Death Quotes – 91 Sayings For Grief About Transience and Dying

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

It is so much more than just 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 through tears.

In this article, I would like to give you a collection of the best, short pieces of wisdom, aphorisms and quotes about death and dying. May they give you comfort, help you to grieve and inspire you to reflect on 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 eventThe theme of death has preoccupied the great thinkers and writers throughout the centuries. Her quotes offer us insights into the many aspects of death, from grief to acceptance, from fear to hope.

Use the following sayings to question your view of death and to learn how to deal with death better.

Death Quotes 1 - 10

1. "Death smiles at us all; all we 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 where you were, but you are everywhere that I am." (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 ends." (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. "The one who lives in the memories of his loved ones can't be dead; dead is only who's forgotten." (Immanuel Kant)
20. "For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is it to cease breathing but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?" (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 has not found something worth dying for, he is not fit to live." (Martin Luther King)
33. "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." (Benjamin Franklin)
34. "As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent 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. "What 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 a child dies, the future dies; to a child when a parent dies, 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 the length of life, but the depth of life. He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret 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 on the memories 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 go down,. very slowly, and yet one is still surprised when it's suddenly dark." (Franz Kafka)
58. "And my soul stretched its wings out wide, flew through the silent lands as though it were 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 List of the best quotes about old age 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 quotations Carefully chosen, personal words help us to express our feelings and give comfort to other people.

Here are some selected Condolence texts and eulogiesthat can help articulate the pain of loss, honor the memory of the deceased and support loved ones during this difficult time. Add a personal touch to convey your deepest sympathy and condolences for the 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 about them."
2. "The past smiles in beautiful memories."
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 full of pain since we learned that [___] passed away so suddenly."
6. "Our heartfelt condolences for your loss. Our family will be with you in our thoughts and prayers."
7. "Death can separate two people, but it cannot take away their connection."
8. "There are no words for the legacy that [___] 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 there are always 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 won't be the same without [___]. I know that we will comfort each other and that we will get through this together."
16. "It's not goodbye forever, it's only goodbye for now."
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'm thinking of you and praying for you. Please don't hesitate to let me know if there is anything I can do for you."
19. "For us it's sunset, but for you it's sunrise."
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. "Life is an eternal mystery – and death remains a secret."
25. "Your footsteps have fallen silent, but your traces will remain."
26. "I was deeply shocked to receive the news today that [___] passed away so suddenly."
27. "I know I can't ease your pain, but I want you to know that I'm always there for you, offering a shoulder to cry and an ear to listen."
28. "Good people are like stars, they shine long after they have gone out."
29. "We have just learned of the heavy stroke of fate in your family and would like to express our deepest sympathy on the death of [___]."
30. "Just as a leaf falls from a tree, so a person leaves this world. But the birds will continue to sing."

Can you think of any other sayings for condolences or well-known quotes about death that should not be missing from this list? Just write your ideas and suggestions in the comments.

Frequently asked questions about death

The best quotes about death for coping with grief and as inspiration

Whether it's about saying goodbye, coming to terms with grief, expressing condolences or simply understanding the inevitable Death cannot be ignored. Sooner or later, it will meet us all and bring us together in the cemetery, in heaven or in the afterlife. That is why it is important to learn to deal with it, to let go, to accept transience and to remember loved ones fondly.

Finally, here are a few further articles for you, which can help you to cope with loss and grief in everyday life and to view 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 goes hungry again
• Sustainable burial - tips for an environmentally friendly burial

I hope that I have been able to inspire you with this collection of quotes about death and perhaps even help you to say goodbye and come to terms with your grief. Do you have any questions, suggestions or can you think of any other 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 in the detailed articles on the following topics species extinction and Coral mortality.