--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just imagine how it must feel to know…" description: "\"“Just imagine how it must feel to know that your family won't be going to heaven with you- I mean, truly believing that. We're ghosts to him. We might ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/douglas-coupland-305_believing_just-imagine-how-it-must-feel-to-know-th_480647.jpg" --- # Just imagine how it must feel to know that your family… ![“Just imagine how it must feel to know that your family won't be going to heaven with you- I mean, truly believing that. We're ghosts to him. We might a well be dead.” quote by Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/douglas-coupland-305_believing_just-imagine-how-it-must-feel-to-know-th_480647.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/douglas-coupland-305_believing_just-imagine-how-it-must-feel-to-know-th_480647.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/douglas-coupland-305_believing_just-imagine-how-it-must-feel-to-know-th_480647.jpg) > ““Just imagine how it must feel to know that your family won't be going to heaven with you- I mean, truly believing that. We're ghosts to him. We might a well be dead.”” [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) ## 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 feels alienated, fearing that even after death they remain unseen and disconnected. **In simple terms:** He feels like a ghost, disconnected. Key Takeaway Seek connection and purpose beyond fear. Themes alienation mortality existence Mood contemplative somber Type fiction existential When to use this quote - grief counseling - life purpose - legacy planning Key Concepts philosophy psychology spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn “ghostly” feelings into purposeful action? - What does believing in an afterlife change your present choices? A Different Perspective Fear of isolation may ignore meaningful relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing/) [Believing Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing-ghosts-2024219/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-relationships/) [Ghosts Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts-dead-460578/) [Going Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-heaven/) [Heaven Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven-mean-1894004/) [Religious extremism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-extremism/) [Religious faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-faith/) ## Related quotes > [People who believe in science have a hard time believing in ghosts and the supernatural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/people-who-believe-in-science-have-a-hard-time-believing-in-ghosts/) [Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/) > [“. . .the world is not a place but the vastness of the soul. And the soul is nothing more than love, limitless, endless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/the-world-is-not-a-place-but-the-vastness-of-the-soul-and-the-soul-is/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“... So this was how it was to be, now: I would do my best to live in the quick world, but the ghosts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/so-this-was-how-it-was-to-be-now-i-would-do-my-best-to-live-in-the/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [The superior man is quiet and calm, waiting for the appointments of heaven, while the mean man walks in dangerous paths, looking for lucky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-superior-man-is-quiet-and-calm-waiting-for-the-appointments-of/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [if there's a spirit world why don't the ghosts of dead artists get together and inhibit bad playwrights from tormenting first-nighters?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/if-there-s-a-spirit-world-why-don-t-the-ghosts-of-dead-artists-get/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [The melancholy ghosts of dead renown, Whispering faint echoes of the world's applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/the-melancholy-ghosts-of-dead-renown-whispering-faint-echoes-of-the/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [“There are places even the ghosts of the dead fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-schiver/there-are-places-even-the-ghosts-of-the-dead-fear/) [Richard Schiver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-schiver/) > [There's heaven. There it is. What more do we mean? People, free to come together, and in beauty - for growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/there-s-heaven-there-it-is-what-more-do-we-mean-people-free-to-come/) [Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/) > [“I figure if there is a God, he or she isn’t paying attention to what we build or if we follow some elaborate rules,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-figure-if-there-is-a-god-he-or-she-isn-t-paying-attention-to-what/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“I figure the folks that are the most interesting get to go to heaven. I mean, if I was God, that’s who I’d want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-figure-the-folks-that-are-the-most-interesting-get-to-go-to-heaven/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [...What does the blessing of heaven mean? We know the kirin is just an animal, not a mythical creature." It has become a symbol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lian-hearn/what-does-the-blessing-of-heaven-mean-we-know-the-kirin-is-just-an/) [Lian Hearn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lian-hearn/) > [“I think I might like to meet some ghosts. The dead aren't scary. It's the living who do the terrifying things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suki-fleet/i-think-i-might-like-to-meet-some-ghosts-the-dead-aren-t-scary-it-s/) [Suki Fleet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suki-fleet/) > [When they talk of ghosts of the dead who wander in the night with things still undone in life, they approximate my subjective experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-they-talk-of-ghosts-of-the-dead-who-wander-in-the-night-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Kit: Gone on where? Is he in Heaven? I mean, it seems so unlikely. Jessamine: Christopher! Kit: Seriously, You didn't know him. Jessamine: I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/kit-gone-on-where-is-he-in-heaven-i-mean-it-seems-so-unlikely/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I have heard it said that as we keep our birthdays when we are alive, so the ghosts of dead people, who are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-heard-it-said-that-as-we-keep-our-birthdays-when-we-are-alive/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) ## More by Douglas Coupland > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [A man in a bookstore buys a book on loneliness and every woman in the store hits on him. A woman buys a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/a-man-in-a-bookstore-buys-a-book-on-loneliness-and-every-woman-in-the/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [The future and eternity are two entirely different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/the-future-and-eternity-are-two-entirely-different-things/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Do you remember how you felt at seventeen? I do and I don't (...) Imagine you came from outer space and someone showed you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/do-you-remember-how-you-felt-at-seventeen-i-do-and-i-don-t-imagine/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [You can't fake competence, creativity, or sexual arousal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-can-t-fake-competence-creativity-or-sexual-arousal/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“But Dag, for all of his efforts, might as well have been talking to a cat. Our parents’ generation seems neither able nor interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/but-dag-for-all-of-his-efforts-might-as-well-have-been-talking-to-a/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Negative? Moi? I think realistic might be a better word. You mean to tell me we can drive all the way here from L.A.