---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now death was a place, a place to which…"
description: "\"“Now death was a place, a place to which people disappeared forever when they died, a place that gradually sucked away the clarity of memory afterward ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e19/barry-eisler-1009_death_now-death-was-a-place-a-place-to-which-p_3192200.png"
---

#  Now death was a place, a place to which people disappeared…

![“Now death was a place, a place to which people disappeared forever when they died, a place that gradually sucked away the clarity of memory afterward for a similar one-way journey.” quote by Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e19/barry-eisler-1009_death_now-death-was-a-place-a-place-to-which-p_3192200.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e19/barry-eisler-1009_death_now-death-was-a-place-a-place-to-which-p_3192200.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e19/barry-eisler-1009_death_now-death-was-a-place-a-place-to-which-p_3192200.png)

> ““Now death was a place, a place to which people disappeared forever when they died, a place that gradually sucked away the clarity of memory afterward for a similar one-way journey.””

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

## 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 depicted as a void that erases memories, suggesting an irreversible loss of self.

**In simple terms:** Death erases memory and self.

Key Takeaway

Remember the fleeting nature of life.

Themes

mortality memory existence

Mood

somber reflective

Type

philosophical poetic

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- end‑of‑life planning
- creative writing
- therapy

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology spirituality

Questions to Reflect On

- How does the idea of memory loss affect your view of legacy?
- What comforts you about continuity after death?

A Different Perspective

May be unsettling for some audiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-place-2305611/) [Died Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died-place-1452597/) [Forever Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever-died-5891909/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [People Disappeared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-disappeared-943007/)

## Related quotes

> [“But if the cause be not good, the king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and arms and heads,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-if-the-cause-be-not-good-the-king-himself-hath-a-heavy-reckoning/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/he-who-died-in-place-of-us-is-the-one-object-of-my-quest-he-who-rose/)

[Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/)

> [“A man who does not know fear cannot die, because death has no place to enter.” Vernon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/a-man-who-does-not-know-fear-cannot-die-because-death-has-no-place-to/)

[Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/)

> [You will die one day, and when you die. You won't have the time to realise why you feared death in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/you-will-die-one-day-and-when-you-die-you-won-t-have-the-time-to/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [“My mom and dad died, but in their place I got a house of fog that’s easy to hide my feelings in. (No smoking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/my-mom-and-dad-died-but-in-their-place-i-got-a-house-of-fog-that-s/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [Only look to Jesus. He died for you, died in your place, died under the frowns of heaven, that we might die under its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fletcher/only-look-to-jesus-he-died-for-you-died-in-your-place-died-under-the/)

[John Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fletcher/)

> [“The Last Battle was not hope. The Last Battle was death. But it was a place to be, a place to go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/the-last-battle-was-not-hope-the-last-battle-was-death-but-it-was-a/)

[Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/)

> [“Time spoils quickly in here, and it smells like rotten meat. Every day adds a little more weight, barely noticeable at first, but eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-echols/time-spoils-quickly-in-here-and-it-smells-like-rotten-meat-every-day/)

[Damien Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-echols/)

> [“From New Year's Eve through the third of January, the streets of Tokyo grew quiet, as if all the people had disappeared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shogo-oketani/from-new-year-s-eve-through-the-third-of-january-the-streets-of-tokyo/)

[Shogo Oketani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shogo-oketani/)

> [The police didn't afford you a phone call. You just disappeared for a while. And what was scary was we lived in a state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/the-police-didn-t-afford-you-a-phone-call-you-just-disappeared-for-a/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [“People spoke to foreigners with an averted gaze, and everybody seemed to know somebody who had just vanished. The rumors of what had happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/people-spoke-to-foreigners-with-an-averted-gaze-and-everybody-seemed/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“Brannagh Maloney had lived with disappearances all her life. They were as familiar to her as the changing of the Fundy tides. People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-diane-leveille/brannagh-maloney-had-lived-with-disappearances-all-her-life-they-were/)

[Kathy-Diane Leveille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-diane-leveille/)

> [Wealthy people have not disappeared, they are just not so willing to show off their wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/wealthy-people-have-not-disappeared-they-are-just-not-so-willing-to/)

[Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/)

> [“We all basically live in a world that we define by the people who have disappeared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/we-all-basically-live-in-a-world-that-we-define-by-the-people-who/)

[Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/)

> [People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/people-disappeared-reappeared-made-plans-to-go-somewhere-and-then/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

## More by Barry Eisler

> [“But, like all indulgences that are valued not just for their product but for their process, the sento will never entirely disappear. For in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/but-like-all-indulgences-that-are-valued-not-just-for-their-product/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“She’s a bargirl. You don’t know where her loyalties lie. That one was unconvincing. No one had directed her against me—I was the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/she-s-a-bargirl-you-don-t-know-where-her-loyalties-lie-that-one-was/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“In my unpleasant experience, unarmed against a knife, you’ve basically got four options. Your best bet is to run like hell, if you can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/in-my-unpleasant-experience-unarmed-against-a-knife-you-ve-basically/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/the-most-important-guideline-when-it-comes-to-argument-is-the-golden/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“That I was apparently into body building at all at this stage in my life probably meant affairs with young women, for whom a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/that-i-was-apparently-into-body-building-at-all-at-this-stage-in-my/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“Immediately the sounds of the street below grew detached, distant, the meaningless echoes of urban voices whose urgent notes reached but held no sway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/immediately-the-sounds-of-the-street-below-grew-detached-distant-the/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I heard laughter and looked up. Some kids at the terminal next to me, playing an online game. I wondered for a moment how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-heard-laughter-and-looked-up-some-kids-at-the-terminal-next-to-me/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I shifted my head slightly. The corners of our mouths brushed together. I felt her breath on my cheek. Then we were kissing. Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-shifted-my-head-slightly-the-corners-of-our-mouths-brushed-together/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I looked at her. Why was it her question seemed suffused with double entendre? She was attractive, of course, more than attractive, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-looked-at-her-why-was-it-her-question-seemed-suffused-with-double/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I realized my knowledge of that potentially damning evidence gave Delilah a reason to want me out of the way. “Out of the way”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-realized-my-knowledge-of-that-potentially-damning-evidence-gave/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I wouldn’t want to try to take this guy out with anything less than a scoped rifle. Which is something that’s hard to confuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-wouldn-t-want-to-try-to-take-this-guy-out-with-anything-less-than-a/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I picked up the earthen cup and went to take a sip. “Not like that,” Miyamoto said. “Let it cool a little. Give yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-picked-up-the-earthen-cup-and-went-to-take-a-sip-not-like-that/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“It seemed he’d recently learned the value of playing up the difficulty of accomplishing whatever he was tasked with, the better to play the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/it-seemed-he-d-recently-learned-the-value-of-playing-up-the/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“Yukiko walked over, her mouth stretching into a feline grin at the sight of Murakami. Naomi followed a moment later. She was wearing another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/yukiko-walked-over-her-mouth-stretching-into-a-feline-grin-at-the/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [It would be awesome to be so impressive that we could sway people to our way of thinking just by declaiming our thoughts, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/it-would-be-awesome-to-be-so-impressive-that-we-could-sway-people-to/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

[Explore all 305 Barry Eisler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

## More Death quotes

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

[J. Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/)

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

[Alan W. Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-powers/)

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Now death was a place, a place to which people disappeared forever when they died, a place that gradually sucked away the clarity of memory afterward for a similar one-way journey.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barry Eisler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/now-death-was-a-place-a-place-to-which-people-disappeared-forever/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/now-death-was-a-place-a-place-to-which-people-disappeared-forever/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e19/barry-eisler-1009_death_now-death-was-a-place-a-place-to-which-p_3192200.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e19/barry-eisler-1009_death_now-death-was-a-place-a-place-to-which-p_3192200.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e19/barry-eisler-1009_death_now-death-was-a-place-a-place-to-which-p_3192200.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Now death was a place, a place to which people disappeared forever when they died, a place that gradually…” — Barry Eisler",
                "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": "Barry Eisler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Now death was a place, a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/now-death-was-a-place-a-place-to-which-people-disappeared-forever/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/now-death-was-a-place-a-place-to-which-people-disappeared-forever/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
