--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At an early age I found myself facing the…" description: "\"“At an early age I found myself facing the incomprehensible, the unthinkable, death. Ever since, I have known nothing on this earth can be shared becau..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e24/edmond-jab-s-18829_death_at-an-early-age-i-found-myself-facing-th_1532708.jpg" --- # At an early age I found myself facing the… ![“At an early age I found myself facing the incomprehensible, the unthinkable, death. Ever since, I have known nothing on this earth can be shared because we own nothing. There is a word inside us stronger than all others - and more personal. A word of solitude and certainty, so buried in its night…” quote by Edmond Jabès](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e24/edmond-jab-s-18829_death_at-an-early-age-i-found-myself-facing-th_1532708.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e24/edmond-jab-s-18829_death_at-an-early-age-i-found-myself-facing-th_1532708.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e24/edmond-jab-s-18829_death_at-an-early-age-i-found-myself-facing-th_1532708.jpg) > ““At an early age I found myself facing the incomprehensible, the unthinkable, death. Ever since, I have known nothing on this earth can be shared because we own nothing. There is a word inside us stronger than all others - and more personal. A word of solitude and certainty, so buried in its night that it is barely audible to itself. A word of refusal, but also of absolute commitment, forging its bonds of silence in the emfathomable silence of the bond. This word cannot be shared. Only sacrificed.”” [Edmond Jabès](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) ## 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 reflects on the profound isolation of confronting death, suggesting that ultimate truths and personal resolve are solitary and cannot be fully shared with others. **In simple terms:** Death reveals a solitary, unshared truth. Key Takeaway Embrace personal solitude and commitment. Themes mortality solitude commitment existentialism Mood somber contemplative Type philosophical existential reflective When to use this quote - grief counseling - philosophical reflection - creative writing - spiritual practice Key Concepts nihilism personal truth silence Questions to Reflect On - How does solitude shape your understanding of death? - Can personal commitment coexist with community? A Different Perspective The insight may overlook the value of shared mourning and communal support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) ## Related quotes > [The speech of God is silence. His Word is solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-speech-of-god-is-silence-his-word-is-solitude/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Language has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone, and the word solitude to express the glory of being alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/language-has-created-the-word-loneliness-to-express-the-pain-of-being-2/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [Our language has wisely sensed the two sides of being alone. It has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/our-language-has-wisely-sensed-the-two-sides-of-being-alone-it-has/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [“Our language has wisely sensed these two sides of man’s being alone. It has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/our-language-has-wisely-sensed-these-two-sides-of-man-s-being-alone-2/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [Language... has created the word 'loneliness' to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word 'solitude' to express the glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/language-has-created-the-word-loneliness-to-express-the-pain-of-being/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [I write the word solitude on my wall and then below it: Do you know me at all? Are my words just air? Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-sorensen/i-write-the-word-solitude-on-my-wall-and-then-below-it-do-you-know-me/) [Jessica Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-sorensen/) > [“Our language has wisely sensed these two sides of man’s being alone. It has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/our-language-has-wisely-sensed-these-two-sides-of-man-s-being-alone/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [Oh, the solitariness of sin! There is nothing like it, except, perhaps, the solitariness of death. In that isolation none can reach you, none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-reginald-haweis/oh-the-solitariness-of-sin-there-is-nothing-like-it-except-perhaps/) [Hugh Reginald Haweis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-reginald-haweis/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Point is, that’s when I really realized that I don’t think like most people. I’m fine with solitude. In fact, I get antsy when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-e-taylor/point-is-that-s-when-i-really-realized-that-i-don-t-think-like-most/) [Dennis E. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-e-taylor/) > [You will not find a soulmate in the quiet of your room. You must go to a noisy place and look in the quiet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/you-will-not-find-a-soulmate-in-the-quiet-of-your-room-you-must-go-to/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“I still love to love my friends, but I punctuate those moments with solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-klein/i-still-love-to-love-my-friends-but-i-punctuate-those-moments-with/) [Stephanie Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-klein/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [“Truth is, I’m generally happiest when it’s just me. It’s okay to be madly in love with yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/truth-is-i-m-generally-happiest-when-it-s-just-me-it-s-okay-to-be/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) ## More by Edmond Jabès > [It is very hard to live with silence. The real silence is death and this is terrible. To approach this silence, it is necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/it-is-very-hard-to-live-with-silence-the-real-silence-is-death-and/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [For the writer, discovering the work he will write is both like a miracle and a wound, like the miracle of the wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/for-the-writer-discovering-the-work-he-will-write-is-both-like-a/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [By the light of our insistent truths we wander into death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/by-the-light-of-our-insistent-truths-we-wander-into-death/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [What is not grasped has all the chances to become real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/what-is-not-grasped-has-all-the-chances-to-become-real/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [My hands are full when you give me your hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/my-hands-are-full-when-you-give-me-your-hand/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [We do not truly speak except at a distance. There is no word not severed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/we-do-not-truly-speak-except-at-a-distance-there-is-no-word-not/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [Only what touches us closely preoccupies us. We prepare in solitude to face it. (The Little Book of Unsuspected Subversion)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/only-what-touches-us-closely-preoccupies-us-we-prepare-in-solitude-to/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [Silence is no weakness of language. It is, on the contrary, its strength. It is the weakness of words not to know this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/silence-is-no-weakness-of-language-it-is-on-the-contrary-its-strength/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [The book is an unbearable totality. I write against a background of facets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/the-book-is-an-unbearable-totality-i-write-against-a-background-of/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [“In your loneliness, you hear the word from far away and then, in gratitude, look at it so closely that you cannot but drown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/in-your-loneliness-you-hear-the-word-from-far-away-and-then-in/) [Edmond Jabès](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [One wound is enough to feed the open wounds of the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/one-wound-is-enough-to-feed-the-open-wounds-of-the-sky/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [It is not certainty which is creative, but the uncertainty we are pledged to in our works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/it-is-not-certainty-which-is-creative-but-the-uncertainty-we-are/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [In the morning, you tear up the pages of your fever, but every word naturally leads you back to its color, its night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/in-the-morning-you-tear-up-the-pages-of-your-fever-but-every-word/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [As long as we are not chased from our words we have nothing to fear. As long as our utterances keep their sound we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/as-long-as-we-are-not-chased-from-our-words-we-have-nothing-to-fear/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [THE WRITER can get free of his writing only by using it, that is, by reading oneself. As if the aim of writing were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/the-writer-can-get-free-of-his-writing-only-by-using-it-that-is-by/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) [Explore all 29 Edmond Jabès quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) ## 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. 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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 > [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 > [“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": "“At an early age I found myself facing the incomprehensible, the unthinkable, death. Ever since, I have known nothing on this earth can be shared because we own nothing. There is a word inside us stronger than all others - and more personal. 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