---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Get up, go and be like him as much as one…"
description: "\"“Get up, go and be like him as much as one alive can be like the dead—without dying. Conceive him, yet be your death, too, almost. Like him be now, but..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/david-grossman-9948_death_get-up-go-and-be-like-him-as-much-as-one_1237052.jpg"
---

#  Get up, go and be like him as much as one alive can be…

![“Get up, go and be like him as much as one alive can be like the dead—without dying. Conceive him, yet be your death, too, almost. Like him be now, but only till the shadow of his end falls on the shadow of your being.” quote by David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/david-grossman-9948_death_get-up-go-and-be-like-him-as-much-as-one_1237052.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/david-grossman-9948_death_get-up-go-and-be-like-him-as-much-as-one_1237052.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/david-grossman-9948_death_get-up-go-and-be-like-him-as-much-as-one_1237052.jpg)

> ““Get up, go and be like him as much as one alive can be like the dead—without dying. Conceive him, yet be your death, too, almost. Like him be now, but only till the shadow of his end falls on the shadow of your being.””

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Encourages emulating the virtues of the departed while staying alive, balancing reverence with personal mortality.

**In simple terms:** Live like the dead without dying.

Key Takeaway

Practice admired qualities while alive.

Themes

legacy mortality inspiration

Mood

philosophical poetic

Type

inspirational reflective

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- ethical decisions
- grief coping
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

existential reflection role modeling

Questions to Reflect On

- Which qualities of the departed inspire you?
- How do you stay grounded while honoring them?

A Different Perspective

Risk of idolizing the dead over living fully.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alive Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive-like-2178976/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-like/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Dying Conceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying-conceive-3848209/) [Like Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-alive-230760/)

## Related quotes

> [Act out being alive, like a play. And after a while, a long while, it will be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/act-out-being-alive-like-a-play-and-after-a-while-a-long-while-it/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I love being alive. I like being a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-love-being-alive-i-like-being-a-human-being/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

> [You see me in my most virile moment when you see me doing what I do. When I am directing, a special energy comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/you-see-me-in-my-most-virile-moment-when-you-see-me-doing-what-i-do/)

[Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/)

> [“There are so many ways to live and die, so many ways to tell that same story, over and over, but everyone keeps trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/there-are-so-many-ways-to-live-and-die-so-many-ways-to-tell-that-same/)

[Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/)

> [“There's not a boy alive like the one in my dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myra-mcentire/there-s-not-a-boy-alive-like-the-one-in-my-dreams/)

[Myra McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myra-mcentire/)

> [A word I want to see written on my grave: I am alive like you, and I am standing beside you. Close your eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-word-i-want-to-see-written-on-my-grave-i-am-alive-like-you-and-i-am/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Never leave a guy alive who'd like to see you dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stark/never-leave-a-guy-alive-who-d-like-to-see-you-dead/)

[Richard Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stark/)

> [On the song 'Buried Alive,' it's almost like the instrumental is a therapist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logic/on-the-song-buried-alive-it-s-almost-like-the-instrumental-is-a/)

[Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logic/)

> [I am fascinated by the whole process of what it's like to be alive, whether it's unbelievably uncomfortable and horrible or whether it's quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/i-am-fascinated-by-the-whole-process-of-what-it-s-like-to-be-alive/)

[Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/)

> [“What one moment from you defines what it’s like to be alive on this planet. What’s your takeaway?’’ There is silence. Tobias doesn’t get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/what-one-moment-from-you-defines-what-it-s-like-to-be-alive-on-this/)

[Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/)

> [Yeah, I really like being alive. But I definitely don't have any intentions as an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-frusciante/yeah-i-really-like-being-alive-but-i-definitely-don-t-have-any/)

[John Frusciante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-frusciante/)

> [for never yet Has lover lived, but longed to wive Like them that are no more alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/for-never-yet-has-lover-lived-but-longed-to-wive-like-them-that-are/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [“You've got this look I can't describe, You make me feel like I'm alive, When everything else is au fait, Without a doubt you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-bailey-rae/you-ve-got-this-look-i-can-t-describe-you-make-me-feel-like-i-m-alive/)

