--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When she first died, I felt sorry about…" description: "\"“When she first died, I felt sorry about all the pills I'd given that made her feel so miserable. But now I didn't feel so many regrets. Lynn wanted he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/cynthia-kadohata-19499_life_when-she-first-died-i-felt-sorry-about-a_543855.jpg" --- # When she first died, I felt sorry about all the pills I'd… ![“When she first died, I felt sorry about all the pills I'd given that made her feel so miserable. But now I didn't feel so many regrets. Lynn wanted her life. I thought she was willing to suffer if she could still taste her food, if she could still talk about the sea, if she could still feel a…” quote by Cynthia Kadohata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/cynthia-kadohata-19499_life_when-she-first-died-i-felt-sorry-about-a_543855.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/cynthia-kadohata-19499_life_when-she-first-died-i-felt-sorry-about-a_543855.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/cynthia-kadohata-19499_life_when-she-first-died-i-felt-sorry-about-a_543855.jpg) > ““When she first died, I felt sorry about all the pills I'd given that made her feel so miserable. But now I didn't feel so many regrets. Lynn wanted her life. I thought she was willing to suffer if she could still taste her food, if she could still talk about the sea, if she could still feel a breeze across her face, and even if she still could argue with her crazy sister!”” [Cynthia Kadohata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kadohata/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother reflects on the complex emotions of loss, regret, and the desire to honor a loved one’s wishes despite suffering. **In simple terms:** Grief mixes regret with respect for a loved one’s choices. Key Takeaway Accept loss while honoring their wishes. Themes grief regret family caregiving Mood sad reflective thoughtful Type narrative emotional When to use this quote - end‑of‑life decisions - family caregiving - personal reflection Key Concepts autonomy suffering memory Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance respecting wishes with alleviating suffering? - What role should caregivers play in end‑of‑life choices? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize suffering as a condition for dignity, which can be harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regrets/) ## Related quotes > [I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. 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My regrets will be more along the lines of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/when-i-die-i-will-decidedly-not-be-regretting-missed-opportunities/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about those who don’t. Believe everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/life-is-too-short-to-wake-up-with-regrets-so-love-the-people-who/) [Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/) > [If someone means a lot to you, tell them. 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Sometimes you have children too early and regret it, 'If I wouldn't have, my career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farah-khan/later-in-life-there-should-not-be-any-regrets-sometimes-you-have/) [Farah Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farah-khan/) > [Having no regrets is very unrealistic. Everyone has that awkward or embarrassing moment they wish they could take back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayden-hayes/having-no-regrets-is-very-unrealistic-everyone-has-that-awkward-or/) [Jayden Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayden-hayes/) > [I dont regret meeting you. I regret trusting you, thinking you were different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-latuconsina/i-dont-regret-meeting-you-i-regret-trusting-you-thinking-you-were/) Kiki Latuconsina ## More by Cynthia Kadohata > [I almost never slept deeply anymore--as soon as she said my name, I always sat up immediately, no matter how tired I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-kadohata/i-almost-never-slept-deeply-anymore-as-soon-as-she-said-my-name-i/) [Cynthia Kadohata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kadohata/) > [“Jichan looked surprised. "Nothing wrong with gullible. How you be happy if not gullible?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-kadohata/jichan-looked-surprised-nothing-wrong-with-gullible-how-you-be-happy/) [Cynthia Kadohata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kadohata/) > [I have so much respect for people who do blue-collar work because I come from that background myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-kadohata/i-have-so-much-respect-for-people-who-do-blue-collar-work-because-i/) [Cynthia Kadohata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kadohata/) > [“It was hard to stay angry when I felt so sad. I would rather have felt angry, but instead, all I could do was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-kadohata/it-was-hard-to-stay-angry-when-i-felt-so-sad-i-would-rather-have-felt/) [Cynthia Kadohata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kadohata/) > [Watch out for life ... It's harder than it looks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-kadohata/watch-out-for-life-it-s-harder-than-it-looks/) [Cynthia Kadohata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kadohata/) > [Some days I think she was really miserable, because she cried a lot. In a way, I'd had to steel my heart to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-kadohata/some-days-i-think-she-was-really-miserable-because-she-cried-a-lot-in/) [Cynthia Kadohata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kadohata/) > [“On the forty-ninth day after Lynn's death I opened all the windows in the alcove, even though it was raining. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [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/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When she first died, I felt sorry about all the pills I'd given that made her feel so miserable. 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