---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [From a window in the Writer's Building…"
description: "\"[From a window in the Writer's Building at MGM, which overlooked a cemetery:] Hello down there. It might interest you to know that up here we are just ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/dorothy-parker-700_building_from-a-window-in-the-writer-s-building-a_1776408.jpg"
---

#  \[From a window in the Writer's Building at MGM, which…

![“&#91;From a window in the Writer's Building at MGM, which overlooked a cemetery:&#93; Hello down there. It might interest you to know that up here we are just as dead as you are.” quote by Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/dorothy-parker-700_building_from-a-window-in-the-writer-s-building-a_1776408.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/dorothy-parker-700_building_from-a-window-in-the-writer-s-building-a_1776408.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/dorothy-parker-700_building_from-a-window-in-the-writer-s-building-a_1776408.jpg)

> “\[From a window in the Writer's Building at MGM, which overlooked a cemetery:\] Hello down there. It might interest you to know that up here we are just as dead as you are.”

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

## 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 acknowledges that both the living and the dead share the same fate, implying a shared humanity across existence.

**In simple terms:** Both the living and dead are equally vulnerable.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on the commonality of human experience.

Themes

mortality existence empathy humor philosophy

Mood

wry contemplative

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- funeral rites
- writing workshops
- personal reflection
- public speaking

Key Concepts

existentialism dark comedy social commentary

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this say about how we treat the dead?
- How does humor affect our view of mortality?

A Different Perspective

May be too bleak for some audiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Cemetery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cemetery/) [Cemetery Hello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cemetery-hello-1823465/) [Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead/) [Hello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hello/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Just Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-dead-620816/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Mgm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mgm/) [Mgm Overlooked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mgm-overlooked-1823467/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Overlooked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overlooked/) [Overlooked Cemetery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overlooked-cemetery-1823466/) [Window](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/window/)

## Related quotes

> [Out of the people that ever were, almost all of them are dead. There are way more dead people, and you're all gonna die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/out-of-the-people-that-ever-were-almost-all-of-them-are-dead-there/)

[Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/)

> [“You’re just dead, your brain stops working, and then you’re not around to ask annoying questions anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/you-re-just-dead-your-brain-stops-working-and-then-you-re-not-around/)

[Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/)

> [I don't really think it will make much difference to me when I'm dead whether I'm read or not . . . just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/i-don-t-really-think-it-will-make-much-difference-to-me-when-i-m-dead/)

[Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/)

> [Do you mind if my friend sits this one out? Shes just dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bond/do-you-mind-if-my-friend-sits-this-one-out-shes-just-dead/)

[James Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bond/)

> [“He was as tall as Lincoln and just as dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-was-as-tall-as-lincoln-and-just-as-dead/)

[Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/)

> [“Just because we are dead does not make us smart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/just-because-we-are-dead-does-not-make-us-smart/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [...Though drowned was just as dead as any other way of dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/though-drowned-was-just-as-dead-as-any-other-way-of-dying/)

[Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/)

> [Do you mind if my friend sits this one out...she's just dead!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bond/do-you-mind-if-my-friend-sits-this-one-out-she-s-just-dead/)

[James Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bond/)

> [You know, when something like, even like a coal mine disaster, or something like this, you think that well everybody's going to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grimes/you-know-when-something-like-even-like-a-coal-mine-disaster-or/)

[Richard Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grimes/)

> [“Death is more meaningful than just being dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/death-is-more-meaningful-than-just-being-dead/)

[Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/)

> [“Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I can't have a life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryjanice-davidson/just-because-i-m-dead-doesn-t-mean-i-can-t-have-a-life/)

[MaryJanice Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryjanice-davidson/)

> [If a girl breaks up with me, I want her to just die, just be dead. Not 'cause I hate her so much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/if-a-girl-breaks-up-with-me-i-want-her-to-just-die-just-be-dead-not/)

[Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/)

