--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So to be sick unto death is, not to be…" description: "\"So to be sick unto death is, not to be able to die-yet not as though there were hope of life; no, the hopelessness in this case is that even the last h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/anonymous-1_able_so-to-be-sick-unto-death-is-not-to-be-ab_2821464.jpg" --- # So to be sick unto death is, not to be able to die-yet not… ![“So to be sick unto death is, not to be able to die-yet not as though there were hope of life; no, the hopelessness in this case is that even the last hope, death, is not available. When death is the greatest danger, one hopes for life; but when one becomes acquainted with an even more dreadful…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/anonymous-1_able_so-to-be-sick-unto-death-is-not-to-be-ab_2821464.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/anonymous-1_able_so-to-be-sick-unto-death-is-not-to-be-ab_2821464.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/anonymous-1_able_so-to-be-sick-unto-death-is-not-to-be-ab_2821464.jpg) > “So to be sick unto death is, not to be able to die-yet not as though there were hope of life; no, the hopelessness in this case is that even the last hope, death, is not available. When death is the greatest danger, one hopes for life; but when one becomes acquainted with an even more dreadful danger, one hopes for death. So when the danger is so great that death has become one's hope, despair is the disconsolateness of not being able to die.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Despair arises when even death, the ultimate escape, is unattainable, leaving one trapped in hopelessness. **In simple terms:** When death is impossible, hopelessness deepens. Key Takeaway Accept mortality to avoid despair. Themes despair existential mortality Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - terminal illness - war trauma - prison confinement - philosophical contemplation Key Concepts nihilism existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - Can you find meaning without death? - What alternatives to death can provide hope? A Different Perspective Even without death, hope may persist in other forms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hopelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopelessness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“Yet in another and still more definite sense despair is the sickness unto death. 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