--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can only die in the future, I thought…" description: "\"We can only die in the future, I thought; right now we are always alive.\" — Amy Hempel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/849/amy-hempel-6636_alive_we-can-only-die-in-the-future-i-thought_3079384.png" --- # We can only die in the future, I thought; right now we are… ![“We can only die in the future, I thought; right now we are always alive.” quote by Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/849/amy-hempel-6636_alive_we-can-only-die-in-the-future-i-thought_3079384.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/849/amy-hempel-6636_alive_we-can-only-die-in-the-future-i-thought_3079384.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/849/amy-hempel-6636_alive_we-can-only-die-in-the-future-i-thought_3079384.png) > “We can only die in the future, I thought; right now we are always alive.” [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is continuously present; death is a future event. **In simple terms:** We live now, death is later. Key Takeaway Appreciate the present moment. Themes mortality presentness philosophy Mood thoughtful serene Type existential reflective When to use this quote - daily routines - medical decisions - end‑of‑life planning Key Concepts temporal perception existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of future death affect daily choices? - What practices keep you grounded in the now? A Different Perspective Focusing only on the present may ignore future responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [However much we would adore the past it will forever die in the future with us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/however-much-we-would-adore-the-past-it-will-forever-die-in-the/) [Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/) > [One day religion will die…One day science will die, but that's for the future for now we focus on the present~ J.H.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-gonzalez/one-day-religion-will-die-one-day-science-will-die-but-that-s-for-the/) Jonas Gonzalez > [They never die, who have the future in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meridel-le-sueur/they-never-die-who-have-the-future-in-them/) [Meridel Le Sueur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meridel-le-sueur/) > [“We have no idea, now, of who or what the inhabitants of our future might be. In that sense, we have no future. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/we-have-no-idea-now-of-who-or-what-the-inhabitants-of-our-future/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“Welcome to the future, she thought, surveying all this wordage and tat. All our tragedies and triumphs, our lives and deaths, our shames and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/welcome-to-the-future-she-thought-surveying-all-this-wordage-and-tat/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [The future is only a thought form. Work with the present moment. Be with what is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-future-is-only-a-thought-form-work-with-the-present-moment-be/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [I was from a generation that didn't think that far into the future. 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Now he only thought about the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-when-giselle-was-alive-he-thought-about-the-future-now-he-only/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“In Russia it is always the future that is thought of. It is the crops next year, it is the comfort that will come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/in-russia-it-is-always-the-future-that-is-thought-of-it-is-the-crops/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) ## More by Amy Hempel > [Good leaders being scarce, following yourself is allowed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/good-leaders-being-scarce-following-yourself-is-allowed/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [Since his mother died I have seen him steam a cucumber thinking it was zucchini. That's the kind of thing that turns my heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/since-his-mother-died-i-have-seen-him-steam-a-cucumber-thinking-it/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“A story happens when two equally appealing forces, or characters, or ideas try to occupy the same place at the same time, and they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/a-story-happens-when-two-equally-appealing-forces-or-characters-or/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“It is such a pretty story, told to me by a Cuban woman I met in a bar at the beach. She left the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/it-is-such-a-pretty-story-told-to-me-by-a-cuban-woman-i-met-in-a-bar/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [Journalism taught me how to write a sentence that would make someone want to read the next one. You are trained to get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/journalism-taught-me-how-to-write-a-sentence-that-would-make-someone/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [I had a mother I could only seem to please with verbal accomplishments of some sort or another. She read constantly, so I read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/i-had-a-mother-i-could-only-seem-to-please-with-verbal/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“Mrs. Linden was beautiful in spirit and in fact. 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Who are the people you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/it-comes-back-to-the-question-whom-are-you-writing-for-who-are-the/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [An idea might spark an essay, but never a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/an-idea-might-spark-an-essay-but-never-a-story/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [There’s so much I can’t read because I get so exasperated. Someone starts describing the character boarding the plane and pulling the seat back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/there-s-so-much-i-can-t-read-because-i-get-so-exasperated-someone/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [The year I began to say vahz instead of vase, a man I barely knew nearly accidentally killed me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/the-year-i-began-to-say-vahz-instead-of-vase-a-man-i-barely-knew/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [I often feel the effects of people only after they leave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/i-often-feel-the-effects-of-people-only-after-they-leave-me/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“The psychic said I would have two children. This makes me shake my head. I know you are not supposed to leave a baby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/the-psychic-said-i-would-have-two-children-this-makes-me-shake-my/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“I read about a famous mystery writer who worked for one week in a department store. One day she saw a woman come in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/i-read-about-a-famous-mystery-writer-who-worked-for-one-week-in-a/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) [Explore all 93 Amy Hempel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. 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Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We can only die in the future, I thought; right now we are always alive.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amy Hempel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/we-can-only-die-in-the-future-i-thought-right-now-we-are-always-alive/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/we-can-only-die-in-the-future-i-thought-right-now-we-are-always-alive/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/849/amy-hempel-6636_alive_we-can-only-die-in-the-future-i-thought_3079384.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/849/amy-hempel-6636_alive_we-can-only-die-in-the-future-i-thought_3079384.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/849/amy-hempel-6636_alive_we-can-only-die-in-the-future-i-thought_3079384.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We can only die in the future, I thought; right now we are always alive.” — Amy Hempel", "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": "Amy Hempel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We can only die in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/we-can-only-die-in-the-future-i-thought-right-now-we-are-always-alive/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/we-can-only-die-in-the-future-i-thought-right-now-we-are-always-alive/#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 } } ] } ```