--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would like to think that no one would…" description: "\"I would like to think that no one would die anymore if we all believed in daisies but the worms know better, don't they? They slide into the ear of a c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83c/anne-sexton-645_corpses_i-would-like-to-think-that-no-one-would_863637.jpg" --- # I would like to think that no one would die anymore if we… ![“I would like to think that no one would die anymore if we all believed in daisies but the worms know better, don't they? They slide into the ear of a corpse and listen to his great sigh.” quote by Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83c/anne-sexton-645_corpses_i-would-like-to-think-that-no-one-would_863637.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83c/anne-sexton-645_corpses_i-would-like-to-think-that-no-one-would_863637.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83c/anne-sexton-645_corpses_i-would-like-to-think-that-no-one-would_863637.jpg) > “I would like to think that no one would die anymore if we all believed in daisies but the worms know better, don't they? They slide into the ear of a corpse and listen to his great sigh.” [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s fragility and the inevitability of death contrast with naive hope, highlighting mortality’s quiet certainty. **In simple terms:** Hope vs. reality of death. Key Takeaway Accept mortality, cherish life. Themes mortality hope illusion nature Mood somber reflective Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - philosophical reflection - artistic inspiration - personal meditation - literary analysis Key Concepts existentialism nihilism symbolism Questions to Reflect On - How does acknowledging death change daily choices? - Can hope coexist with realism? A Different Perspective Hope cannot prevent death; awareness of mortality may cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believed Daisies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-daisies-879992/) [Corpses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corpses/) [Daisies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daisies/) [Daisies Worms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daisies-worms-879991/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Ear Corpse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ear-corpse-879994/) [Ears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ears/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Sigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sigh/) [Slides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slides/) [Think Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-die/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Worms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worms/) [Worms Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worms-know-879993/) ## Related quotes > [ They \[daisies\] are my favorite flower. There is something innocent and vulnerable about them as if they thanked you for admiring them. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/they-daisies-are-my-favorite-flower-there-is-something-innocent-and/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Be careful of words, / ... they can be both daisies and bruises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/be-careful-of-words-they-can-be-both-daisies-and-bruises/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Daisies in water are the longest lasting flower you can give to someone. Fact. Buy daisies. Not roses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/daisies-in-water-are-the-longest-lasting-flower-you-can-give-to/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I don't think we die. I think our bodies leave, but we can never die. That which is never born, can never die. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/i-don-t-think-we-die-i-think-our-bodies-leave-but-we-can-never-die/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [If you want to see what your friends and family think of you, die broke, and see who comes to your funeral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-nunn/if-you-want-to-see-what-your-friends-and-family-think-of-you-die/) [Gregory Nunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-nunn/) > [I think I will die laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-calment/i-think-i-will-die-laughing/) [Jeanne Calment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-calment/) > [I think you are born, and I think you die. I have a pragmatic nature, but I yearn to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-horsley/i-think-you-are-born-and-i-think-you-die-i-have-a-pragmatic-nature/) [Sebastian Horsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-horsley/) > [“Your goal is too far off to have a straight line of sight to it, but I’m going to need you to keep it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-gaines/your-goal-is-too-far-off-to-have-a-straight-line-of-sight-to-it-but-i/) [Chip Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-gaines/) > [I think you die the way you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-think-you-die-the-way-you-live/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [The broken heart. You think you will die, but you just keep living, day after day after terrible day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-broken-heart-you-think-you-will-die-but-you-just-keep-living-day/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“Sometimes I think I might die if I can't touch you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-bennett/sometimes-i-think-i-might-die-if-i-can-t-touch-you/) [Jenn Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-bennett/) > [That moment when you miss one step on the stairs, and you think you're about to die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-moment-when-you-miss-one-step-on-the-stairs-and-you-think-you-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“when we were kids laying around the lawn on our bellies we often talked about how we'd like to die and we all agreed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/when-we-were-kids-laying-around-the-lawn-on-our-bellies-we-often/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I can't leave the house without earrings. I think I'd rather die. I think I'd rather die than leave the house without a pair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cmat/i-can-t-leave-the-house-without-earrings-i-think-i-d-rather-die-i/) [CMAT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cmat/) > [I want people to think they can't die until they see me play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-want-people-to-think-they-can-t-die-until-they-see-me-play/) [Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/) ## More by Anne Sexton > [Blind with love, my daughter has cried nightly for horses, those long-necked marchers and churners that she has mastered, any and all, reigning them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/blind-with-love-my-daughter-has-cried-nightly-for-horses-those-long/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I am crazy as hell, but I know it. And knowing it is a kind of sanity that makes the sickness worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-am-crazy-as-hell-but-i-know-it-and-knowing-it-is-a-kind-of-sanity/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [And what of the dead? They lie without shoes in the stone boats. They are more like stone than the sea would be if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/and-what-of-the-dead-they-lie-without-shoes-in-the-stone-boats-they/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [The Witch's Life" When I was a child there was an old woman in our neighborhood whom we called The Witch. All day she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/the-witch-s-life-when-i-was-a-child-there-was-an-old-woman-in-our/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I have forgiven all the old actors for dying. A new one comes on with the same lines, like large white growths, in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-have-forgiven-all-the-old-actors-for-dying-a-new-one-comes-on-with/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [“From the Garden” Come, my beloved, consider the lilies. We are of little faith. We talk too much. Put your mouthful of words away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/from-the-garden-come-my-beloved-consider-the-lilies-we-are-of-little/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Oh thumb, I want a drink it is dark, where are the big people, when will I get there...?