--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This was selfish and wasteful. Cowardly…" description: "\"“This was selfish and wasteful. Cowardly. Nobody should voluntarily give up on life. If it was your time to die, death would calmly claim you. Otherwis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/darren-shan-1943_cowardly_this-was-selfish-and-wasteful-cowardly-n_3089610.png" --- # This was selfish and wasteful. Cowardly. Nobody should… ![“This was selfish and wasteful. Cowardly. Nobody should voluntarily give up on life. If it was your time to die, death would calmly claim you. Otherwise it was your duty to press on and live. P29” quote by Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/darren-shan-1943_cowardly_this-was-selfish-and-wasteful-cowardly-n_3089610.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/darren-shan-1943_cowardly_this-was-selfish-and-wasteful-cowardly-n_3089610.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/darren-shan-1943_cowardly_this-was-selfish-and-wasteful-cowardly-n_3089610.png) > ““This was selfish and wasteful. Cowardly. Nobody should voluntarily give up on life. If it was your time to die, death would calmly claim you. Otherwise it was your duty to press on and live. P29”” [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) ## 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 a duty to persist; death is inevitable, so one must choose to live fully rather than surrender. **In simple terms:** Live fully, death is inevitable. Key Takeaway Embrace life, resist surrender. Themes mortality duty resilience purpose Mood somber determined Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - health challenges - ethical decisions Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does “pressing on” mean for you? - How do you honor both life and death? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on duty can ignore mental health needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Better to die for my people in my own land than rule in another and suffer a lifetime of cowardly guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/better-to-die-for-my-people-in-my-own-land-than-rule-in-another-and/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [I believe that women are many different types of people. There are brave women, there are cowardly women, there are altruistic women, there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/i-believe-that-women-are-many-different-types-of-people-there-are/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [A love to Christ which is so cowardly and selfish that it is unwilling to proclaim by a public confession its faith in Him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbott-eliot-kittredge/a-love-to-christ-which-is-so-cowardly-and-selfish-that-it-is/) [Abbott Eliot Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbott-eliot-kittredge/) > [It is no less vain to wish death than it is cowardly to fear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-sidney/it-is-no-less-vain-to-wish-death-than-it-is-cowardly-to-fear-it/) [Philip Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-sidney/) > [Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name! All wars are wars among thieves who are too cowardly to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/poor-human-nature-what-horrible-crimes-have-been-committed-in-thy/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [“You may say suicide is a loss of control and cowardly. Foolish as it may sound, I am prepared to argue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-remy/you-may-say-suicide-is-a-loss-of-control-and-cowardly-foolish-as-it/) [Dee Remy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-remy/) > [There is a time when to avoid trouble is to store up trouble, and when to seek for a lazy and a cowardly peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/there-is-a-time-when-to-avoid-trouble-is-to-store-up-trouble-and-when/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [Blessed be those happy ages that were strangers to the dreadful fury of these devilish instruments of artillery, whose inventor I am satisfied is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/blessed-be-those-happy-ages-that-were-strangers-to-the-dreadful-fury/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [We must be neither cowardly nor rash but courageous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/we-must-be-neither-cowardly-nor-rash-but-courageous/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“I’m a coward.” “No—” “Don’t deny what we both know to be true.” Richard put his hand on Jonathan’s shoulder. “You are worn down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sondra-allan-carr/i-m-a-coward-no-don-t-deny-what-we-both-know-to-be-true-richard-put/) [Sondra Allan Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sondra-allan-carr/) > [The world, and the great and free United States in particular, is full of narrow-minded, ignorant, moronic, bigoted, cowardly, self-righteous, anemic, pig-headed, stupid, puritanical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-world-and-the-great-and-free-united-states-in-particular-is-full/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [You're obliged to pretend respect for people and institutions you think absurd. You live attached in a cowardly fashion to moral and social conventions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octave-mirbeau/you-re-obliged-to-pretend-respect-for-people-and-institutions-you/) [Octave Mirbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octave-mirbeau/) > [To go behind a man's hall-door is mean, cowardly, unfair opposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-woodhull/to-go-behind-a-man-s-hall-door-is-mean-cowardly-unfair-opposition/) [Victoria Woodhull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-woodhull/) > [Not to be cowardly when it comes to our own actions! Not to leave them in the lurch!--The sting of conscience is indecent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/not-to-be-cowardly-when-it-comes-to-our-own-actions-not-to-leave-them/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [ “\[...\] god's cowardly, it doesn't want to know or take responsibility for what it's doing.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aylett/god-s-cowardly-it-doesn-t-want-to-know-or-take-responsibility-for/) [Steve Aylett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aylett/) ## More by Darren Shan > [“But knowing me the way I do (now that sounds weird!),”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/but-knowing-me-the-way-i-do-now-that-sounds-weird/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“I know the names of every intelligent being, the spots on the wings of every butterfly that broke out of a cocoon, the genetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/i-know-the-names-of-every-intelligent-being-the-spots-on-the-wings-of/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“If mankind's destined to bite the bullet, let's bite it and be damned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/if-mankind-s-destined-to-bite-the-bullet-let-s-bite-it-and-be-damned/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“Mr. Crepsley was every bit as composed as he'd sworn he would be. He didn't even shed a tear when the funeral litter was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/mr-crepsley-was-every-bit-as-composed-as-he-d-sworn-he-would-be-he/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“Normal people don’t know how lucky—how blessed—they are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/normal-people-don-t-know-how-lucky-how-blessed-they-are/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [The demons were scary, but girls - Well, girls are really terrifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/the-demons-were-scary-but-girls-well-girls-are-really-terrifying/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [For an hour or more he was neither human nor vampire, just a howling, hungry creature of dark delights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/for-an-hour-or-more-he-was-neither-human-nor-vampire-just-a-howling/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“I will not make you a vampire," Mr. Crepsley insisted. "You must forget about it. Go home and get on with your life." "No!"