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/negative-moi-i-think-realistic-might-be-a-better-word-you-mean-to/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [It was pivotal in making you but you don't remember it. Or do you? Do we understand the events that make us who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/it-was-pivotal-in-making-you-but-you-don-t-remember-it-or-do-you-do/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Your ability to rationalize your own bad deeds makes you believe that the whole world is as amoral as you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/your-ability-to-rationalize-your-own-bad-deeds-makes-you-believe-that/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“I like to go beach-combing, and I like to find interestingly shaped rocks. When I really get into the groove I start finding beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-like-to-go-beach-combing-and-i-like-to-find-interestingly-shaped/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“You know, Dag and Claire smile a lot, as do many people I know. But I always wondered if there is something either mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-know-dag-and-claire-smile-a-lot-as-do-many-people-i-know-but-i/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Brain research tells us that only twenty percent of human beings have a sense of irony, which means that eighty percent of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/brain-research-tells-us-that-only-twenty-percent-of-human-beings-have/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [I keep vampire hours, going to bed at 2 A.M. and waking up at about 10:30-11 A.M.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-keep-vampire-hours-going-to-bed-at-2-a-m-and-waking-up-at-about-10/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Anna-Louise leans over and whispers in my ear. "This is so surreal," she says, "I think I'm turning into a melting clock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/anna-louise-leans-over-and-whispers-in-my-ear-this-is-so-surreal-she/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [When you grow up these days, you're told you're going to have four or five different careers during your lifetime. But what they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/when-you-grow-up-these-days-you-re-told-you-re-going-to-have-four-or/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) [Explore all 704 Douglas Coupland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) ## More Believing quotes > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I've never let anyone talk me into not believing in myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-ve-never-let-anyone-talk-me-into-not-believing-in-myself/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [“Believing is not the same as knowing. Believing is second-hand knowledge, whereas knowing is first-hand experience. When your action comes from a level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-kanna/believing-is-not-the-same-as-knowing-believing-is-second-hand/) [Yogi Kanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-kanna/) > [Things aren't always as they appear. I've been believing things to be a certain way because I want them to be that way. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-dennen/things-aren-t-always-as-they-appear-i-ve-been-believing-things-to-be/) [Brett Dennen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-dennen/) > [You cannot will yourself to be happy while believing that you have no right to happiness, or that you are unworthy of it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/you-cannot-will-yourself-to-be-happy-while-believing-that-you-have-no/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [It's never late to go after your dreams. All it takes is believing and hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitor-belfort/it-s-never-late-to-go-after-your-dreams-all-it-takes-is-believing-and/) [Vitor Belfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitor-belfort/) > [“There are five important things for living a successful and fulfilling life: never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/there-are-five-important-things-for-living-a-successful-and/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Start believing that things are going to change for the better. Not because you deserve it, but simply because God loves you that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-believing-that-things-are-going-to-change-for-the-better-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never stopped believing in my ability or what I was doing. I want to pass that sense of faith and perseverance on to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vantile-whitfield/i-never-stopped-believing-in-my-ability-or-what-i-was-doing-i-want-to/) [Vantile Whitfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vantile-whitfield/) > [“It’s not easy to believe in anything when your whole world turns upside down. The main thing is to keep believing in yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-jayne-ashford/it-s-not-easy-to-believe-in-anything-when-your-whole-world-turns/) [Lindsay Jayne Ashford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-jayne-ashford/) > [Stop expecting, Start believing¦ If you truly love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-expecting-start-believing-if-you-truly-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This idea that once you get into politics... you are now signed up for lifelong duty being in elective office, makes a fundamental error…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-gonzalez/this-idea-that-once-you-get-into-politics-you-are-now-signed-up-for/) [Matt Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-gonzalez/) > [Chairman Mao not only introduced Pinyin in China, but also simplified half the Chinese characters, believing that fewer strokes would enable more people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-tang/chairman-mao-not-only-introduced-pinyin-in-china-but-also-simplified/) [David Tang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-tang/) > [It's one thing believing in yourself, it's another thing having other people believe in you, and that is the greatest gift, honestly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-magnussen/it-s-one-thing-believing-in-yourself-it-s-another-thing-having-other/) [Billy Magnussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-magnussen/) > [We have been deceived into believing prayer is all about persuading God to release His power. We no longer need to beg or plead;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wommack/we-have-been-deceived-into-believing-prayer-is-all-about-persuading/) [Andrew Wommack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wommack/) [Browse all 1,471 Believing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Just imagine how it must feel to know that your family won't be going to heaven with you- I mean, truly believing that. We're ghosts to him. 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