[Corinne Bailey Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-bailey-rae/)

> [“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 David Grossman

> [“He falls quiet again and tries to understand how he can be saying these things, how it can be that his dark words are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/he-falls-quiet-again-and-tries-to-understand-how-he-can-be-saying/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [“and suddenly I am washed over by a wave of happiness for it, for my little story, because it is a place, a home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/and-suddenly-i-am-washed-over-by-a-wave-of-happiness-for-it-for-my/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [“Only now, in rhythmic waves, was she struck by her stupidity, her blindness, her estheronautiness , and, above all, her longing, the insult of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/only-now-in-rhythmic-waves-was-she-struck-by-her-stupidity-her/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [“again, her singing was her only absolute, the only thing that was completely her. a thousand classes hadn't given her this concrete insight: her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/again-her-singing-was-her-only-absolute-the-only-thing-that-was/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [“I write. I give intimate private names to an external and foreign world. In a sense, I make it mine. In a sense, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/i-write-i-give-intimate-private-names-to-an-external-and-foreign/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [“she poured herself into him wordlessly. Unable to stop, she emptied her very core into him, and yelled and sobbed and laughed and promised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/she-poured-herself-into-him-wordlessly-unable-to-stop-she-emptied-her/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [“My destiny doomed me to be in this desert land. I will map it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/my-destiny-doomed-me-to-be-in-this-desert-land-i-will-map-it/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [And there will be a time, not for long, a month is enough, or a week, when every single person will be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/and-there-will-be-a-time-not-for-long-a-month-is-enough-or-a-week/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [“Tamar noticed that she had never met a person she felt so comfortable being silent with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/tamar-noticed-that-she-had-never-met-a-person-she-felt-so-comfortable/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [“What do people see in me on the first impression? ... Is there any imprint left from the love I knew? A rebirth mark?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/what-do-people-see-in-me-on-the-first-impression-is-there-any-imprint/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [I write. I imagine. The act of imagining in itself enlivens me. I am not frozen and paralyzed before the predator. I invent characters.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/i-write-i-imagine-the-act-of-imagining-in-itself-enlivens-me-i-am-not/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [We write. How fortunate we are: The world does not close in on us. The world does not grow smaller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/we-write-how-fortunate-we-are-the-world-does-not-close-in-on-us-the/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [“From the minute I saw you with the match in your hand I thought I could tell you anything on my mind. You'd be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/from-the-minute-i-saw-you-with-the-match-in-your-hand-i-thought-i/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [I like to do things that frighten me. When I’m afraid, I understand more things. I want the feeling... All my instincts cry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/i-like-to-do-things-that-frighten-me-when-i-m-afraid-i-understand/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

> [“...c'è chi non si sente soffocare in una stanza dopo cinquant'anni e c'è a chi non basta un'intera nazione.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/c-chi-non-si-sente-soffocare-in-una-stanza-dopo-cinquant-anni-e-c-a/)

[David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

[Explore all 51 David Grossman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“Get up, go and be like him as much as one alive can be like the dead—without dying. Conceive him, yet be your death, too, almost. Like him be now, but only till the shadow of his end falls on the shadow of your being.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Grossman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/get-up-go-and-be-like-him-as-much-as-one-alive-can-be-like-the-dead/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/get-up-go-and-be-like-him-as-much-as-one-alive-can-be-like-the-dead/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/david-grossman-9948_death_get-up-go-and-be-like-him-as-much-as-one_1237052.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/david-grossman-9948_death_get-up-go-and-be-like-him-as-much-as-one_1237052.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/david-grossman-9948_death_get-up-go-and-be-like-him-as-much-as-one_1237052.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Get up, go and be like him as much as one alive can be like the dead—without dying. Conceive him, yet be…” — David Grossman",
                "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": "David Grossman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Get up, go and be like...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/get-up-go-and-be-like-him-as-much-as-one-alive-can-be-like-the-dead/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/get-up-go-and-be-like-him-as-much-as-one-alive-can-be-like-the-dead/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
