---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The longer a person has been dead the…"
description: "\"The longer a person has been dead the greater is the tradition ... If Buddha is alive you can barely tolerate him. ... You cannot believe this man has ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/anonymous-1_alive_the-longer-a-person-has-been-dead-the-gr_1704715.jpg"
---

#  The longer a person has been dead the greater is the…

![“The longer a person has been dead the greater is the tradition ... If Buddha is alive you can barely tolerate him. ... You cannot believe this man has known the ultimate because he looks just like you ... Hungry he needs food, sleepy he wants a bed, ill, he has to rest – just like you ... That is…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/anonymous-1_alive_the-longer-a-person-has-been-dead-the-gr_1704715.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/anonymous-1_alive_the-longer-a-person-has-been-dead-the-gr_1704715.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/anonymous-1_alive_the-longer-a-person-has-been-dead-the-gr_1704715.jpg)

> “The longer a person has been dead the greater is the tradition ... If Buddha is alive you can barely tolerate him. ... You cannot believe this man has known the ultimate because he looks just like you ... Hungry he needs food, sleepy he wants a bed, ill, he has to rest – just like you ... That is why Jesus is worshiped now and yet he was crucified when he was alive. Alive, you crucify him; dead, you worship him.”

[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.

The quote contrasts how living figures are judged harshly while dead ones are revered, suggesting human tendency to deify the deceased and criticize the living.

**In simple terms:** People criticize the living but idolize the dead.

Key Takeaway

Question how we treat leaders while alive vs after death.

Themes

human nature idolatry criticism

Mood

reflective critical

Type

aphilosophical social commentary

When to use this quote

- political leadership
- religious figures
- public opinion
- historical legacy

Key Concepts

psychology social perception

Questions to Reflect On

- Do we truly understand a leader’s impact only after death?
- How can we balance respect for living leaders with healthy critique?

A Different Perspective

It ignores the possibility that living leaders can also be revered for their deeds.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddha/) [Buddha Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddha-alive-1186428/) [Dead Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-worship-1060720/) [Hungry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hungry/) [Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jesus Worshiped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-worshiped-1186429/) [Like you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-you/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Sleepy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleepy/) [Tolerate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerate/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Ultimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) [Worshiped Crucified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worshiped-crucified-1186430/)

## Related quotes

> [Where feelings for God are dead, worship is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/where-feelings-for-god-are-dead-worship-is-dead/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [The engagement of the heart in worship is the coming alive of the feelings and emotions and affections of the heart. Where feelings for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-engagement-of-the-heart-in-worship-is-the-coming-alive-of-the/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Men to whom God is dead worship one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-crews/men-to-whom-god-is-dead-worship-one-another/)

[Harry Crews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-crews/)

> [That moment at night when you're sleepy but you don't want to end the fun text conversation with your friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-moment-at-night-when-you-re-sleepy-but-you-don-t-want-to-end-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No matter how sleepy a girl is, if she likes you, when you call her phone she'll be wide awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-sleepy-a-girl-is-if-she-likes-you-when-you-call-her/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Talking on the phone with boring people makes me sleepy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/talking-on-the-phone-with-boring-people-makes-me-sleepy/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I wanted to pray for an hour, but I keep thinking and thinking, and always sick thoughts, and my head aches - what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wanted-to-pray-for-an-hour-but-i-keep-thinking-and-thinking-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I feel sleepy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-sleepy/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [To experience thinking outside the brain is to enter a world of instantaneous connections that make ordinary thinking (i.e those aspects limited by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-experience-thinking-outside-the-brain-is-to-enter-a-world-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You take a really sleepy man, Esmé, and he always stands a chance of again becoming a man with all his fac—with all his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-take-a-really-sleepy-man-esm-and-he-always-stands-a-chance-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [These are the side effects to weed---hungary, happy, and sleepy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/these-are-the-side-effects-to-weed-hungary-happy-and-sleepy/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The sleepy like to make excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sleepy-like-to-make-excuses/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Old dark sleepy pool... Quick unexpected frog Goes plop! Watersplash!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/old-dark-sleepy-pool-quick-unexpected-frog-goes-plop-watersplash/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I hate when I'm tired &amp; sleepy, but when I get in bed, my body is like Just kidding!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-when-i-m-tired-sleepy-but-when-i-get-in-bed-my-body-is-like/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Hungry, Happy, Sleepy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hungry-happy-sleepy/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Alive quotes

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/)

[Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/)

> [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. 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": "The longer a person has been dead the greater is the tradition ... If Buddha is alive you can barely tolerate him. ... You cannot believe this man has known the ultimate because he looks just like you ... Hungry he needs food, sleepy he wants a bed, ill, he has to rest – just like you ... That is why Jesus is worshiped now and yet he was crucified when he was alive. Alive, you crucify him; dead, you worship him.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-longer-a-person-has-been-dead-the-greater-is-the-tradition-if/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alive"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-longer-a-person-has-been-dead-the-greater-is-the-tradition-if/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/anonymous-1_alive_the-longer-a-person-has-been-dead-the-gr_1704715.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/anonymous-1_alive_the-longer-a-person-has-been-dead-the-gr_1704715.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/anonymous-1_alive_the-longer-a-person-has-been-dead-the-gr_1704715.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The longer a person has been dead the greater is the tradition ... If Buddha is alive you can barely…” — Anonymous",
                "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": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The longer a person has been...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-longer-a-person-has-been-dead-the-greater-is-the-tradition-if/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-longer-a-person-has-been-dead-the-greater-is-the-tradition-if/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
