, remembrance and the meaning of life, from Shakespeare, Seneca, John Donne, the Bible and more.
“One short sleep past, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.”
John Donne
Eternal LifeHope
“Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
John Donne
HumanityConnection
“Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.”
Epicurus
PhilosophyFear Of Death
“To fear death, gentlemen, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not.”
Socrates
WisdomFear Of Death
“The true philosophers are always occupied in the practice of dying.”
Plato
PhilosophyPreparation
“We are dying every day.”
Seneca
MortalityTime
“Rehearse death. To say this is to tell a person to rehearse his freedom.”
Seneca
FreedomPreparation
“It is not how long, but how nobly you live that matters.”
Seneca
Living WellLegacy
“Let us prepare our minds as if we had come to the very end of life.”
Seneca
PreparationLiving Well
“Since it is possible that thou mayest depart from life this very moment, regulate every act and thought accordingly.”
Marcus Aurelius
MindfulnessLiving Well
“Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this too is one of those things which nature wills.”
Marcus Aurelius
AcceptanceNature
“End thy journey in content, just as an olive falls off when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree on which it grew.”
Marcus Aurelius
PeaceGratitude
“Let death and exile, and all other things which appear dreadful be daily before your eyes, but most of all death: and you will never think of anything mean nor will you desire anything extravagantly.”
Epictetus
PerspectiveMindfulness
“The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”
Cicero
RemembranceLegacy
“Life is given to no one for ownership, to all for use.”
Lucretius
LifeImpermanence
“Pale Death with impartial foot knocks at the doors of poor men's hovels and of kings' palaces.”
Horace
EqualityMortality
“Not all of me shall die.”
Horace
LegacyImmortality
“Death plucks my ear and says, Live - I am coming.”
Virgil
Living FullyMortality
“While you do not know life, how can you know about death?”
Confucius
LifeMystery
“If I were to follow after her bawling and sobbing, it would show that I don't understand anything about fate. So I stopped.”
Chuang Tzu
AcceptanceGrief
“Not in the sky, not in the midst of the sea, not if we enter into the clefts of the mountains, is there known a spot in the whole world where death could not overcome the mortal.”
Buddha (Dhammapada)
MortalityTruth
“Death carries off a man who is gathering flowers, and whose mind is distracted, as a flood carries off a sleeping village.”
Buddha (Dhammapada)
MindfulnessMortality
“He is not born, nor doth he die; unborn, perpetual, eternal and ancient, he is not slain when the body is slaughtered.”
Bhagavad Gita
SoulEternal Life
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.”
The Bible (Psalm 23:4)
ComfortFaith
Related Topics
About Death Quotes
Death is the one experience every person shares, and yet it remains one of life's greatest mysteries. Thinking about it can bring fear or sadness, but it can also bring comfort, perspective and a deeper appreciation for the time we have. For anyone grieving, the right words can offer a little light in a dark season.
This collection brings together 200 of the best quotes about death, grief, loss and remembrance from philosophers, poets and sacred texts, including William Shakespeare, John Donne, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Emily Dickinson and the Bible. Use them for sympathy cards, memorial tributes, eulogies or quiet reflection on what it means to live well.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Death quotes.
What is a comforting quote about death?
Emily Dickinson's "Unable are the Loved to die, for Love is Immortality" and Cicero's "The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living" are two gentle, comforting choices for anyone grieving.
What are good quotes for a sympathy card?
Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted," and Revelation 21:4, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes," are widely shared in sympathy cards. Longfellow's "There is no Death! What seems so is transition" is another hopeful option.
What did the Stoics say about death?
Stoics like Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius taught that thinking about death helps us live better. Seneca said "It is not how long, but how nobly you live that matters," and Marcus Aurelius compared a peaceful death to a ripe olive falling from its tree.
What does "for whom the bell tolls" mean?
It comes from John Donne's 1624 Meditation XVII. Donne meant that every death affects all of us, because we are all connected as human beings, so the funeral bell rings for everyone.
What are good quotes for a eulogy?
Shakespeare's "Good night, sweet prince: and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!" and "Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it" are moving tributes. Horace's "Not all of me shall die" is a beautiful line about legacy.
What does the Bible say about death?
The Bible offers comfort and hope, such as Psalm 23:4, "I will fear no evil: for thou art with me," and 1 Corinthians 15:55, "O death, where is thy sting?" John 11:25 speaks of eternal life through faith.