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/oh-thumb-i-want-a-drink-it-is-dark-where-are-the-big-people-when-will/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I want to kiss God on His nose and watch Him sneeze and so do you. Not out of disrespect. Out of pique. Out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-want-to-kiss-god-on-his-nose-and-watch-him-sneeze-and-so-do-you-not/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I, in my brand new body, which was not a woman's yet, told the stars my questions and thought God could really see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-in-my-brand-new-body-which-was-not-a-woman-s-yet-told-the-stars-my/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Father, you died once, salted down at fifty-nine, packed down like a big snow angel, wasn't that enough?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/father-you-died-once-salted-down-at-fifty-nine-packed-down-like-a-big/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [When I'm writing, I know I'm doing the thing I was born to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/when-i-m-writing-i-know-i-m-doing-the-thing-i-was-born-to-do/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Cinderella and the prince lived, they say, happily ever after, like two dolls in a museum case never bothered by diapers or dust, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/cinderella-and-the-prince-lived-they-say-happily-ever-after-like-two/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [“Quite collected at cocktail parties, meanwhile in my head I'm undergoing open-heart surgery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/quite-collected-at-cocktail-parties-meanwhile-in-my-head-i-m/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I cannot walk an inch / without trying to walk to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-cannot-walk-an-inch-without-trying-to-walk-to-god/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Now that I have written many words, and let out so many loves, for so many, and been altogether what I always was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/now-that-i-have-written-many-words-and-let-out-so-many-loves-for-so/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) [Explore all 428 Anne Sexton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) ## More Corpses quotes > [My specialties are corpses, unconscious people and people snoring in spectacular epics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gig-young/my-specialties-are-corpses-unconscious-people-and-people-snoring-in/) [Gig Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gig-young/) > [The enemy? His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is, where he came from. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-enemy-his-sense-of-duty-was-no-less-than-yours-i-deem-you-wonder/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [ Of course I think it's a movie for everybody \[Insane Farting Corpse\], but that's probably just because it's a movie for me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/of-course-i-think-it-s-a-movie-for-everybody-insane-farting-corpse/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [If you look at the history of technology gadget makers, hardware makers, it's littered with the corpses of Palm and RIM and companies like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/if-you-look-at-the-history-of-technology-gadget-makers-hardware/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [“The Path Of Least Resistance Is Littered With The Corpses Of The Bored To Death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-path-of-least-resistance-is-littered-with-the-corpses-of-the/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [ René of Anjou \[(1409-80)\] painted a picture of his mistress's corpse as he found it eaten by worms on having it \[her tomb\] openedon… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-walpole/ren-of-anjou-1409-80-painted-a-picture-of-his-mistress-s-corpse-as-he/) [Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-walpole/) > [Religion exalts mystery as an unknowable secret that must be sealed in glass like the corpse of an enchanted princess and fearfully worshipped from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lon-milo-duquette/religion-exalts-mystery-as-an-unknowable-secret-that-must-be-sealed/) [Lon Milo DuQuette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lon-milo-duquette/) > [Why exactly are we so frightened of death that we avoid looking at it altogether? Somewhere, deep down, we know we cannot avoid facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/why-exactly-are-we-so-frightened-of-death-that-we-avoid-looking-at-it/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [The government increasingly resembles somebody who is trying to give the kiss of life to a corpse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-cable/the-government-increasingly-resembles-somebody-who-is-trying-to-give/) [Vince Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-cable/) > [“You and I are victims of the same disease. We're fighting the same war, just different battles in different theaters, and it's way too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/you-and-i-are-victims-of-the-same-disease-we-re-fighting-the-same-war/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [Alas, poor Yorick! How surprised he would be to see how his counterpart of today is whisked off to a funeral parlor and is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mitford/alas-poor-yorick-how-surprised-he-would-be-to-see-how-his-counterpart/) [Jessica Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mitford/) > [“Yes, and look at the corpses. Place always reminds me of that old thing in Punch, you know—‘Waiter, take away Lord Whatsisname, he’s been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/yes-and-look-at-the-corpses-place-always-reminds-me-of-that-old-thing/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Reread, rewrite, reread, rewrite. If it still doesn't work, throw it away. It's a nice feeling, and you don't want to be cluttered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/reread-rewrite-reread-rewrite-if-it-still-doesn-t-work-throw-it-away/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [ Reading the script \[Insane Farting Corpse\], by page two or three, I felt that way. I thought, I'm in. It was so beautiful and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/reading-the-script-insane-farting-corpse-by-page-two-or-three-i-felt/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [Photos are profound because they have such short lives. They are more like fingerprints, dead leaves, rain puddles, or the corpses of flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/photos-are-profound-because-they-have-such-short-lives-they-are-more/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) [Browse all 363 Corpses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corpses/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I would like to think that no one would die anymore if we all believed in daisies but the worms know better, don't they? They slide into the ear of a corpse and listen to his great sigh.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Sexton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-would-like-to-think-that-no-one-would-die-anymore-if-we-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Corpses" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-would-like-to-think-that-no-one-would-die-anymore-if-we-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83c/anne-sexton-645_corpses_i-would-like-to-think-that-no-one-would_863637.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83c/anne-sexton-645_corpses_i-would-like-to-think-that-no-one-would_863637.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83c/anne-sexton-645_corpses_i-would-like-to-think-that-no-one-would_863637.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I would like to think that no one would die anymore if we all believed in daisies but the worms know better…” — Anne Sexton", "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 Sexton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I would like to think that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-would-like-to-think-that-no-one-would-die-anymore-if-we-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-would-like-to-think-that-no-one-would-die-anymore-if-we-all/#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 } } ] } ```