--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When one is already on the edge of the…" description: "\"When one is already on the edge of the grave, why not resist?\" — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_edges_when-one-is-already-on-the-edge-of-the-g_1680387.jpg" --- # When one is already on the edge of the grave, why not… ![“When one is already on the edge of the grave, why not resist?” quote by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_edges_when-one-is-already-on-the-edge-of-the-g_1680387.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_edges_when-one-is-already-on-the-edge-of-the-g_1680387.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_edges_when-one-is-already-on-the-edge-of-the-g_1680387.jpg) > “When one is already on the edge of the grave, why not resist?” [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faced with imminent death, one may choose defiance over surrender, asserting agency even in hopelessness. **In simple terms:** Even at death’s brink, resist. Key Takeaway Choose defiance when all seems lost. Themes courage existentialism resistance Mood defiant somber Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - war prisoners - terminal illness - political oppression - personal crisis Key Concepts free will meaninglessness human spirit Questions to Reflect On - What would you fight for when everything is lost? - Is defiance always noble? A Different Perspective Resistance may be futile if it endangers others. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edge/) [Edge Grave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edge-grave-950749/) [Edges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edges/) [Grave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grave/) [Grave Resist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grave-resist-950748/) [Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graves/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Resist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resist/) [Why not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why-not/) ## Related quotes > [Only on the edge of the grave can man conclude anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/only-on-the-edge-of-the-grave-can-man-conclude-anything/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [The human animal dances wildest on the edge of the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/the-human-animal-dances-wildest-on-the-edge-of-the-grave/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [“The mourners clustered around the edge of the grave, paralyzed by the horror of this thing, this first discovery of death that was worse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/the-mourners-clustered-around-the-edge-of-the-grave-paralyzed-by-the/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [If someone asked you, why not help him out?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-someone-asked-you-why-not-help-him-out/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [I couldn't resist the idea of doing 'Coronation Street.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-havers/i-couldn-t-resist-the-idea-of-doing-coronation-street/) [Nigel Havers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-havers/) > [We pledge to you in our name... that we will resist the invaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/we-pledge-to-you-in-our-name-that-we-will-resist-the-invaders/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [“It was more than any mortal man could resist, so he let go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-rocha/it-was-more-than-any-mortal-man-could-resist-so-he-let-go/) [Kit Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-rocha/) > [What you resist will persist; what you befriend, you will transcend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/what-you-resist-will-persist-what-you-befriend-you-will-transcend/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [“People tend to resist a change into something new and different. But after it's succeded, they easily say that the change is a must.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/people-tend-to-resist-a-change-into-something-new-and-different-but/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Lebanon was under Israeli occupation, up to its capital, but we did not consider that a disaster. Why? Because it was very clear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/lebanon-was-under-israeli-occupation-up-to-its-capital-but-we-did-not/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [...when you resist what happens, your mind begins to race; the same thoughts that impinge upon you are actually created by you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/when-you-resist-what-happens-your-mind-begins-to-race-the-same/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [“Life is a flow which we can either resist or go with it gracefully.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonmoy-acharjee/life-is-a-flow-which-we-can-either-resist-or-go-with-it-gracefully/) [Tonmoy Acharjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonmoy-acharjee/) > [We must resist the temptation of once again turning America into the traditional bogeyman of the left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-napolitano/we-must-resist-the-temptation-of-once-again-turning-america-into-the/) [Giorgio Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-napolitano/) > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [When you are what we call a 'minority writer,' a writer of color, a writer of any kind of difference, there is some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumaan-alam/when-you-are-what-we-call-a-minority-writer-a-writer-of-color-a/) [Rumaan Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumaan-alam/) ## More by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“...you are strong only as long as you don't deprive people of everything . For a person you've taken everything from is no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/you-are-strong-only-as-long-as-you-don-t-deprive-people-of-everything/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/woe-to-that-nation-whose-literature-is-cut-short-by-the-intrusion-of/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Literature becomes the living memory of a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/literature-becomes-the-living-memory-of-a-nation/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [If there were no executioners, there would be no executions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-there-were-no-executioners-there-would-be-no-executions/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into a realm beyond words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/not-everything-has-a-name-some-things-lead-us-into-a-realm-beyond/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [It is almost always impossible to evaluate at the time events which you have already experienced, and to understand their meaning with the guidance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-is-almost-always-impossible-to-evaluate-at-the-time-events-which/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Human nature is full of riddles; . . . one of those riddles is: how is it that people who have been crushed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/human-nature-is-full-of-riddles-one-of-those-riddles-is-how-is-it/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“It