--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He had reached an age where death no…" description: "\"“He had reached an age where death no longer has the quality of ghastly surprise”\" — F. Scott Fitzgerald" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e6/f-scott-fitzgerald-72_death_he-had-reached-an-age-where-death-no-lon_941467.jpg" --- # He had reached an age where death no longer has the… ![“He had reached an age where death no longer has the quality of ghastly surprise” quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e6/f-scott-fitzgerald-72_death_he-had-reached-an-age-where-death-no-lon_941467.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e6/f-scott-fitzgerald-72_death_he-had-reached-an-age-where-death-no-lon_941467.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e6/f-scott-fitzgerald-72_death_he-had-reached-an-age-where-death-no-lon_941467.jpg) > ““He had reached an age where death no longer has the quality of ghastly surprise”” [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A realization that aging makes death less shocking and more expected. **In simple terms:** Age makes death less surprising. Key Takeaway Accept mortality calmly. Themes aging death acceptance Mood reflective somber Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - elderly care - end‑of‑life planning - grief counseling Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does accepting death change daily choices? - What fears arise when death loses its shock? A Different Perspective May overlook the urgency of living fully. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-death-340795/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-longer-1174320/) [Ghastly Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghastly-surprise-1612862/) [Reached Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reached-age-282565/) ## Related quotes > [I have triumphed over both life and death because I no longer desire to live, nor do I any longer fear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/i-have-triumphed-over-both-life-and-death-because-i-no-longer-desire/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [It is a sign of creeping inner death when we can no longer praise the living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-a-sign-of-creeping-inner-death-when-we-can-no-longer-praise-the/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [There is nothing that Nature has made necessary which is more easy than death; we are longer a-coming into the world than going out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-nature-has-made-necessary-which-is-more-easy/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [It is a sign of a creeping inner death when we no longer can praise the living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-a-sign-of-a-creeping-inner-death-when-we-no-longer-can-praise/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Death during adolescence feels unfair. We're young. We're invincible. Death is supposed to come with old age. When death breaks into our lives and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-shandler/death-during-adolescence-feels-unfair-we-re-young-we-re-invincible/) [Sara Shandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-shandler/) > [the only real time as far as Buddhism is concerned is right now. Right now there is no old age or death because old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/the-only-real-time-as-far-as-buddhism-is-concerned-is-right-now-right/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [“And anyway by the time you are retired at the age of sixty there is nothing to do. Death seems to be a relief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/and-anyway-by-the-time-you-are-retired-at-the-age-of-sixty-there-is/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [God is favorable to those whom he makes to die by degrees; 'tis the only benefit of old age. 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This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yourmaj3sty/the-human-life-cycle-is-no-different-than-the-4-season-changes-here/) [YourMaj3sty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yourmaj3sty/) > [There is another side to death. Whether death happens through an act of violence to a large number of people or to an individual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-is-another-side-to-death-whether-death-happens-through-an-act/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“In life, wisdom usually came with age, but death offered another world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-marie-baumgartner/in-life-wisdom-usually-came-with-age-but-death-offered-another-world/) [Jessica Marie Baumgartner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-marie-baumgartner/) > [“Friendship matters, especially in old age, when death reduces the number of one's friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-yalom/friendship-matters-especially-in-old-age-when-death-reduces-the/) [Marilyn Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-yalom/) > [“Old age and death are in the natural course of things. There is nothing a doctor can do about them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mus-soseki/old-age-and-death-are-in-the-natural-course-of-things-there-is/) [Musō Soseki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mus-soseki/) ## More by F. Scott Fitzgerald > [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“There was a ripe mystery about it, a hint of bedrooms upstairs more beautiful and cool than other bedrooms, of gay and radiant activities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/there-was-a-ripe-mystery-about-it-a-hint-of-bedrooms-upstairs-more/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I want you to take a red-hot bath as hot as you can bear it, and just relax your nerves. You can read in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-want-you-to-take-a-red-hot-bath-as-hot-as-you-can-bear-it-and-just/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Tireless passion, fierce jealousy, longing to possess and crush-these alone were left of all his love for Rosalind; these remained to him as payment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/tireless-passion-fierce-jealousy-longing-to-possess-and-crush-these/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I found something! Courage--just that; courage as a rule of life and something to cling to always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-found-something-courage-just-that-courage-as-a-rule-of-life-and/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“Life is a series of successful gestures...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/life-is-a-series-of-successful-gestures/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“Another dawn flung itself across the river; a belated taxi hurried along the street, its lamps still shining like burning eyes in a face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/another-dawn-flung-itself-across-the-river-a-belated-taxi-hurried/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“She plucked a twig and broke it, but she found no spring in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/she-plucked-a-twig-and-broke-it-but-she-found-no-spring-in-it/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“I'm one of those people who go through the world giving other people thrills but getting few myself except those I read into men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-m-one-of-those-people-who-go-through-the-world-giving-other-people/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [The Montana sunset lay between the mountains like a giant bruise from which darkened arteries spread across a poisoned sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-montana-sunset-lay-between-the-mountains-like-a-giant-bruise-from/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“You loved me too?" he repeated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/you-loved-me-too-he-repeated/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“He was good looking, "sort of distinguished when he wants to be", had a line, and was properly inconstant. In fact, he summed up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/he-was-good-looking-sort-of-distinguished-when-he-wants-to-be-had-a/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [What are you going to do? "Can't say - run for president, write -" "Greenwich Village?" "Good heavens, no - I said write -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/what-are-you-going-to-do-can-t-say-run-for-president-write-greenwich/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“The latter was considered a good fellow and a fine leader, until a year later, when he disappeared with a mess fund of eleven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-latter-was-considered-a-good-fellow-and-a-fine-leader-until-a/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/it-eluded-us-then-but-that-s-no-matter-tomorrow-we-will-run-faster/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) [Explore all 1,568 F. Scott Fitzgerald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## 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. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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