---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For death, Now I know, is that first…"
description: "\"For death, Now I know, is that first breath Which our souls draw when we enter Life, which is of all life center.\" — Edwin Arnold"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/edwin-arnold-21102_breath_for-death-now-i-know-is-that-first-breat_2832176.jpg"
---

#  For death, Now I know, is that first breath Which our…

![“For death, Now I know, is that first breath Which our souls draw when we enter Life, which is of all life center.” quote by Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/edwin-arnold-21102_breath_for-death-now-i-know-is-that-first-breat_2832176.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/edwin-arnold-21102_breath_for-death-now-i-know-is-that-first-breat_2832176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/edwin-arnold-21102_breath_for-death-now-i-know-is-that-first-breat_2832176.jpg)

> “For death, Now I know, is that first breath Which our souls draw when we enter Life, which is of all life center.”

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The first breath of life is the soul's initial encounter with existence, the core of all being.

**In simple terms:** First breath symbolizes life's essential beginning.

Key Takeaway

Cherish the fundamental moments of existence.

Themes

life birth spirituality existence

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- birth rituals
- spiritual practice
- mindfulness meditation
- philosophical study

Key Concepts

philosophy metaphysics poetry

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the first breath represent for you?
- How does recognizing life's core affect daily choices?

A Different Perspective

Interpretations vary across cultures and beliefs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Breath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath/) [Breaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaths/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/)

## Related quotes

> [How great is the mystery of the first cells which were one day animated by the breath of our souls! How impossible to decipher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/how-great-is-the-mystery-of-the-first-cells-which-were-one-day/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [Time is nothing, you've one breath which is like a ticking-bomb. You do not know when that breath will finish, but it's a mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/time-is-nothing-you-ve-one-breath-which-is-like-a-ticking-bomb-you-do/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [You are the most important thing in your life. Put yourself at the center of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-de-cadenet/you-are-the-most-important-thing-in-your-life-put-yourself-at-the/)

[Amanda de Cadenet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-de-cadenet/)

> [Don't let someone be the center of your life, if you're not in the center of his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-lobedica/don-t-let-someone-be-the-center-of-your-life-if-you-re-not-in-the/)

[Joanne Lobedica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-lobedica/)

> [“Life from the Center is a life of unhurried peace and power. It is serene and radiant. It takes no time, but it occupies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kelly/life-from-the-center-is-a-life-of-unhurried-peace-and-power-it-is/)

Thomas Kelly

> [Spirituality is that attitude which puts life at the center, and defends and promotes life against all the mechanisms of death, desiccation, or stagnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-boff/spirituality-is-that-attitude-which-puts-life-at-the-center-and/)

[Leonardo Boff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-boff/)

> [Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/deep-within-us-all-there-is-an-amazing-inner-sanctuary-of-the-soul-a/)

[R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/)

> [“The ' colonized do not know how to breath', the 'people here do not know how walk; they make little steps which do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-memmi/the-colonized-do-not-know-how-to-breath-the-people-here-do-not-know/)

[Albert Memmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-memmi/)

> [“You know what?” His breath was warm against my cheek. “There are a lot of stupid things to do, but I really want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/you-know-what-his-breath-was-warm-against-my-cheek-there-are-a-lot-of/)

[Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/)

> [“No matter how strange things get, know that with every breath, you are becoming that which you have always been.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-micha-el-leventhal/no-matter-how-strange-things-get-know-that-with-every-breath-you-are/)

[Eric Micha'el Leventhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-micha-el-leventhal/)

> [I don't have the slightest idea of how to do vocal exercises or scales or anything like that, but I did always know to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/engelbert-humperdinck/i-don-t-have-the-slightest-idea-of-how-to-do-vocal-exercises-or/)

[Engelbert Humperdinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/engelbert-humperdinck/)

> [“I only know that you are the breath in my lungs, the beat of my heart, the ache in my soul, and without you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-gibson/i-only-know-that-you-are-the-breath-in-my-lungs-the-beat-of-my-heart/)

[Rachel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-gibson/)

> [Know that every breath is a miracle and every moment a blessing and you will achieve your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/know-that-every-breath-is-a-miracle-and-every-moment-a-blessing-and/)

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

> [“You told me you were a fucking Buddhist. You should know it's always about the breath." (Vin)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-manning/you-told-me-you-were-a-fucking-buddhist-you-should-know-it-s-always/)

[Edmond Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-manning/)

