--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can live as a ghost, waiting for…" description: "\"“You can live as a ghost, waiting for death to come, or you can dance .”\" — Alan Gratz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/alan-gratz-26582_dancing_you-can-live-as-a-ghost-waiting-for-deat_188822.jpg" --- # You can live as a ghost, waiting for death to come, or you… ![“You can live as a ghost, waiting for death to come, or you can dance .” quote by Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/alan-gratz-26582_dancing_you-can-live-as-a-ghost-waiting-for-deat_188822.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/alan-gratz-26582_dancing_you-can-live-as-a-ghost-waiting-for-deat_188822.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/alan-gratz-26582_dancing_you-can-live-as-a-ghost-waiting-for-deat_188822.jpg) > ““You can live as a ghost, waiting for death to come, or you can dance .”” [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing to live fully and joyfully is better than existing passively in fear of death. **In simple terms:** Live actively rather than wait for death. Key Takeaway Embrace life and take joyful action. Themes life choice joy fear existence agency Mood inspirational hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - daily decisions - career choices - relationships - health habits - creative pursuits Key Concepts Existentialism mindfulness personal freedom Questions to Reflect On - What does dancing symbolize for you? - How can you shift from passive waiting to active living? A Different Perspective May ignore realistic risks and consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Living well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-well/) ## Related quotes > [Come Dance with Me , come dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez/come-dance-with-me-come-dance/) [Hafez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez/) > [“Now stop your dancing; you wouldn't come out and dance when I played to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/now-stop-your-dancing-you-wouldn-t-come-out-and-dance-when-i-played/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [“The world is just waiting for you to come dance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-marie-l-lamb/the-world-is-just-waiting-for-you-to-come-dance/) Tina Marie L. Lamb > [“Aye, then.Come and dance with the Ech'lon. You can be me bloody retinue. King o' Fools and 'is merry band o' jesters. If they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bec-mcmaster/aye-then-come-and-dance-with-the-ech-lon-you-can-be-me-bloody-retinue/) [Bec McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bec-mcmaster/) > [Come on dance or celebrate. Oh it's Ladies Night and the feeling's right. Come on dance or celebrate. Oh Lady, Lady, Lady, I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kool-and-the-gang/come-on-dance-or-celebrate-oh-it-s-ladies-night-and-the-feeling-s/) [Kool And The Gang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kool-and-the-gang/) > [“Please come to the dance, because you're my music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/please-come-to-the-dance-because-you-re-my-music/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Dance with me until the world is done, Dance with me and hold me close don't ever let me go. Come … dance with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/treasure/dance-with-me-until-the-world-is-done-dance-with-me-and-hold-me-close/) Treasure > [Music has no borders, no race or color, no limits of country, no ethnicity. Music makes the people come together. Dance it,Dance all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/music-has-no-borders-no-race-or-color-no-limits-of-country-no/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [“When kids come on the dance floor it’s time for elders to go to the bed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-kedia/when-kids-come-on-the-dance-floor-it-s-time-for-elders-to-go-to-the/) [Vijay Kedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-kedia/) > [I usually like to get people in because I don't have a band or anything. In cities where I have friends, I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grimes/i-usually-like-to-get-people-in-because-i-don-t-have-a-band-or/) [Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grimes/) > [I think you're the only person who gets me. When I'm with you, the world doesn't feel like a problem I can't figure out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-think-you-re-the-only-person-who-gets-me-when-i-m-with-you-the/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Take my hand,come and dance,walk with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-my-hand-come-and-dance-walk-with-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Hear what little Red-Eye saith: “Nag, come up and dance with death!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/hear-what-little-red-eye-saith-nag-come-up-and-dance-with-death/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [“Every child has known God, Not the God of names, Not the God of don'ts, Not the God who ever does Anything weird, But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafiz/every-child-has-known-god-not-the-god-of-names-not-the-god-of-don-ts/) [Hafiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafiz/) > [“Come dance with me," he says, taking my hand, and someday I'll explain to him that I already am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mccahan/come-dance-with-me-he-says-taking-my-hand-and-someday-i-ll-explain-to/) [Erin McCahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mccahan/) ## More by Alan Gratz > [“The ceremony was fast so we wouldn't be caught. When it was over, the men all whispered 'Mazel tov' and climbed back onto their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/the-ceremony-was-fast-so-we-wouldn-t-be-caught-when-it-was-over-the/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“It was all a big joke. I could see that now. There was no rhyme or reason to whether we lived or died. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/it-was-all-a-big-joke-i-could-see-that-now-there-was-no-rhyme-or/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“If no one saw them, no one could help them. And maybe the world needed to see what was really happening here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/if-no-one-saw-them-no-one-could-help-them-and-maybe-the-world-needed/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“I had survived the work gangs in the ghetto. Baked bread under cover of night. Hidden in a pigeon coop. Had a midnight bar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/i-had-survived-the-work-gangs-in-the-ghetto-baked-bread-under-cover/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“burst. How could I possibly wait? He turned to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/burst-how-could-i-possibly-wait-he-turned-to/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“Baseball, more than any other sport, has a magical way of connecting fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, grandparents and grandchildren and ancestors back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/baseball-more-than-any-other-sport-has-a-magical-way-of-connecting/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [I think kids are incredibly savvy readers. I think we should give them all the credit