--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That I should die next week, I would…" description: "\"That I should die next week, I would still be able to sit at my desk all week and study with perfect equanimity, for I know now that life and death mak..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/etty-hillesum-9002_able_that-i-should-die-next-week-i-would-stil_2390183.jpg" --- # That I should die next week, I would still be able to sit… ![“That I should die next week, I would still be able to sit at my desk all week and study with perfect equanimity, for I know now that life and death make a meaningful whole.” quote by Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/etty-hillesum-9002_able_that-i-should-die-next-week-i-would-stil_2390183.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/etty-hillesum-9002_able_that-i-should-die-next-week-i-would-stil_2390183.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/etty-hillesum-9002_able_that-i-should-die-next-week-i-would-stil_2390183.jpg) > “That I should die next week, I would still be able to sit at my desk all week and study with perfect equanimity, for I know now that life and death make a meaningful whole.” [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She expresses that even facing death, she can maintain calm study, seeing life and death as a unified meaningful whole. **In simple terms:** Death and life together give purpose. Key Takeaway Find calm in study despite mortality. Themes philosophy spirituality resilience Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - academic work - personal reflection - spiritual practice - wartime hardship Key Concepts existential meaning inner peace Questions to Reflect On - What gives you inner peace in crisis? - How does acknowledging mortality affect daily focus? A Different Perspective Such equanimity may be hard to sustain under extreme stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Equanimity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equanimity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-death/) [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) ## Related quotes > [If we cannot meet our everyday surroundings with equanimity and pleasure and grow each day in some useful direction, then... life is on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-burbank/if-we-cannot-meet-our-everyday-surroundings-with-equanimity-and/) [Luther Burbank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-burbank/) > [Happy is the man who can endure the highest and lowest fortune. He who has endured such vicissitudes with equanimity has deprived misfortune of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/happy-is-the-man-who-can-endure-the-highest-and-lowest-fortune-he-who/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [I must refuse to believe that the Germans contemplate with equanimity the evacuation of cities like London for fear of destruction to be wrought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-must-refuse-to-believe-that-the-germans-contemplate-with-equanimity/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Adversity, if a man is set down to it by degrees, is more supportable with equanimity by most people than any great prosperity arrived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/adversity-if-a-man-is-set-down-to-it-by-degrees-is-more-supportable/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [I do whatever is necessary in order to maintain the equanimity we all need to withstand the disappointment and rejection that are the lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-do-whatever-is-necessary-in-order-to-maintain-the-equanimity-we-all/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [It is the duty of the long-term investor to endure great losses with equanimity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/it-is-the-duty-of-the-long-term-investor-to-endure-great-losses-with/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Be happy for those who are happy, have compassion towards the unhappy, and maintain equanimity towards the wicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patanjali/be-happy-for-those-who-are-happy-have-compassion-towards-the-unhappy/) [Patanjali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patanjali/) > [The meek are positive and often colorful characters. They are not self-assertive nor self-seeking, to be sure, but rather they are unselfish and uncomplaining,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-raymond-edman/the-meek-are-positive-and-often-colorful-characters-they-are-not-self/) [V. Raymond Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-raymond-edman/) > [In this thing one man is superior to another, that he is better able to bear adversity and prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philemon/in-this-thing-one-man-is-superior-to-another-that-he-is-better-able/) [Philemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philemon/) > [I practice loving-kindness meditation, which cultivates compassion and equanimity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-maclean/i-practice-loving-kindness-meditation-which-cultivates-compassion-and/) [Sarah MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-maclean/) > [The greatest happiness for the thinking person is to have explored the explorable and to venerate in equanimity that which cannotbe explored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-greatest-happiness-for-the-thinking-person-is-to-have-explored/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The best way to overcome fear is to face with equanimity the situation of which one is afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/the-best-way-to-overcome-fear-is-to-face-with-equanimity-the/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [“Control the senses, practice equanimity. Live by disciplinary rules. Associate with good friends who are not lazy and live purely. Be courteous and well-mannered,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/control-the-senses-practice-equanimity-live-by-disciplinary-rules/) [Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [Who can calculate the wounds inflicted, their depth and pain, by harsh and mean words spoken in anger? How pitiful a sight is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/who-can-calculate-the-wounds-inflicted-their-depth-and-pain-by-harsh/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/even-a-happy-life-cannot-be-without-a-measure-of-darkness/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) ## More by Etty Hillesum > [A large group of us were crowded into the Gestapo hall, and at that moment the circumstances of all our lives were the same.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/a-large-group-of-us-were-crowded-into-the-gestapo-hall-and-at-that/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Every word born of an inner necessity - writing must never be anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/every-word-born-of-an-inner-necessity-writing-must-never-be-anything/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [That fear of missing out on things makes you miss out on everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/that-fear-of-missing-out-on-things-makes-you-miss-out-on-everything/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [There are moments when I feel like giving up or giving in, but I soon rally again and do my duty as I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/there-are-moments-when-i-feel-like-giving-up-or-giving-in-but-i-soon/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Here, beside this great black surface that is my desk, I feel as though I am on a desert island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/here-beside-this-great-black-surface-that-is-my-desk-i-feel-as-though/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [The externals are simply so many props; everything we need is within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/the-externals-are-simply-so-many-props-everything-we-need-is-within-us/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [If one finds the strength to deal with small things, one finds it to deal with the large ones as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-finds-the-strength-to-deal-with-small-things-one-finds-it-to/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [All disasters stem from us. Why is there a war? Perhaps because now and then I might be inclined to snap at my neighbour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/all-disasters-stem-from-us-why-is-there-a-war-perhaps-because-now-and/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-the-most-important-thing-in-a-whole-day-is-the-rest-we-take/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [We human beings cause monstrous conditions, but precisely because we cause them we soon learn to adapt ourselves to them. Only if we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/we-human-beings-cause-monstrous-conditions-but-precisely-because-we/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Despite everything, life is full of beauty and meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/despite-everything-life-is-full-of-beauty-and-meaning/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Sometimes my day is crammed full of people and talk and yet I have the feeling of living in utter peace and quiet. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-my-day-is-crammed-full-of-people-and-talk-and-yet-i-have/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [To live fully, outwardly and inwardly, not to ignore the external reality for the sake of the inner life, or the reverse, that's quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/to-live-fully-outwardly-and-inwardly-not-to-ignore-the-external/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [If one burdens the future with one's worries, it cannot grow organically. I am filled with confidence, not that I shall succeed in worldly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-burdens-the-future-with-one-s-worries-it-cannot-grow/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies. We make mental provisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/we-have-to-fight-them-daily-like-fleas-those-many-small-worries-about/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) [Explore all 62 Etty Hillesum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That I should die next week, I would still be able to sit at my desk all week and study with perfect equanimity, for I know now that life and death make a meaningful whole.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Etty Hillesum" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/that-i-should-die-next-week-i-would-still-be-able-to-sit-at-my-desk/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/that-i-should-die-next-week-i-would-still-be-able-to-sit-at-my-desk/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/etty-hillesum-9002_able_that-i-should-die-next-week-i-would-stil_2390183.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/etty-hillesum-9002_able_that-i-should-die-next-week-i-would-stil_2390183.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/etty-hillesum-9002_able_that-i-should-die-next-week-i-would-stil_2390183.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That I should die next week, I would still be able to sit at my desk all week and study with perfect…” — Etty Hillesum", "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": "Etty Hillesum", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "That I should die next week,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/that-i-should-die-next-week-i-would-still-be-able-to-sit-at-my-desk/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/that-i-should-die-next-week-i-would-still-be-able-to-sit-at-my-desk/#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 } } ] } ```