--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not so bad, my darling. Being dead…" description: "\"“It's not so bad, my darling. Being dead. It's like being alive, only colder.”\" — Catherynne M. Valente" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/catherynne-m-valente-375_death_it-s-not-so-bad-my-darling-being-dead-it_1688430.png" --- # It's not so bad, my darling. Being dead. It's like being… ![“It's not so bad, my darling. Being dead. It's like being alive, only colder.” quote by Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/catherynne-m-valente-375_death_it-s-not-so-bad-my-darling-being-dead-it_1688430.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/catherynne-m-valente-375_death_it-s-not-so-bad-my-darling-being-dead-it_1688430.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/catherynne-m-valente-375_death_it-s-not-so-bad-my-darling-being-dead-it_1688430.png) > ““It's not so bad, my darling. Being dead. It's like being alive, only colder.”” [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) ## 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 portrayed as a colder, detached version of life, suggesting a bleak continuity. **In simple terms:** Death feels like a colder life. Key Takeaway Accept mortality with calm perspective. Themes mortality existence philosophy emotion Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - philosophical reflection - creative writing - mental health support Key Concepts nihilism existentialism detachment Questions to Reflect On - How does this view change your fear of death? - Can coldness be comforting? A Different Perspective May be unsettling for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ## Related quotes > [“Is this chivalry?” Catarina said with a smile. “Thought that was dead.” “Like us, it never dies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/is-this-chivalry-catarina-said-with-a-smile-thought-that-was-dead/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I loved doing 'Dead Like Me.' That role was phenomenal to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-stevenson/i-loved-doing-dead-like-me-that-role-was-phenomenal-to-me/) Cynthia Stevenson > [“You ask me, you think dead forgotten. But they no forgooten because teh dead like to follow. They stay close.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-burke/you-ask-me-you-think-dead-forgotten-but-they-no-forgooten-because-teh/) J.C. Burke > [When I go away from you The world beats dead Like a slackened drum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lowell/when-i-go-away-from-you-the-world-beats-dead-like-a-slackened-drum/) [Amy Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lowell/) > [I eat 'The Walking Dead' like its made of brains. Can't even watch the show, I love the book so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-eat-the-walking-dead-like-its-made-of-brains-can-t-even-watch-the/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [I actually watch 'The Walking Dead.' I like 'The Walking Dead' a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-peters/i-actually-watch-the-walking-dead-i-like-the-walking-dead-a-lot/) [Evan Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-peters/) > [Dead was the gift that kept on giving. Dead, like diamonds, was forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/dead-was-the-gift-that-kept-on-giving-dead-like-diamonds-was-forever/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“I’m not dead. But when I am, it’s like . . . I don’t know, I guess it’s like being inside a book that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/i-m-not-dead-but-when-i-am-it-s-like-i-don-t-know-i-guess-it-s-like/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Do not by any means destroy yourself, for if you live you may yet have good fortune, but all the dead are dead like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-by-any-means-destroy-yourself-for-if-you-live-you-may-yet-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Dead like slipped on a bar of soap or like Colonel Mustard in the library with the lead piping?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-harkaway/dead-like-slipped-on-a-bar-of-soap-or-like-colonel-mustard-in-the/) [Nick Harkaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-harkaway/) > [that's what it was like waking up in the crypts. no-longer-dead. but without her. like burning alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/that-s-what-it-was-like-waking-up-in-the-crypts-no-longer-dead-but/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [I am on until I am dead, like a light bulb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-am-on-until-i-am-dead-like-a-light-bulb/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Funky like your grandpa's drawers, don't test me We in like that, you're dead like Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/q-tip/funky-like-your-grandpa-s-drawers-don-t-test-me-we-in-like-that-you/) [Q-Tip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/q-tip/) > [“And don't forget to enjoy simple stuff like...being alive, which in itself is amazing news. For me, personally, it means I'm not dead, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-eastham/and-don-t-forget-to-enjoy-simple-stuff-like-being-alive-which-in/) [Chad Eastham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-eastham/) > [“I like being alive, but being dead might be an interesting adventure as well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-hamm/i-like-being-alive-but-being-dead-might-be-an-interesting-adventure/) [Emma Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-hamm/) ## More by Catherynne M. Valente > [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [We all just keep moving, September. We keep moving until we stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/we-all-just-keep-moving-september-we-keep-moving-until-we-stop/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“You couldn't ever really fix a sad story. You could only make another. And another. And another, until you found the right one at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/you-couldn-t-ever-really-fix-a-sad-story-you-could-only-make-another/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“He considers it for a moment and spits out the seeds, which sprout, quickly, into tiny junkblossoms sizzling with recursive algorithms. The algorithms wriggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/he-considers-it-for-a-moment-and-spits-out-the-seeds-which-sprout/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“Truly, Mallow yearned to know everything. Curiosity was part of her, like her short blond hair and bitten fingernails.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/truly-mallow-yearned-to-know-everything-curiosity-was-part-of-her/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“The cicada lies in the earth for seventeen years. It is warm and dark there, it is soft and wet. Its little legs curl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/the-cicada-lies-in-the-earth-for-seventeen-years-it-is-warm-and-dark/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [We all live inside the terrible engine of authority, and it grinds and shrieks and burns so that no one will say: lines on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/we-all-live-inside-the-terrible-engine-of-authority-and-it-grinds-and/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Her heart was bruised by the kiss, smashed and surprised and unsettled by it. September thought kisses were all nice, sweet things asked for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/her-heart-was-bruised-by-the-kiss-smashed-and-surprised-and-unsettled/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“September put her hand on the grip of the Rivet Gun. She’d only just gotten it, and she’d promised to take copious notes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/september-put-her-hand-on-the-grip-of-the-rivet-gun-she-d-only-just/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Just tell yourself a story that'll satisfy you and pretend he told it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/just-tell-yourself-a-story-that-ll-satisfy-you-and-pretend-he-told-it/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“You see, the future is a kind of stew, a soup, a vichyssoise of the present and the past. That's how you get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/you-see-the-future-is-a-kind-of-stew-a-soup-a-vichyssoise-of-the/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Fairy tales have always been about getting through the worst of everything, the darkest and the deepest and the bloodiest of events. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/fairy-tales-have-always-been-about-getting-through-the-worst-of/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“There is a place, September, oh, very far from Pandemonium. A place where it is always autumn, where there is always cider and pumpkin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/there-is-a-place-september-oh-very-far-from-pandemonium-a-place-where/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“I was happy, the sun was high. I had enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/i-was-happy-the-sun-was-high-i-had-enough/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Who are you?" "I am Death," said the creature. "I thought that was obvious." "But you're so small!" "Only because you are small. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/who-are-you-i-am-death-said-the-creature-i-thought-that-was-obvious/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) [Explore all 621 Catherynne M. Valente quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) ## 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": "“It's not so bad, my darling. Being dead. It's like being alive, only colder.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Catherynne M. 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