---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But death we are, and death we've always…"
description: "\"But death we are, and death we've always been.\" — Anne Rice"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/anne-rice-238_anne-rice_but-death-we-are-and-death-we-ve-always_677279.jpg"
---

#  But death we are, and death we've always been.

![“But death we are, and death we've always been.” quote by Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/anne-rice-238_anne-rice_but-death-we-are-and-death-we-ve-always_677279.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/anne-rice-238_anne-rice_but-death-we-are-and-death-we-ve-always_677279.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/anne-rice-238_anne-rice_but-death-we-are-and-death-we-ve-always_677279.jpg)

> “But death we are, and death we've always been.”

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Death is an ever‑present, unchanging reality.

**In simple terms:** Death is constant.

Key Takeaway

Accept mortality.

Themes

mortality existence philosophy

Mood

somber reflective

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- medical ethics
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

Existentialism inevitability

Questions to Reflect On

- How does acknowledging death affect daily choices?
- Can fear of death motivate growth?

A Different Perspective

Focus on death can obscure life's possibilities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anne-rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anne-rice/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

## Related quotes

> [“Drink." she whispered, drawing nearer. "Drink." she held the soft, tender flesh of the wrist towards me. "No. I know what to do; haven't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/drink-she-whispered-drawing-nearer-drink-she-held-the-soft-tender/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“...But still, even now, to think of it, I feel something akin to that happiness. And I've more reason now than ever to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-still-even-now-to-think-of-it-i-feel-something-akin-to-that/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“She was gone then in a flurry of bonnet ribbons and clicking slippers. I turned, paying no attention to where I went, wishing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/she-was-gone-then-in-a-flurry-of-bonnet-ribbons-and-clicking-slippers/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Pamper the mad man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/pamper-the-mad-man/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“He can see us," said the angel who had been gesturing so pointedly. His voice was subdued but seemed to reach my ears effortlessly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/he-can-see-us-said-the-angel-who-had-been-gesturing-so-pointedly-his/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Lestat: You're very anxious to be out of these rooms, aren't you? Why don't we simply get into bed together? I don't understand. David:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice-tale-of-the-body-thief/lestat-you-re-very-anxious-to-be-out-of-these-rooms-aren-t-you-why/)

Anne Rice Tale Of The Body Thief

> [“Malady of mortality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/malady-of-mortality/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“I saw the great sparkling orbs of his eyes, the tiny red veins that reached for the dark centers, that warm hand burning my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-saw-the-great-sparkling-orbs-of-his-eyes-the-tiny-red-veins-that/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“What would Christ need have done to make me follow him like Matthew or Peter? Dress well, to begin with. And have a luxurious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/what-would-christ-need-have-done-to-make-me-follow-him-like-matthew/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“... from the classically executed lifelike bouquets, tempting you to reach for the petals that fell on a three-dimensional tablecloth, to a new and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/from-the-classically-executed-lifelike-bouquets-tempting-you-to-reach/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“You really have need of very little, but each of us must decide how much he wants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/you-really-have-need-of-very-little-but-each-of-us-must-decide-how/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“I think we are wise, we English speakers, to savor accents. They teach us things about our own tongue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-think-we-are-wise-we-english-speakers-to-savor-accents-they-teach/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“The beautiful know they have power, and she had, in her diminutive charm, a certain power of which she was always casually aware.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/the-beautiful-know-they-have-power-and-she-had-in-her-diminutive/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Master, the paintings, the paintings in the storage rooms!" I cried. "Forget the paintings. It's too late. Boys, run from here, get out now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/master-the-paintings-the-paintings-in-the-storage-rooms-i-cried/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“I don't need to sleep to play. I'm crazy anyway. Being crazier still could only help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-don-t-need-to-sleep-to-play-i-m-crazy-anyway-being-crazier-still/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

## More by Anne Rice

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“There had never been any talent, any talent to draw or paint or to make music or to write or to make any of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/there-had-never-been-any-talent-any-talent-to-draw-or-paint-or-to/)