> [You're all gonna die. Then you'll be dead for way longer than you're alive, like that's mostly what you're ever gonna be. You're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ck/you-re-all-gonna-die-then-you-ll-be-dead-for-way-longer-than-you-re/)

[Louis CK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ck/)

> [The living are just the dead on holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/the-living-are-just-the-dead-on-holiday/)

[Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/)

> [He'd kill you all right. No sweat. But for the wrong reasons. Amateur's reasons. Of course, you'll be just as dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/he-d-kill-you-all-right-no-sweat-but-for-the-wrong-reasons-amateur-s/)

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

## More by Dorothy Parker

> [There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-little-in-taking-or-giving-there-s-little-in-water-or-wine/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [Writing is the art of applying the ass to the seat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/writing-is-the-art-of-applying-the-ass-to-the-seat/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [Hollywood is the one place on earth where you could die of encouragement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/hollywood-is-the-one-place-on-earth-where-you-could-die-of/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [“The two most beautiful words in the English language are 'check enclosed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/the-two-most-beautiful-words-in-the-english-language-are-check/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [Sometimes I think Ill give up trying, and just go completely Russian and sit on a stove and moan all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/sometimes-i-think-ill-give-up-trying-and-just-go-completely-russian/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [I was always sweet, at first. Oh, it's so easy to be sweet to people before you love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/i-was-always-sweet-at-first-oh-it-s-so-easy-to-be-sweet-to-people/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [Now to me, Edith looks like something that would eat her young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/now-to-me-edith-looks-like-something-that-would-eat-her-young/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [Misfortune, and recited misfortune especially, can be prolonged to the point where it ceases to excite pity and arouses only irritation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/misfortune-and-recited-misfortune-especially-can-be-prolonged-to-the/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [The sun's gone dim, and the moon's gone black. For I loved him, and he didn't love back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/the-sun-s-gone-dim-and-the-moon-s-gone-black-for-i-loved-him-and-he/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [There's a hell of a distance between wisecracking and wit. Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-a-hell-of-a-distance-between-wisecracking-and-wit-wit-has/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song, A medley of extemporanea; And love is a thing that can never go wrong; And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/oh-life-is-a-glorious-cycle-of-song-a-medley-of-extemporanea-and-love/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [Enjoyed it! One more drink and I'd have been under the host.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/enjoyed-it-one-more-drink-and-i-d-have-been-under-the-host/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [This living, this living, this living Was never a project of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/this-living-this-living-this-living-was-never-a-project-of-mine/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [Flowers are heaven's masterpiece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/flowers-are-heaven-s-masterpiece/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [It costs me never a stab nor squirm / To tread by chance upon a worm. / Aha, my little dear, / I say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/it-costs-me-never-a-stab-nor-squirm-to-tread-by-chance-upon-a-worm/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

[Explore all 398 Dorothy Parker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

## More Building quotes

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/)

[Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/)

> [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/)

[Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/)

> [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/)

[Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/)

> [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/)

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

> [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/)

[Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/)

> [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/)

[Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/)

> [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/)

[Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/)

> [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/)

[Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/)

[Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "[From a window in the Writer's Building at MGM, which overlooked a cemetery:] Hello down there. It might interest you to know that up here we are just as dead as you are.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dorothy Parker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/from-a-window-in-the-writer-s-building-at-mgm-which-overlooked-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Building"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/from-a-window-in-the-writer-s-building-at-mgm-which-overlooked-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/dorothy-parker-700_building_from-a-window-in-the-writer-s-building-a_1776408.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/dorothy-parker-700_building_from-a-window-in-the-writer-s-building-a_1776408.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/dorothy-parker-700_building_from-a-window-in-the-writer-s-building-a_1776408.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“[From a window in the Writer's Building at MGM, which overlooked a cemetery:] Hello down there. It might…” — Dorothy Parker",
                "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": "Dorothy Parker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "[From a window in the Writer's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/from-a-window-in-the-writer-s-building-at-mgm-which-overlooked-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/from-a-window-in-the-writer-s-building-at-mgm-which-overlooked-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