in the world. They want to know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/i-think-kids-are-incredibly-savvy-readers-i-think-we-should-give-them/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“And that was the real truth of it, wasn't it? Whether you were visible or invisible, it was all about how other people reacted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/and-that-was-the-real-truth-of-it-wasn-t-it-whether-you-were-visible/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“I shook with helplessness and rage, but also with fear. This was what fighting back earned you. More abuse. More death. Half a dozen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/i-shook-with-helplessness-and-rage-but-also-with-fear-this-was-what/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“I had managed to scare even the monsters, and when you can scare monsters, you can be sure you've become one yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/i-had-managed-to-scare-even-the-monsters-and-when-you-can-scare/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“What were they thinking, those little German children? Did they see animals when they looked at us, or people? I wasn't so sure myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/what-were-they-thinking-those-little-german-children-did-they-see/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“If I had known what the next six years of my life were going to be like, I would have eaten more. I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/if-i-had-known-what-the-next-six-years-of-my-life-were-going-to-be/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“Your parents, Oskar and Mina. They are dead and gone now, Yanek, and we would grieve them if we could. But we have only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/your-parents-oskar-and-mina-they-are-dead-and-gone-now-yanek-and-we/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“the gibbous moon glowed bloodred in the sky,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/the-gibbous-moon-glowed-bloodred-in-the-sky/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) > [“Remember: You are no one. You have no name. You do not speak, you do not look at them, you do not volunteer for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/remember-you-are-no-one-you-have-no-name-you-do-not-speak-you-do-not/) [Alan Gratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) [Explore all 20 Alan Gratz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/) ## More Dancing quotes > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [I with borrow'd silver shine, What you see is none of mine. First I show you but a quarter, Like the bow that guards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-with-borrow-d-silver-shine-what-you-see-is-none-of-mine-first-i/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [To chase the glowing hours with flying feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/to-chase-the-glowing-hours-with-flying-feet/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [I wasn’t like, boo hoo, Bin Laden’s dead, but I wasn’t jumping. America’s a very nationalistic country, and in episodes like that of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scahill/i-wasn-t-like-boo-hoo-bin-laden-s-dead-but-i-wasn-t-jumping-america-s/) [Jeremy Scahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scahill/) > [“...dancing with someone who is causing you pain is a bit like trying to smile while having a tooth extracted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you-pain-is-a-bit-like-trying-to/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [I'm very smart when it comes to choosing dancers and trying to show the world that there's a whole lot of dancing going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-jamison/i-m-very-smart-when-it-comes-to-choosing-dancers-and-trying-to-show/) [Judith Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-jamison/) > [“What do you think of the ball?” her companion asked. “It is lovely,” Cinderella said. “What do you enjoy most? The dancing?” “The food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-shea/what-do-you-think-of-the-ball-her-companion-asked-it-is-lovely/) [K.M. Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-shea/) > [Do you know what it is sir? Do you know what the Dance Dance Revolution is? It's not an actual revolution, so you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-peters/do-you-know-what-it-is-sir-do-you-know-what-the-dance-dance/) [Russell Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-peters/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [A real flame of love is a subtle thing. It burns as a will-o'-the-wisp, dancing onward to fairy lands of delight. It roars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dreiser/a-real-flame-of-love-is-a-subtle-thing-it-burns-as-a-will-o-the-wisp/) [Theodore Dreiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dreiser/) > [There's no thinking involved in my choreography... I don't work through images or ideas. I work through the body... If the dancer dances, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merce-cunningham/there-s-no-thinking-involved-in-my-choreography-i-don-t-work-through/) [Merce Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merce-cunningham/) > [May you eat an unfamiliar dessert in a strange land at least once every three years. May you wake up... and start dancing while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/may-you-eat-an-unfamiliar-dessert-in-a-strange-land-at-least-once/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [I have been passionate about dancing and acting as long as I I can remember. It was a natural progression to make it my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishaan-khatter/i-have-been-passionate-about-dancing-and-acting-as-long-as-i-i-can/) [Ishaan Khatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishaan-khatter/) [Browse all 3,507 Dancing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You can live as a ghost, waiting for death to come, or you can dance .”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Gratz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/you-can-live-as-a-ghost-waiting-for-death-to-come-or-you-can-dance/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dancing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/you-can-live-as-a-ghost-waiting-for-death-to-come-or-you-can-dance/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/alan-gratz-26582_dancing_you-can-live-as-a-ghost-waiting-for-deat_188822.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/alan-gratz-26582_dancing_you-can-live-as-a-ghost-waiting-for-deat_188822.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/alan-gratz-26582_dancing_you-can-live-as-a-ghost-waiting-for-deat_188822.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can live as a ghost, waiting for death to come, or you can dance .” — Alan Gratz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Gratz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gratz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“You can live as a ghost,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/you-can-live-as-a-ghost-waiting-for-death-to-come-or-you-can-dance/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gratz/you-can-live-as-a-ghost-waiting-for-death-to-come-or-you-can-dance/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```