[anne rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“there are only two things which I believe—the first is that no mortal can refuse the Dark Gift once he really knows what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/there-are-only-two-things-which-i-believe-the-first-is-that-no-mortal/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Lie quiet and you will lapse back into peace again. Be like the god Heimdall before the battle call, so still that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/lie-quiet-and-you-will-lapse-back-into-peace-again-be-like-the-god/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [All the stories I have told you are finally as useless as all ancient knowledge is to man and to us. Its images and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/all-the-stories-i-have-told-you-are-finally-as-useless-as-all-ancient/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-write-write-and-write-and-write-if-you/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [How can so much beauty hide such a bruised and steely heart, and why must I love him, why must I lean in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/how-can-so-much-beauty-hide-such-a-bruised-and-steely-heart-and-why/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“you do get wiser when you live for hundreds of years; but you also have more time to turn out as badly as your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/you-do-get-wiser-when-you-live-for-hundreds-of-years-but-you-also/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [I never lie," I said offhand. "At least not to those I don't love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-never-lie-i-said-offhand-at-least-not-to-those-i-don-t-love/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“I don't need to sleep to play. I'm crazy anyway. Being crazier still could only help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-don-t-need-to-sleep-to-play-i-m-crazy-anyway-being-crazier-still/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“what I felt was inexpressible gratitude for the music, that in this horror there could be something as beautiful as that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/what-i-felt-was-inexpressible-gratitude-for-the-music-that-in-this/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [I stumble through a carnival of horrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-stumble-through-a-carnival-of-horrors/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Look up at heaven and hell in the sky, for the stars are balls of fire suspended there by the angels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/look-up-at-heaven-and-hell-in-the-sky-for-the-stars-are-balls-of-fire/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [I do not allow fan-fiction. The characters are copyrighted. It upsets me terribly to even think about fan-fiction with my characters. I advise my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-do-not-allow-fan-fiction-the-characters-are-copyrighted-it-upsets/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [Truth is a risky proposition. It's the nature of mediocre human beings to believe that lies are necessary, that they serve a purpose, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/truth-is-a-risky-proposition-it-s-the-nature-of-mediocre-human-beings/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Explore all 826 Anne Rice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

## More Anne-rice quotes

> [“I don't need to sleep to play. I'm crazy anyway. Being crazier still could only help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-don-t-need-to-sleep-to-play-i-m-crazy-anyway-being-crazier-still/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Master, the paintings, the paintings in the storage rooms!" I cried. "Forget the paintings. It's too late. Boys, run from here, get out now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/master-the-paintings-the-paintings-in-the-storage-rooms-i-cried/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“He can see us," said the angel who had been gesturing so pointedly. His voice was subdued but seemed to reach my ears effortlessly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/he-can-see-us-said-the-angel-who-had-been-gesturing-so-pointedly-his/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“The Cardinal was bent over his writing desk, the room unchanged save for the light of what appeared a small antique oil lamp. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/the-cardinal-was-bent-over-his-writing-desk-the-room-unchanged-save/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“But what endures is what has always mattered: love - that we love one another as surely as we are alive. And if there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-what-endures-is-what-has-always-mattered-love-that-we-love-one/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Let my stories do what stories always do. Let them keep you from your darker dreams &amp; from your darker journey. Let them keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/let-my-stories-do-what-stories-always-do-let-them-keep-you-from-your/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Desire radiated from him. It radiated out into the darkness and seemed to find the four walls of this enclosing place, and he turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/desire-radiated-from-him-it-radiated-out-into-the-darkness-and-seemed/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“What lurked beneath my fancy frills, behind my quiet unquestioning eyes? Who was I? Had I no remembrance of a warmer flame than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/what-lurked-beneath-my-fancy-frills-behind-my-quiet-unquestioning/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“You let me handle Marius," I said. "Now, you didn't come without you dagger." "No, I did not," he said, lifting his cloak to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/you-let-me-handle-marius-i-said-now-you-didn-t-come-without-you/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Drink." she whispered, drawing nearer. "Drink." she held the soft, tender flesh of the wrist towards me. "No. I know what to do; haven't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/drink-she-whispered-drawing-nearer-drink-she-held-the-soft-tender/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Pamper the mad man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/pamper-the-mad-man/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“I realized aloud in the midst of saying it that even when we die we probably don't find out the answer as to why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-realized-aloud-in-the-midst-of-saying-it-that-even-when-we-die-we/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“You're the hunter, the warrior. You're stronger than anyone else here, that's your tragedy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/you-re-the-hunter-the-warrior-you-re-stronger-than-anyone-else-here/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Lestat: You're very anxious to be out of these rooms, aren't you? Why don't we simply get into bed together? I don't understand. David:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice-tale-of-the-body-thief/lestat-you-re-very-anxious-to-be-out-of-these-rooms-aren-t-you-why/)

Anne Rice Tale Of The Body Thief

> [“She was gone then in a flurry of bonnet ribbons and clicking slippers. I turned, paying no attention to where I went, wishing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/she-was-gone-then-in-a-flurry-of-bonnet-ribbons-and-clicking-slippers/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 25 Anne-rice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anne-rice/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "But death we are, and death we've always been.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anne Rice"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-death-we-are-and-death-we-ve-always-been/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anne-rice"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-death-we-are-and-death-we-ve-always-been/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/anne-rice-238_anne-rice_but-death-we-are-and-death-we-ve-always_677279.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/anne-rice-238_anne-rice_but-death-we-are-and-death-we-ve-always_677279.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/anne-rice-238_anne-rice_but-death-we-are-and-death-we-ve-always_677279.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But death we are, and death we've always been.” — Anne Rice",
                "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": "Anne Rice",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "But death we are, and death...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-death-we-are-and-death-we-ve-always-been/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-death-we-are-and-death-we-ve-always-been/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
