--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need to reform our funeral industry…" description: "\"“We need to reform our funeral industry, introducing new practices that aren't so profit-oriented, and that do more to include the family. But we canno..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/caitlin-doughty-12025_family_we-need-to-reform-our-funeral-industry-i_3133901.jpg" --- # We need to reform our funeral industry, introducing new… ![“We need to reform our funeral industry, introducing new practices that aren't so profit-oriented, and that do more to include the family. But we cannot begin to reform—or even question!-our death systems when we act like little Jean de Brébeufs, falsely convinced we have it right while all these…” quote by Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/caitlin-doughty-12025_family_we-need-to-reform-our-funeral-industry-i_3133901.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/caitlin-doughty-12025_family_we-need-to-reform-our-funeral-industry-i_3133901.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/caitlin-doughty-12025_family_we-need-to-reform-our-funeral-industry-i_3133901.jpg) > ““We need to reform our funeral industry, introducing new practices that aren't so profit-oriented, and that do more to include the family. But we cannot begin to reform—or even question!-our death systems when we act like little Jean de Brébeufs, falsely convinced we have it right while all these "other people" are disrespectful and barbarous. This dismissive attitude can be found in places you'd never expect. Lonely Planet, the largest guidebook publisher in the world, included the idyllic Trunyan cemetery in their book on visiting Bali. In Trunyan, the villagers weave bamboo cages for their dead to decompose in, and then stack the skulls and bones out in the lush green landscape. Lonely Planet, instead of explaining the meaning behind these ancient customs, advised wise travelers to "skip the ghoulish spectacle.”” [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She argues for reforming the profit‑driven funeral industry to honor families and cultural practices, criticizing dismissive attitudes toward non‑Western customs. **In simple terms:** Funeral industry needs humane, family‑focused reforms. Key Takeaway Respect cultural death practices. Themes death culture ethics industry Mood thoughtful advocacy Type educational ethical When to use this quote - family planning - travel guides - museum exhibits Key Concepts mortuary science cultural relativism consumer rights Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance tourism with cultural sensitivity? - What policies could ensure respectful representation of death customs? A Different Perspective Commercial interests may override respect for traditions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cemetery Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cemetery-book-5554508/) [Death Systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-systems-5554509/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Lonely Planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely-planet-812787/) [Reform Funeral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reform-funeral-5554506/) [Trunyan Cemetery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trunyan-cemetery-5554507/) ## Related quotes > [“I’m a human, walking around this lonely planet, taking one breath after another, trying to decide what’s right and what’s wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-carlino/i-m-a-human-walking-around-this-lonely-planet-taking-one-breath-after/) [Renee Carlino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-carlino/) > [I remember being in Vietnam in my early 20s, at the height of Lonely Planet's fame, and all the travellers would converge on internet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konnie-huq/i-remember-being-in-vietnam-in-my-early-20s-at-the-height-of-lonely/) [Konnie Huq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konnie-huq/) > [I'm addicted to 'Lonely Planet' guides. Naturally, I'll buy one whenever I take a trip somewhere, but it goes beyond that: I've begun buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-weisberger/i-m-addicted-to-lonely-planet-guides-naturally-i-ll-buy-one-whenever/) [Lauren Weisberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-weisberger/) > [“Sometimes people even write to say they use our books only to see where not to go. They don’t want to stay with everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-people-even-write-to-say-they-use-our-books-only-to-see/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/) [Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) [Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) ## More by Caitlin Doughty > [“Dead people look very, very dead. It is difficult to grasp what that means, since it’s unlikely that any of us will stumble across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/dead-people-look-very-very-dead-it-is-difficult-to-grasp-what-that/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“The most salacious stories—bones ground in a metal blender or torture-spike eye caps—had the power to disrupt people’s polite complacency about death. Rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/the-most-salacious-stories-bones-ground-in-a-metal-blender-or-torture/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“We do not (and will not) have the resources to properly care for our increasing elderly population, yet we insist on medical intervention to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/we-do-not-and-will-not-have-the-resources-to-properly-care-for-our/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“He explained that he talks about death "all the time" with his friends. They ask each other, "Hey, what you want when you die?