---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The dead don't talk. Perhaps they know…"
description: "\"“The dead don't talk. Perhaps they know things about death that the living are not permitted to learn from them.”\" — Dean Koontz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/dean-koontz-118_dead_the-dead-don-t-talk-perhaps-they-know-th_589830.jpg"
---

#  The dead don't talk. Perhaps they know things about death…

![“The dead don't talk. Perhaps they know things about death that the living are not permitted to learn from them.” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/dean-koontz-118_dead_the-dead-don-t-talk-perhaps-they-know-th_589830.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/dean-koontz-118_dead_the-dead-don-t-talk-perhaps-they-know-th_589830.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/dean-koontz-118_dead_the-dead-don-t-talk-perhaps-they-know-th_589830.jpg)

> ““The dead don't talk. Perhaps they know things about death that the living are not permitted to learn from them.””

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote suggests that the dead possess knowledge about death that the living cannot access, implying a mysterious barrier between life and death.

**In simple terms:** The dead may know things about death that we cannot learn.

Key Takeaway

Respect the unknown and seek humility about mortality.

Themes

mortality knowledge humility

Mood

reflective somber

Type

philosophical contemplative

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- philosophical discussions
- creative writing
- spiritual contemplation

Key Concepts

afterlife epistemology mystery

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to accept that some knowledge is inaccessible?
- How does this idea affect our attitudes toward death?

A Different Perspective

The claim is speculative and lacks empirical evidence, so it may be dismissed as superstition.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

## Related quotes

> [“If you hear I'm dead, don't come to my funeral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/if-you-hear-i-m-dead-don-t-come-to-my-funeral/)

[Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/)

> [“Sometimes the dead don't stay where you put them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-salerni/sometimes-the-dead-don-t-stay-where-you-put-them/)

[Dianne Salerni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-salerni/)

> [When you're dead you don't have a mental problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-simmons/when-you-re-dead-you-don-t-have-a-mental-problem/)

[Gene Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-simmons/)

> [“Those that we love never truly leave us, Harry. There are things that death cannot touch. Paint . . . and memory . . . and love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tiffany/those-that-we-love-never-truly-leave-us-harry-there-are-things-that/)

[John Tiffany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tiffany/)

> [“There are, aren't there, only three things that we can do about death: to desire it, to fear it, or to ignore it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/there-are-aren-t-there-only-three-things-that-we-can-do-about-death/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [There are worse things than death. Many of them playing at a theater near you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/there-are-worse-things-than-death-many-of-them-playing-at-a-theater/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [There is remedy for all things except death - Don Quixote De La Mancha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-remedy-for-all-things-except-death-don-quixote-de-la-mancha/)

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

> [If I had my way, we'd rehearse things to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-banks/if-i-had-my-way-we-d-rehearse-things-to-death/)

[Jonathan Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-banks/)

> [There are remedies for all things but death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/there-are-remedies-for-all-things-but-death/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [ It \[horror genre\] never dies. It just keeps getting re­invented and it always will. Horror is a universal language; we're all afraid. We're born… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carpenter/it-horror-genre-never-dies-it-just-keeps-getting-re-invented-and-it/)

[John Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carpenter/)

> [There are so many worse things than death. Not to be loved or not to be able to love: that is worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/there-are-so-many-worse-things-than-death-not-to-be-loved-or-not-to/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“... the great novels of the world were about three things - death, money and sex. Occasionally a whale.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/the-great-novels-of-the-world-were-about-three-things-death-money-and/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [The dead don't desire revenge, but the happiness of the livng. To dirty your small hands would bring joy to no one. -Kenshin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-dead-don-t-desire-revenge-but-the-happiness-of-the-livng-to-dirty/)

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

> [The dead don't bother with particulars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-dead-don-t-bother-with-particulars/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“The dead don't see but I do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/the-dead-don-t-see-but-i-do/)

[Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/)

## More by Dean Koontz

> [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

[Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

## More Dead quotes

> [I'm going to stay on stage until I drop dead. Then I'm going to have myself stuffed, like Trigger, and I'm going to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-m-going-to-stay-on-stage-until-i-drop-dead-then-i-m-going-to-have/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [I can't be a legend yet. I'm not dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-can-t-be-a-legend-yet-i-m-not-dead/)

[Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/)

> [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/)

[Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/)

> [It's a really dark, emotionally wrenching world that we've created on 'The Walking Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/it-s-a-really-dark-emotionally-wrenching-world-that-we-ve-created-on/)

[Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/)

> [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [“I’m just–” She wanted to say “not in the mood,” but that was not only a cliché but a vast understatement. She was dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-mcintosh/i-m-just-she-wanted-to-say-not-in-the-mood-but-that-was-not-only-a/)

[Will McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-mcintosh/)

> [Library: A place where the dead lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/library-a-place-where-the-dead-lie/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

> [When we dead awaken ... we see that we have never lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/when-we-dead-awaken-we-see-that-we-have-never-lived/)

[Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/)

> [Rather be dead than cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/rather-be-dead-than-cool/)

[Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/)

> [He was obviously dead. But since he was a vampire that wasn't as hopless a thing as it might have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/he-was-obviously-dead-but-since-he-was-a-vampire-that-wasn-t-as/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/)

[John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/)

> [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [I intend to do the Penn &amp; Teller show until they pry my cheesy magic wand from my cold dead fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-intend-to-do-the-penn-teller-show-until-they-pry-my-cheesy-magic/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> ['Misery' left a lasting mark on me. When I die, it will be 'Kathy 'Misery' Bates Is Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/misery-left-a-lasting-mark-on-me-when-i-die-it-will-be-kathy-misery/)

[Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/)

> [The only good Indian is a dead Indian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-sherman/the-only-good-indian-is-a-dead-indian/)

[William Tecumseh Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tecumseh-sherman/)

Browse all 3,376 Dead quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The dead don't talk. Perhaps they know things about death that the living are not permitted to learn from them.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dean Koontz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-dead-don-t-talk-perhaps-they-know-things-about-death-that-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dead"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-dead-don-t-talk-perhaps-they-know-things-about-death-that-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/dean-koontz-118_dead_the-dead-don-t-talk-perhaps-they-know-th_589830.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/dean-koontz-118_dead_the-dead-don-t-talk-perhaps-they-know-th_589830.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/dean-koontz-118_dead_the-dead-don-t-talk-perhaps-they-know-th_589830.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The dead don't talk. Perhaps they know things about death that the living are not permitted to learn from…” — Dean Koontz",
                "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": "Dean Koontz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The dead don't talk. Perhaps they...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-dead-don-t-talk-perhaps-they-know-things-about-death-that-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-dead-don-t-talk-perhaps-they-know-things-about-death-that-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
