---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Your body is like a dew-drop on the…"
description: "\"Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your life is as brief as a flash of lightning. Momentary and vain, it is lost in a moment.\" — Dogen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/dogen-2979_body_your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morn_656592.jpg"
---

#  Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your…

![“Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your life is as brief as a flash of lightning. Momentary and vain, it is lost in a moment.” quote by Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/dogen-2979_body_your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morn_656592.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/dogen-2979_body_your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morn_656592.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/dogen-2979_body_your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morn_656592.jpg)

> “Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your life is as brief as a flash of lightning. Momentary and vain, it is lost in a moment.”

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

## 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 fleeting and fragile, like a dew drop or lightning flash, emphasizing impermanence.

**In simple terms:** Life is short and fragile.

Key Takeaway

Cherish each moment.

Themes

impermanence fragility mindfulness

Mood

contemplative tranquil

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- daily reflection
- meditation
- appreciating nature

Key Concepts

Buddhist philosophy transience

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you honor impermanence?
- What can you do now to live fully?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook the value of lasting achievements.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dew/) [Dew Drop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dew-drop-940814/) [Drop Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drop-morning-5239443/) [Flash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flash/) [Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grass/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Brief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-brief-995876/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Lightning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lightning/) [Like Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-dew-1554549/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Momentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/momentary/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Morning Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning-grass-532040/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) [Your body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-body/)

## Related quotes

> [“Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your life is as brief as a flash of lightning. Momentary and vain, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morning-grass-your-life-is-as-2/)

[Dōgen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/)

> [“Without speaking a word, when the soul feels connected to someone – what does one have to say? It was similar to seeing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-doctor/without-speaking-a-word-when-the-soul-feels-connected-to-someone-what/)

[Raj Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-doctor/)

> [“When they would return to one another from their solitariness, they returned gently as dew comes to the morning grass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/when-they-would-return-to-one-another-from-their-solitariness-they/)

[David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/)

> [It is a sultry day; the sun has drunk The dew that lay upon the morning grass; There is no rustling in the lofty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-bryant/it-is-a-sultry-day-the-sun-has-drunk-the-dew-that-lay-upon-the/)

[William C. Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-bryant/)

> [Every dew-drop and rain-drop had a whole heaven within it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/every-dew-drop-and-rain-drop-had-a-whole-heaven-within-it/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [“Life is but a day; A fragile dew-drop on its perilous way From a tree’s summit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/life-is-but-a-day-a-fragile-dew-drop-on-its-perilous-way-from-a-tree/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [The difference between you and her (whom I to you did once prefer) Is clear enough to settle: She like a diamond shone, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-graves/the-difference-between-you-and-her-whom-i-to-you-did-once-prefer-is/)

[Robert Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-graves/)

> [And every dew-drop paints a bow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/and-every-dew-drop-paints-a-bow/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [“The sun light up a drop of dew The drop of dew soon dries You are the light of my eyes, my eyes I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/the-sun-light-up-a-drop-of-dew-the-drop-of-dew-soon-dries-you-are-the/)

[Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/)

> [“Light falls upon a dew drop; rewarding all who are blessed to witness the moments of its glisten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/light-falls-upon-a-dew-drop-rewarding-all-who-are-blessed-to-witness/)

[Truth Devour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truth-devour/)

> [The least flower, with brimming cup, may stand and share its dew drop with another near.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-least-flower-with-brimming-cup-may-stand-and-share-its-dew-drop/)

[Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/)

> [“As the dew drop slides down the leaf to wet the soil, they call it "fall in love". Yet, do we know the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-n-prasher/as-the-dew-drop-slides-down-the-leaf-to-wet-the-soil-they-call-it/)

[R. N. Prasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-n-prasher/)

> [White dew- one drop on each thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yosa-buson/white-dew-one-drop-on-each-thorn/)

[Yosa Buson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yosa-buson/)

> [You are like the dew that falls from the sky to nourish the earth, and I wish I could be the earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-like-the-dew-that-falls-from-the-sky-to-nourish-the-earth-and/)

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

> [“Like dew I was born Like dew I vanish ..and all that I have ever done Is but a dream Within a dream”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clavell/like-dew-i-was-born-like-dew-i-vanish-and-all-that-i-have-ever-done/)

[James Clavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clavell/)

## More by Dogen

> [The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/the-whole-moon-and-the-entire-sky-are-reflected-in-one-dewdrop-on-the/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [When a buddha is painted, not only a clay altar or lump of earth is used, but the thirty-two marks, a blade of grass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/when-a-buddha-is-painted-not-only-a-clay-altar-or-lump-of-earth-is/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/just-as-parents-care-for-their-children-you-should-bear-in-mind-the/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [Yet you must not cling to the words of the old sages either; they, too, may not be right. Even if you believe them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/yet-you-must-not-cling-to-the-words-of-the-old-sages-either-they-too/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [Set aside all involvements and let the myriad things rest. Zazen is not thinking of good, not thinking of bad. It is not conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/set-aside-all-involvements-and-let-the-myriad-things-rest-zazen-is/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [Though it has no thought of keeping watch, it's not for naught that the scarecrow stands in the grain field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/though-it-has-no-thought-of-keeping-watch-it-s-not-for-naught-that/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [Continuous practice, day after day, is the most appropriate way of expressing gratitude. This means that you practice continuously, without wasting a single day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/continuous-practice-day-after-day-is-the-most-appropriate-way-of/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [Whenever learners or those beyond learning awaken the mind, for the first time they plant one buddha-nature. Working with the four elements and five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/whenever-learners-or-those-beyond-learning-awaken-the-mind-for-the/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [“If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-right-where-you-are-where-else-do/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [Realization doesn't destroy the individual any more than the reflection of the moon breaks a drop of water. A drop of water can reflect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/realization-doesn-t-destroy-the-individual-any-more-than-the/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [“If you attain unsurpassable, complete enlightenment, all sentient beings also attain it. The reason is that all sentient beings are aspects of enlightenment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/if-you-attain-unsurpassable-complete-enlightenment-all-sentient/)

[Dōgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/to-study-the-way-is-to-study-the-self-to-study-the-self-is-to-forget/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [“Every man possesses the Buddha-nature. Do not demean yourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/every-man-possesses-the-buddha-nature-do-not-demean-yourselves/)

[Dōgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [Because mountains are high and broad, the way of riding the clouds is always reached in the mountains; the inconceivable power of soaring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/because-mountains-are-high-and-broad-the-way-of-riding-the-clouds-is/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [Working with plants, trees, fences and walls, if they practice sincerely they will attain enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/working-with-plants-trees-fences-and-walls-if-they-practice-sincerely/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

[Explore all 143 Dogen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

## More Body quotes

> [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/)

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

[Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/)

> [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/)

[Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/)

[Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

[Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your life is as brief as a flash of lightning. Momentary and vain, it is lost in a moment.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dogen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morning-grass-your-life-is-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Body"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morning-grass-your-life-is-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/dogen-2979_body_your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morn_656592.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/dogen-2979_body_your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morn_656592.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/dogen-2979_body_your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morn_656592.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your life is as brief as a flash of lightning. Momentary…” — Dogen",
                "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": "Dogen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Your body is like a dew-drop...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morning-grass-your-life-is-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morning-grass-your-life-is-as/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
