--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The dead carry with them to the grave in…" description: "\"The dead carry with them to the grave in their clutched hands only that which they have given away.\" — DeWitt Wallace" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/dewitt-wallace-68298_death_the-dead-carry-with-them-to-the-grave-in_1194851.png" --- # The dead carry with them to the grave in their clutched… ![“The dead carry with them to the grave in their clutched hands only that which they have given away.” quote by DeWitt Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/dewitt-wallace-68298_death_the-dead-carry-with-them-to-the-grave-in_1194851.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/dewitt-wallace-68298_death_the-dead-carry-with-them-to-the-grave-in_1194851.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/dewitt-wallace-68298_death_the-dead-carry-with-them-to-the-grave-in_1194851.png) > “The dead carry with them to the grave in their clutched hands only that which they have given away.” [DeWitt Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dewitt-wallace/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People only take with them what they have given away, implying that generosity defines one’s legacy. **In simple terms:** Only what you give away stays with you after death. Key Takeaway Focus on giving to leave a lasting impact. Themes legacy generosity mortality giving values inheritance Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - philanthropy - personal relationships - career achievements - family traditions Key Concepts ethics philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What have you given that defines you? - How does generosity shape your sense of purpose? A Different Perspective Giving may be overlooked or undervalued in society. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Carry Grave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carry-grave-1289949/) [Dead Carry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-carry-3560317/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Given Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-away-474211/) [Grave Clutched](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grave-clutched-3560316/) [Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graves/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Hands Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands-given-474210/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [The dead hold in their hands only what they have given away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/the-dead-hold-in-their-hands-only-what-they-have-given-away/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [When a man dies he clutches in his hands only that which he has given away during his lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-man-dies-he-clutches-in-his-hands-only-that-which-he-has-given/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whatever the result may be, I shall carry to my grave the consciousness that I at least meant well for my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchanan/whatever-the-result-may-be-i-shall-carry-to-my-grave-the/) [James Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchanan/) > [Remember, love is all a woman has to give, but it is the only thing which God permits us to carry beyond the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dreiser/remember-love-is-all-a-woman-has-to-give-but-it-is-the-only-thing/) [Theodore Dreiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dreiser/) > [I was born with a romantic nature, and I'll carry it to my grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/telly-savalas/i-was-born-with-a-romantic-nature-and-i-ll-carry-it-to-my-grave/) [Telly Savalas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/telly-savalas/) > [Love is the only possession which we can carry with us beyond the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-curchod/love-is-the-only-possession-which-we-can-carry-with-us-beyond-the/) [Suzanne Curchod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-curchod/) > [Never have I fallen But I am quickly on my way You hold a heart in your hands That has never before been given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-have-i-fallen-but-i-am-quickly-on-my-way-you-hold-a-heart-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is in your hands, she resumed. She held her own hands out to us, the ancient gesture that was both an offering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-future-is-in-your-hands-she-resumed-she-held-her-own-hands-out-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“we were all born to the same world but with much greater circumstance but with these two hands and what I have been given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-r-albers/we-were-all-born-to-the-same-world-but-with-much-greater-circumstance/) [K.R. Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-r-albers/) > [The dignity of man into your hands is given; Oh, keep it well, with you it sinks or lifts itself to heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/the-dignity-of-man-into-your-hands-is-given-oh-keep-it-well-with-you/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/nothing-that-you-have-not-given-away-will-ever-be-really-yours/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Smiles can never be borrowed or stolen. Also it is something that is worth nothing to anybody until it is given away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dignitygab/smiles-can-never-be-borrowed-or-stolen-also-it-is-something-that-is/) [Dignitygab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dignitygab/) > [Charity is to be measured, not by what one has given away, but by what one has left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/charity-is-to-be-measured-not-by-what-one-has-given-away-but-by-what/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“The guilt applies only to those things that are being given away for free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/the-guilt-applies-only-to-those-things-that-are-being-given-away-for/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I had glow in the dark bands made up and I've given away a ton of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-winchell/i-had-glow-in-the-dark-bands-made-up-and-i-ve-given-away-a-ton-of-them/) [April Winchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-winchell/) ## More by DeWitt Wallace > [Waste in all its forms is to be abhorred... I deplore giving money to an institution that is careless in its expenditures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dewitt-wallace/waste-in-all-its-forms-is-to-be-abhorred-i-deplore-giving-money-to-an/) [DeWitt Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dewitt-wallace/) > [The final condensation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dewitt-wallace/the-final-condensation/) [DeWitt Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dewitt-wallace/) > [I do believe in the value of ideas—and that eventually they get a man somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dewitt-wallace/i-do-believe-in-the-value-of-ideas-and-that-eventually-they-get-a-man/) [DeWitt Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dewitt-wallace/) [Explore all 4 DeWitt Wallace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dewitt-wallace/) ## 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": "The dead carry with them to the grave in their clutched hands only that which they have given away.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "DeWitt Wallace" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dewitt-wallace/the-dead-carry-with-them-to-the-grave-in-their-clutched-hands-only/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dewitt-wallace/the-dead-carry-with-them-to-the-grave-in-their-clutched-hands-only/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/dewitt-wallace-68298_death_the-dead-carry-with-them-to-the-grave-in_1194851.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/dewitt-wallace-68298_death_the-dead-carry-with-them-to-the-grave-in_1194851.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/dewitt-wallace-68298_death_the-dead-carry-with-them-to-the-grave-in_1194851.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The dead carry with them to the grave in their clutched hands only that which they have given away.” — DeWitt Wallace", "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": "DeWitt Wallace", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dewitt-wallace/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The dead carry with them to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dewitt-wallace/the-dead-carry-with-them-to-the-grave-in-their-clutched-hands-only/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dewitt-wallace/the-dead-carry-with-them-to-the-grave-in-their-clutched-hands-only/#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 } } ] } ```