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/he-explained-that-he-talks-about-death-all-the-time-with-his-friends/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Many children and grandchildren of immigrants, have, like Sarah, found themselves severed from their family’s cultural rituals. The funeral system in the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/many-children-and-grandchildren-of-immigrants-have-like-sarah-found/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“I have come to believe that the merits of a death custom are not based on mathematics (e.g., 36.7 percent a "barbarous act"), but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/i-have-come-to-believe-that-the-merits-of-a-death-custom-are-not/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“It was death that the public was being cheated out of by the funeral industry, not money. The realistic interaction with death and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/it-was-death-that-the-public-was-being-cheated-out-of-by-the-funeral/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Exposing a young child to the realities of love and death is far less dangerous than exposing them to the lie of the happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/exposing-a-young-child-to-the-realities-of-love-and-death-is-far-less/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Rather than let author and environmentalist Edward Abbey be buried in a traditional cemetery, his friends stole his body, wrapped it in a sleeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/rather-than-let-author-and-environmentalist-edward-abbey-be-buried-in/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“The ICU was not the thrill ride I had expected. Turns out, they never called the high school student in from the reception desk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/the-icu-was-not-the-thrill-ride-i-had-expected-turns-out-they-never/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Death should be known. Known as a difficult mental, physical, and emotional process, respected and feared for what it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/death-should-be-known-known-as-a-difficult-mental-physical-and/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Untreated, a dead person’s face looks horrific, at least by our very narrow cultural expectations. Their droopy, open eyes cloud over in a vacant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/untreated-a-dead-person-s-face-looks-horrific-at-least-by-our-very/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“It is worth noting that the main players in the recomposition project are women—scientists, anthropologists, lawyers, architects. Educated women, who have the privilege to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/it-is-worth-noting-that-the-main-players-in-the-recomposition-project/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“Death might appear to destroy the meaning in our lives, but in fact it is the very source of our creativity. As Kafka said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/death-might-appear-to-destroy-the-meaning-in-our-lives-but-in-fact-it/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [“As a general rule, if anyone ever asks you to put stockings on a ninety-year-old deceased Romanian woman with edema, your answer should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/as-a-general-rule-if-anyone-ever-asks-you-to-put-stockings-on-a/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) [Explore all 56 Caitlin Doughty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) ## More Family quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) [Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/) > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/) [Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/) [Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We need to reform our funeral industry, introducing new practices that aren't so profit-oriented, and that do more to include the family. But we cannot begin to reform—or even question!-our death systems when we act like little Jean de Brébeufs, falsely convinced we have it right while all these \"other people\" are disrespectful and barbarous. This dismissive attitude can be found in places you'd never expect. Lonely Planet, the largest guidebook publisher in the world, included the idyllic Trunyan cemetery in their book on visiting Bali. In Trunyan, the villagers weave bamboo cages for their dead to decompose in, and then stack the skulls and bones out in the lush green landscape. Lonely Planet, instead of explaining the meaning behind these ancient customs, advised wise travelers to \"skip the ghoulish spectacle.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Caitlin Doughty" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/we-need-to-reform-our-funeral-industry-introducing-new-practices-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Family" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/we-need-to-reform-our-funeral-industry-introducing-new-practices-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/caitlin-doughty-12025_family_we-need-to-reform-our-funeral-industry-i_3133901.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/caitlin-doughty-12025_family_we-need-to-reform-our-funeral-industry-i_3133901.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/caitlin-doughty-12025_family_we-need-to-reform-our-funeral-industry-i_3133901.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We need to reform our funeral industry, introducing new practices that aren't so profit-oriented, and that…” — Caitlin Doughty", "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": "Caitlin Doughty", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We need to reform our funeral...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/we-need-to-reform-our-funeral-industry-introducing-new-practices-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/we-need-to-reform-our-funeral-industry-introducing-new-practices-that/#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 } } ] } ```