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/i-will-not-make-you-a-vampire-mr-crepsley-insisted-you-must-forget/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [To be a druid is to embrace death, dance with it a while, and finally fall prey to it. That is why we'll never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/to-be-a-druid-is-to-embrace-death-dance-with-it-a-while-and-finally/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [Your spikes have gone floppy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/your-spikes-have-gone-floppy/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“I'm hungry," he whimpered instead. "Food is on its way." "No," he said. "The other kind of hunger." P198”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/i-m-hungry-he-whimpered-instead-food-is-on-its-way-no-he-said-the/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“People need devils and dark gods, if only to give them a foe to rally against, an obstacle to overcome. Your people understood that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/people-need-devils-and-dark-gods-if-only-to-give-them-a-foe-to-rally/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [But I don't think Art's an Einstein - he likes tugging ears, biting people and burping too much to be a genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/but-i-don-t-think-art-s-an-einstein-he-likes-tugging-ears-biting/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [If he turned his back on humanity now, it would be forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/if-he-turned-his-back-on-humanity-now-it-would-be-forever/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [...The pain didn't bother me. In fact, I welcome it: It meant I was alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/the-pain-didn-t-bother-me-in-fact-i-welcome-it-it-meant-i-was-alive/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) [Explore all 188 Darren Shan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) ## More Cowardly quotes > [A love to Christ which is so cowardly and selfish that it is unwilling to proclaim by a public confession its faith in Him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbott-eliot-kittredge/a-love-to-christ-which-is-so-cowardly-and-selfish-that-it-is/) [Abbott Eliot Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbott-eliot-kittredge/) > [Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name! All wars are wars among thieves who are too cowardly to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/poor-human-nature-what-horrible-crimes-have-been-committed-in-thy/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The world, and the great and free United States in particular, is full of narrow-minded, ignorant, moronic, bigoted, cowardly, self-righteous, anemic, pig-headed, stupid, puritanical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-world-and-the-great-and-free-united-states-in-particular-is-full/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [It is no less vain to wish death than it is cowardly to fear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-sidney/it-is-no-less-vain-to-wish-death-than-it-is-cowardly-to-fear-it/) [Philip Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-sidney/) > [Not to be cowardly when it comes to our own actions! Not to leave them in the lurch!--The sting of conscience is indecent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/not-to-be-cowardly-when-it-comes-to-our-own-actions-not-to-leave-them/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [To go behind a man's hall-door is mean, cowardly, unfair opposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-woodhull/to-go-behind-a-man-s-hall-door-is-mean-cowardly-unfair-opposition/) [Victoria Woodhull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-woodhull/) > [You're obliged to pretend respect for people and institutions you think absurd. You live attached in a cowardly fashion to moral and social conventions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octave-mirbeau/you-re-obliged-to-pretend-respect-for-people-and-institutions-you/) [Octave Mirbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octave-mirbeau/) > [ “\[...\] god's cowardly, it doesn't want to know or take responsibility for what it's doing.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aylett/god-s-cowardly-it-doesn-t-want-to-know-or-take-responsibility-for/) [Steve Aylett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aylett/) > [“I’m a coward.” “No—” “Don’t deny what we both know to be true.” Richard put his hand on Jonathan’s shoulder. “You are worn down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sondra-allan-carr/i-m-a-coward-no-don-t-deny-what-we-both-know-to-be-true-richard-put/) [Sondra Allan Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sondra-allan-carr/) > [We must be neither cowardly nor rash but courageous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/we-must-be-neither-cowardly-nor-rash-but-courageous/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Blessed be those happy ages that were strangers to the dreadful fury of these devilish instruments of artillery, whose inventor I am satisfied is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/blessed-be-those-happy-ages-that-were-strangers-to-the-dreadful-fury/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [There is a time when to avoid trouble is to store up trouble, and when to seek for a lazy and a cowardly peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/there-is-a-time-when-to-avoid-trouble-is-to-store-up-trouble-and-when/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [“You may say suicide is a loss of control and cowardly. Foolish as it may sound, I am prepared to argue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-remy/you-may-say-suicide-is-a-loss-of-control-and-cowardly-foolish-as-it/) [Dee Remy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-remy/) > [“You are a man. You are an average, lazy, boring, cowardly, woman-fearing man. Without me, that's what you would have kept on being, ad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/you-are-a-man-you-are-an-average-lazy-boring-cowardly-woman-fearing/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [I believe that women are many different types of people. There are brave women, there are cowardly women, there are altruistic women, there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/i-believe-that-women-are-many-different-types-of-people-there-are/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) Browse all 330 Cowardly quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This was selfish and wasteful. Cowardly. Nobody should voluntarily give up on life. If it was your time to die, death would calmly claim you. Otherwise it was your duty to press on and live. 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