--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Death is but an instant, life a long…" description: "\"Death is but an instant, life a long torment.\" — Bernard-Joseph Saurin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e33/bernard-joseph-saurin-53852_death_death-is-but-an-instant-life-a-long-torm_1015910.jpg" --- # Death is but an instant, life a long torment. ![“Death is but an instant, life a long torment.” quote by Bernard-Joseph Saurin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e33/bernard-joseph-saurin-53852_death_death-is-but-an-instant-life-a-long-torm_1015910.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e33/bernard-joseph-saurin-53852_death_death-is-but-an-instant-life-a-long-torm_1015910.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e33/bernard-joseph-saurin-53852_death_death-is-but-an-instant-life-a-long-torm_1015910.jpg) > “Death is but an instant, life a long torment.” [Bernard-Joseph Saurin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-joseph-saurin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is portrayed as a prolonged suffering compared to the briefness of death, highlighting existential despair. **In simple terms:** Life feels like endless torment; death is brief. Key Takeaway Seek meaning beyond suffering. Themes existential suffering life death philosophy Mood somber contemplative Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - grief counseling - philosophical reflection - artistic expression - spiritual practice Key Concepts nihilism existentialism pain Questions to Reflect On - How can one find purpose amid suffering? - What practices alleviate existential dread? A Different Perspective Perspective may ignore moments of joy or growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Instant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-instant-2234560/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Instant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instant/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-long/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Torment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-torment-2234561/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Torment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torment/) ## Related quotes > [“The road to the kingdom of childhood, governed by ingenuousness and innocence, is thus regained in the horror of atonement. 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How slowly the hours pass to the unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-joseph-saurin/que-pour-les-malheureux-l-heure-lentement-fuit-how-slowly-the-hours/) [Bernard-Joseph Saurin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-joseph-saurin/) > [Slander is a vice that strikes a double blow; wounding both him that commits, and him against whom it is committed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-joseph-saurin/slander-is-a-vice-that-strikes-a-double-blow-wounding-both-him-that/) [Bernard-Joseph Saurin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-joseph-saurin/) > [How long the night seems to one kept awake by pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-joseph-saurin/how-long-the-night-seems-to-one-kept-awake-by-pain/) [Bernard-Joseph Saurin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-joseph-saurin/) [Explore all 6 Bernard-Joseph Saurin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-joseph-saurin/) ## 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. 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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": "Death is but an instant, life a long torment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bernard-Joseph Saurin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-joseph-saurin/death-is-but-an-instant-life-a-long-torment/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-joseph-saurin/death-is-but-an-instant-life-a-long-torment/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e33/bernard-joseph-saurin-53852_death_death-is-but-an-instant-life-a-long-torm_1015910.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e33/bernard-joseph-saurin-53852_death_death-is-but-an-instant-life-a-long-torm_1015910.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e33/bernard-joseph-saurin-53852_death_death-is-but-an-instant-life-a-long-torm_1015910.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Death is but an instant, life a long torment.” — Bernard-Joseph Saurin", "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": "Bernard-Joseph Saurin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-joseph-saurin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Death is but an instant, life...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-joseph-saurin/death-is-but-an-instant-life-a-long-torment/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-joseph-saurin/death-is-but-an-instant-life-a-long-torment/#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 } } ] } ```