---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is the big scheme; death is the…"
description: "\"“Life is the big scheme; death is the little one at the end.”\" — Cath Crowley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e57/cath-crowley-1328_death_life-is-the-big-scheme-death-is-the-litt_2477519.jpg"
---

#  Life is the big scheme; death is the little one at the end.

![“Life is the big scheme; death is the little one at the end.” quote by Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e57/cath-crowley-1328_death_life-is-the-big-scheme-death-is-the-litt_2477519.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e57/cath-crowley-1328_death_life-is-the-big-scheme-death-is-the-litt_2477519.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e57/cath-crowley-1328_death_life-is-the-big-scheme-death-is-the-litt_2477519.jpg)

> ““Life is the big scheme; death is the little one at the end.””

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

## 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 life's vast, complex experiences with death’s brief, final role, suggesting perspective on existence.

**In simple terms:** Life is vast, death is brief.

Key Takeaway

Recognize life's breadth, accept death's brevity.

Themes

existence perspective mortality

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

aphoristic reflective

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- artistic creation
- end‑of‑life planning

Key Concepts

philosophy human condition

Questions to Reflect On

- How does viewing life as a 'scheme' affect your daily choices?
- What does calling death 'little' imply about meaning?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

## Related quotes

> [“Doesn’t love fall somewhere in the big scheme of things? Isn’t it the biggest scheme?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/doesn-t-love-fall-somewhere-in-the-big-scheme-of-things-isn-t-it-the/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“Death had to take her little by little, bit by bit, dragging her along to the bitter end of the miserable existence she'd made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/death-had-to-take-her-little-by-little-bit-by-bit-dragging-her-along/)

[Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/)

> [“I am living my death, little by little, each day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-flinn/i-am-living-my-death-little-by-little-each-day/)

[Alex Flinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-flinn/)

> [I've been obsessed with death since I was a little kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-crahan/i-ve-been-obsessed-with-death-since-i-was-a-little-kid/)

[Shawn Crahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-crahan/)

> [Without death there would be very little progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/without-death-there-would-be-very-little-progress/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/one-must-have-a-heart-of-stone-to-read-the-death-of-little-nell/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“He must have read that sleep is death’s little brother.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-hammesfahr/he-must-have-read-that-sleep-is-death-s-little-brother/)

Petra Hammesfahr

> [“Death was his little sister one morning when he awoke at the age of seven, looked into her crib, and saw her staring up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/death-was-his-little-sister-one-morning-when-he-awoke-at-the-age-of/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So bitter is it, death is little more;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/so-bitter-is-it-death-is-little-more/)

[Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/)

> [But if you look at the big scheme of things, I have never failed, regardless of anything I have had to go through: from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrell-owens/but-if-you-look-at-the-big-scheme-of-things-i-have-never-failed/)

[Terrell Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrell-owens/)

> [We are quite small in the big scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-valletta/we-are-quite-small-in-the-big-scheme-of-things/)

[Amber Valletta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-valletta/)

> [“The idea being that if I was so incredibly small, then I could do almost anything, because what impact would I have, really? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosecrans-baldwin/the-idea-being-that-if-i-was-so-incredibly-small-then-i-could-do/)

[Rosecrans Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosecrans-baldwin/)

> [“In the big scheme of things, a lot of stuff that we overthink about in life is simply irrelevant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/in-the-big-scheme-of-things-a-lot-of-stuff-that-we-overthink-about-in/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [“In the big scheme of things, all's we really need, is a little love”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-bellamacina/in-the-big-scheme-of-things-all-s-we-really-need-is-a-little-love/)

[Benny Bellamacina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-bellamacina/)

> [“In the big scheme, it means little. But in our little scheme, it's big.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-morong/in-the-big-scheme-it-means-little-but-in-our-little-scheme-it-s-big/)

Jeremy Morong

## More by Cath Crowley

> [“Get up, Henry,' he says. 'You're fermenting. Tell him he's fermenting, George.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/get-up-henry-he-says-you-re-fermenting-tell-him-he-s-fermenting-george/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“Secondhand books are haunted, according to him. Ghosts in the pages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/secondhand-books-are-haunted-according-to-him-ghosts-in-the-pages/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“Serial killer aren't creative." "Watch a little Dexter and get back to me on that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/serial-killer-aren-t-creative-watch-a-little-dexter-and-get-back-to/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“I made you collapsible. I put you in and raised you with string and made you stay there with putty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/i-made-you-collapsible-i-put-you-in-and-raised-you-with-string-and/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“I’ve been reading a heap too—not swimming. I don’t swim. I like baths, though, and they allow the added bonus of being able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/i-ve-been-reading-a-heap-too-not-swimming-i-don-t-swim-i-like-baths/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“I spray the sky fast. Eyes ahead and behind. Looking for cops. Looking for anyone I don't want to be here. Paint sails and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/i-spray-the-sky-fast-eyes-ahead-and-behind-looking-for-cops-looking/)

[cath crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“Words matter, in fact. They're not pointless, as you've suggested. If they were pointless, then they couldn't start revolutions and they wouldn't change history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/words-matter-in-fact-they-re-not-pointless-as-you-ve-suggested-if/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“Sometimes a memory is a thing that can't be explained using words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/sometimes-a-memory-is-a-thing-that-can-t-be-explained-using-words/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“I stopped doubting her predication after she told me I'd be allergic to guava juice, which was something I'd never tried. I drank a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/i-stopped-doubting-her-predication-after-she-told-me-i-d-be-allergic/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“If my like for you was a footy crowd, you'd be deaf cos of the roar. And if my like for you were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/if-my-like-for-you-was-a-footy-crowd-you-d-be-deaf-cos-of-the-roar/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“Ellipses," according to Henry, are "fucking excellent." The exclamation mark is just a weird guy who talks too loudly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/ellipses-according-to-henry-are-fucking-excellent-the-exclamation/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“Humans are strong, but if you hit them at the right point, they destruct.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/humans-are-strong-but-if-you-hit-them-at-the-right-point-they-destruct/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“He's one of the good guys,' she always said.'Just sometimes he's working undercover”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/he-s-one-of-the-good-guys-she-always-said-just-sometimes-he-s-working/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“What are you reading?’ he asks this afternoon. ‘Kafka’s Metamorphosis,’ George says, without looking up. ‘And what’s it about?’ ‘Guy turns into a giant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/what-are-you-reading-he-asks-this-afternoon-kafka-s-metamorphosis/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [“We've got secrets coming out our arses and you want to take them to a clairvoyant?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/we-ve-got-secrets-coming-out-our-arses-and-you-want-to-take-them-to-a/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

[Explore all 256 Cath Crowley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

## 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

> [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

> [“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": "“Life is the big scheme; death is the little one at the end.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cath Crowley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/life-is-the-big-scheme-death-is-the-little-one-at-the-end/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/life-is-the-big-scheme-death-is-the-little-one-at-the-end/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e57/cath-crowley-1328_death_life-is-the-big-scheme-death-is-the-litt_2477519.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e57/cath-crowley-1328_death_life-is-the-big-scheme-death-is-the-litt_2477519.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e57/cath-crowley-1328_death_life-is-the-big-scheme-death-is-the-litt_2477519.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Life is the big scheme; death is the little one at the end.” — Cath Crowley",
                "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": "Cath Crowley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Life is the big scheme; death...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/life-is-the-big-scheme-death-is-the-little-one-at-the-end/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/life-is-the-big-scheme-death-is-the-little-one-at-the-end/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
