---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I preferred to hang out with the dead…"
description: "\"I preferred to hang out with the dead, dying, or desperate books - used we call them, in a way that we'd never call a person, unless we meant it cruell..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/456/david-levithan-67_book_i-preferred-to-hang-out-with-the-dead-dy_1877796.jpg"
---

#  I preferred to hang out with the dead, dying, or desperate…

![“I preferred to hang out with the dead, dying, or desperate books - used we call them, in a way that we'd never call a person, unless we meant it cruelly” quote by David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/456/david-levithan-67_book_i-preferred-to-hang-out-with-the-dead-dy_1877796.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/456/david-levithan-67_book_i-preferred-to-hang-out-with-the-dead-dy_1877796.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/456/david-levithan-67_book_i-preferred-to-hang-out-with-the-dead-dy_1877796.jpg)

> “I preferred to hang out with the dead, dying, or desperate books - used we call them, in a way that we'd never call a person, unless we meant it cruelly”

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker prefers the company of books about death or desperation over people, indicating a bleak, possibly sarcastic view of humanity.

**In simple terms:** Books about darkness feel more honest than people.

Key Takeaway

Seek honesty, even if bleak.

Themes

loneliness despair literature

Mood

melancholic thoughtful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing
- reading
- mental health coping
- artistic inspiration

Key Concepts

existentialism dark humor

Questions to Reflect On

- Why prefer fictional despair?
- Can this perspective be balanced?

A Different Perspective

Such a view may foster cynicism and isolation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead/) [Dead Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-dying-239915/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Dying Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying-desperate-2633708/) [Hang Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hang-dead-2633707/) [Hanging out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hanging-out/) [Meant Cruelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant-cruelly-1397411/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

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