was astonishing that the pseudo wreckers, who knew perfectly well that they weren't wreckers, believed that military men and priests were being shaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-astonishing-that-the-pseudo-wreckers-who-knew-perfectly-well/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [When the whole discussion of "developing a national idea" hastily began in post-Soviet Russia, I tried to pour cold water on it with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/when-the-whole-discussion-of-developing-a-national-idea-hastily-began/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“It was granted me to carry away from my prison years on my bent back, which nearly broke beneath its load, this essential experience;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-granted-me-to-carry-away-from-my-prison-years-on-my-bent-back/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Call no day happy 'til it is done; call no man happy til he is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/call-no-day-happy-til-it-is-done-call-no-man-happy-til-he-is-dead/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Whenever the tissue of life is woven of legalistic relationships, this creates an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes a person's noblest impulses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/whenever-the-tissue-of-life-is-woven-of-legalistic-relationships-this/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [The same old caveman feeling-greed, envy, violence, and mutual hate, which along the way assumed respectable pseudonyms like class struggle, racial struggle, mass struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-same-old-caveman-feeling-greed-envy-violence-and-mutual-hate/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Surrender one hair, and you'll end up beardless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/surrender-one-hair-and-you-ll-end-up-beardless/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) [Explore all 412 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## More Edge quotes > [I'm on the edge with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-m-on-the-edge-with-you/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [I've always liked artists like Chris Burden, who would take performances, put them in galleries, and then do things that were on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blaine/i-ve-always-liked-artists-like-chris-burden-who-would-take/) [David Blaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blaine/) > [Touring is really about being on edge the whole time - you're like a racing horse: you've just got to be on. You've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lykke-li/touring-is-really-about-being-on-edge-the-whole-time-you-re-like-a/) [Lykke Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lykke-li/) > [I just like guys who have an edge to them. But it could go either way. Like, I have been into the surfer blond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/i-just-like-guys-who-have-an-edge-to-them-but-it-could-go-either-way/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [I always was kind of on the edge of the church when I was fully in it , cos I was always asking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/i-always-was-kind-of-on-the-edge-of-the-church-when-i-was-fully-in-it/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [Even a cup of coffee tastes so much sweeter because you've come once again out of the, literally, out of the edge of death,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-koch/even-a-cup-of-coffee-tastes-so-much-sweeter-because-you-ve-come-once/) [Christopher Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-koch/) > [“Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center. Big, undreamed-of things—the people on the edge see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/out-on-the-edge-you-see-all-kinds-of-things-you-can-t-see-from-the/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [The financial world is at the cutting edge of high technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/the-financial-world-is-at-the-cutting-edge-of-high-technology/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“Your goodness must have some edge to it -- else it is none.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/your-goodness-must-have-some-edge-to-it-else-it-is-none/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I love The Edge's guitar style; it is unique. There is an ancient world resonating in his guitar sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludovico-einaudi/i-love-the-edge-s-guitar-style-it-is-unique-there-is-an-ancient-world/) [Ludovico Einaudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludovico-einaudi/) > [This is how it looks when I am standing on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red/this-is-how-it-looks-when-i-am-standing-on-the-edge/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red/) > [I spent 25 years clearly understanding that I'm not gonna meet Bono or the Edge. But then it happened at the Grammys when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristian-bush/i-spent-25-years-clearly-understanding-that-i-m-not-gonna-meet-bono/) [Kristian Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristian-bush/) > [You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy, rigid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-after-that/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [If people ask me to describe my look, I always say: 'Quite classic with an edge.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/if-people-ask-me-to-describe-my-look-i-always-say-quite-classic-with/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [We have an edge over the Asian countries because we are playing European and Indian style of hockey, but we need to perform consistently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-r-sreejesh/we-have-an-edge-over-the-asian-countries-because-we-are-playing/) [P. R. Sreejesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-r-sreejesh/) [Browse all 556 Edge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edge/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When one is already on the edge of the grave, why not resist?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/when-one-is-already-on-the-edge-of-the-grave-why-not-resist/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Edge" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/when-one-is-already-on-the-edge-of-the-grave-why-not-resist/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_edges_when-one-is-already-on-the-edge-of-the-g_1680387.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_edges_when-one-is-already-on-the-edge-of-the-g_1680387.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_edges_when-one-is-already-on-the-edge-of-the-g_1680387.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When one is already on the edge of the grave, why not resist?” — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn", "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": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When one is already on the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/when-one-is-already-on-the-edge-of-the-grave-why-not-resist/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/when-one-is-already-on-the-edge-of-the-grave-why-not-resist/#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 } } ] } ```