> [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

## More by Edwin Arnold

> [“Ye suffer from yourselves. None else compels, None other holds you that ye live and die, And whirl upon the wheel, and hug and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/ye-suffer-from-yourselves-none-else-compels-none-other-holds-you-that/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [Almond blossom, sent to teach us That the spring days soon will reach us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/almond-blossom-sent-to-teach-us-that-the-spring-days-soon-will-reach/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [That what will come, and must come, shall come well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/that-what-will-come-and-must-come-shall-come-well/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [Never the spirit was born; the spirit shall cease to be never; Never was time it was not; End and Beginning are dreams! Birth-less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/never-the-spirit-was-born-the-spirit-shall-cease-to-be-never-never/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [Early violets blue and white Dying for their love of light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/early-violets-blue-and-white-dying-for-their-love-of-light/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [Yet who shall shut out Fate?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/yet-who-shall-shut-out-fate/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [There is no caste in blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/there-is-no-caste-in-blood/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [We are the voices of the wandering wind, Which moan for rest and rest can never find; Lo! as the wind is so is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/we-are-the-voices-of-the-wandering-wind-which-moan-for-rest-and-rest/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [Like threads of silver seen through crystal beads Let love through good deeds show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/like-threads-of-silver-seen-through-crystal-beads-let-love-through/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [Shall any gazer see with mortal eyes, Or any searcher know by mortal mind; Veil upon veil will lift but there must be Veil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/shall-any-gazer-see-with-mortal-eyes-or-any-searcher-know-by-mortal/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [What good I see humbly I seek to do, And live obedient to the law, in trust That what will come, and must come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/what-good-i-see-humbly-i-seek-to-do-and-live-obedient-to-the-law-in/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [Within yourself deliverance must be searched for, because each man makes his own prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/within-yourself-deliverance-must-be-searched-for-because-each-man/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [The royal kingcup bold Dares not don his coat of gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/the-royal-kingcup-bold-dares-not-don-his-coat-of-gold/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [A little rain will fill The lily's cup which hardly moistens the field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/a-little-rain-will-fill-the-lily-s-cup-which-hardly-moistens-the-field/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

> [Life, which all creatures love and strive to keep Wonderful, dear and pleasant unto each, Even to the meanest; yea, a boon to all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/life-which-all-creatures-love-and-strive-to-keep-wonderful-dear-and/)

[Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

[Explore all 29 Edwin Arnold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/)

## More Breath quotes

> [“The days may last forever, but the years pass by in a blink; the secret to survival is actually remembering to take a deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-smokler/the-days-may-last-forever-but-the-years-pass-by-in-a-blink-the-secret/)

[Jill Smokler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-smokler/)

> [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

> [Take a deep breath. It,s just a bad day not a bad life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-a-deep-breath-it-s-just-a-bad-day-not-a-bad-life/)

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

> [I stopped loving you today, But OMG..., Seeing your Body takes my breath away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becka-miller/i-stopped-loving-you-today-but-omg-seeing-your-body-takes-my-breath/)

[Becka Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becka-miller/)

> [So we must do our very best Whatever life may bring And look beyond the winter chill To smell the breath of spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-we-must-do-our-very-best-whatever-life-may-bring-and-look-beyond/)

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

> [Poetry should be vital--either stirring our blood by its divine movements or snatching our breath by its divine perfection. To do both is supreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/poetry-should-be-vital-either-stirring-our-blood-by-its-divine/)

[Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/)

> [“The first step in awareness is to be watchful of your body. Slowly,slowly one becomes alert about each gesture,each movement. And as you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/the-first-step-in-awareness-is-to-be-watchful-of-your-body-slowly/)

[Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/)

> [Tic Tacs are the maracas of breath mints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/tic-tacs-are-the-maracas-of-breath-mints/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [“To control your life, control your mind. To control your mind, control your breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/to-control-your-life-control-your-mind-to-control-your-mind-control/)

[Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/)

> [“He’s sitting so close, I can feel his breath on my cheek. My stomach flip-flops again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-s-sitting-so-close-i-can-feel-his-breath-on-my-cheek-my-stomach/)

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

> [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“My heart is your heart," she whispers, and wow that takes my breath away, this line from my childhood that she always used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabel-pitcher/my-heart-is-your-heart-she-whispers-and-wow-that-takes-my-breath-away/)

[Annabel Pitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabel-pitcher/)

> [Good manners and bad breath will get you nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/good-manners-and-bad-breath-will-get-you-nowhere/)

[Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/)

> [“Being able to be myself was like being able to exhale for the first time after holding my breath for years. It’s only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/404-ink/being-able-to-be-myself-was-like-being-able-to-exhale-for-the-first/)

 404 Ink

[Browse all 1,839 Breath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For death, Now I know, is that first breath Which our souls draw when we enter Life, which is of all life center.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edwin Arnold"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/for-death-now-i-know-is-that-first-breath-which-our-souls-draw-when/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Breath"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/for-death-now-i-know-is-that-first-breath-which-our-souls-draw-when/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/edwin-arnold-21102_breath_for-death-now-i-know-is-that-first-breat_2832176.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/edwin-arnold-21102_breath_for-death-now-i-know-is-that-first-breat_2832176.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/edwin-arnold-21102_breath_for-death-now-i-know-is-that-first-breat_2832176.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For death, Now I know, is that first breath Which our souls draw when we enter Life, which is of all life…” — Edwin Arnold",
                "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": "Edwin Arnold",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For death, Now I know, is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/for-death-now-i-know-is-that-first-breath-which-our-souls-draw-when/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/for-death-now-i-know-is-that-first-breath-which-our-souls-draw-when/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
