--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is always sad. That's what makes…" description: "\"Life is always sad. That's what makes suicide so tempting because life is all that we really have and haven't. Death makes us equals, too, because the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/f-sionil-jos-2399_death_life-is-always-sad-that-s-what-makes-sui_122354.png" --- # Life is always sad. That's what makes suicide so tempting… ![“Life is always sad. That's what makes suicide so tempting because life is all that we really have and haven't. Death makes us equals, too, because the foul and the good all die. The past, the present, and the future-what escape is there from these? None-and yet sometimes we are life's happy victims.” quote by F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/f-sionil-jos-2399_death_life-is-always-sad-that-s-what-makes-sui_122354.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/f-sionil-jos-2399_death_life-is-always-sad-that-s-what-makes-sui_122354.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/f-sionil-jos-2399_death_life-is-always-sad-that-s-what-makes-sui_122354.png) > “Life is always sad. That's what makes suicide so tempting because life is all that we really have and haven't. Death makes us equals, too, because the foul and the good all die. The past, the present, and the future-what escape is there from these? None-and yet sometimes we are life's happy victims.” [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s inherent sadness coexists with moments of joy; death equalizes all, yet we can still find happiness. **In simple terms:** Life is bittersweet; seek joy despite sorrow. Key Takeaway Embrace fleeting happiness amid suffering. Themes existential sorrow joy Mood melancholic contemplative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - philosophical reflection - creative writing - spiritual practice Key Concepts mortality human condition Questions to Reflect On - How do you find meaning in pain? - What small joys can you nurture today? A Different Perspective Joy may feel fleeting against deep despair. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Foul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foul/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Life sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-sad/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Suicide Tempting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide-tempting-1423043/) [Tempting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tempting/) [Tempting Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tempting-life-1423044/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) ## Related quotes > [While it is tempting to believe that you are the victim of certain people or forces beyond your control, A Course in Miracles teaches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/while-it-is-tempting-to-believe-that-you-are-the-victim-of-certain/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [A True Love Happens 1ly Once In D Life Time, If It Fails, Then Remaining Is Just A Compromise With Other 1 & With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/a-true-love-happens-1ly-once-in-d-life-time-if-it-fails-then/) [Butterfly\_Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butterfly-kisses/) > [My mother, I suppose, is still a main figure in my life because her life was so sad and unfair, and she so brave,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/my-mother-i-suppose-is-still-a-main-figure-in-my-life-because-her/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [The sad events that occur in my life are the sad events that happen to everybody, with losing friends and family, but that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-aragones/the-sad-events-that-occur-in-my-life-are-the-sad-events-that-happen/) [Sergio Aragones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-aragones/) > [Life has to be everything. It can't be all sad. It can't be all peaches and cream. Because the lows have you appreciate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/life-has-to-be-everything-it-can-t-be-all-sad-it-can-t-be-all-peaches/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [Living with you people like I am driving with the blinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sahib/living-with-you-people-like-i-am-driving-with-the-blinds/) [Sahib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sahib/) > [“...that the basic transaction of life itself was a sad, endless amalgam of public endurance and private indulgence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-merrill-block/that-the-basic-transaction-of-life-itself-was-a-sad-endless-amalgam/) [Stefan Merrill Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-merrill-block/) > [“Life is both sad and solemn. We are let into a wonderful world, we meet one another here, greet each other—and wander together for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/life-is-both-sad-and-solemn-we-are-let-into-a-wonderful-world-we-meet/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Life is sad and there is nothing we can do about it. All we can is to be vigilant about what we should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-m-moravec/life-is-sad-and-there-is-nothing-we-can-do-about-it-all-we-can-is-to/) [Martha M Moravec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-m-moravec/) > [Welcome to my life Im the girl who fades into the background. Always seem to wear my hair down, hiding my face from everyone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-s/welcome-to-my-life-im-the-girl-who-fades-into-the-background-always/) [Ashley's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-s/) > [“There are days when I would love to pull the cover over my head and say to hell with it. “But I don’t do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/there-are-days-when-i-would-love-to-pull-the-cover-over-my-head-and/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [Racism can happen anywhere, in everyday life as well, but it's always very sad, it shouldn't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hulk/racism-can-happen-anywhere-in-everyday-life-as-well-but-it-s-always/) [Hulk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hulk/) > [“Life is sad. Here is someone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/life-is-sad-here-is-someone/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [Are all ends of life so sad?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-of-romania/are-all-ends-of-life-so-sad/) [Marie of Romania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-of-romania/) > [A lady who sets her heart upon a lad in uniform must prepare to change lovers pretty quickly, or her life will be but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/a-lady-who-sets-her-heart-upon-a-lad-in-uniform-must-prepare-to/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) ## More by F. Sionil José > [“There is nothing like the land you belong to claiming you back. But everywhere the earth is the same. -Old David”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/there-is-nothing-like-the-land-you-belong-to-claiming-you-back-but/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“Indeed time has that ultimate capacity to render the passions of the past when recalled in the present as no more than grandiloquent gestures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/indeed-time-has-that-ultimate-capacity-to-render-the-passions-of-the/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Class - or the economic status of individuals - is evident in all societies, some very well stratified by a rigid caste system determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/class-or-the-economic-status-of-individuals-is-evident-in-all/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [We write from life and call it literature, and literature lives because we are in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/we-write-from-life-and-call-it-literature-and-literature-lives/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [I can imagine the writers of China, England and France, crippled and unsure of themselves when they feel that the ghosts of Confucius, Mencius,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/i-can-imagine-the-writers-of-china-england-and-france-crippled-and/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Always remember: the alleviation of poverty is never a political or economic issue - it is moral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/always-remember-the-alleviation-of-poverty-is-never-a-political-or/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [In the end, religion teaches us to value truth, justice and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/in-the-end-religion-teaches-us-to-value-truth-justice-and-freedom/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [My reading of philosophy and history is desultory; I know so much and yet so little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/my-reading-of-philosophy-and-history-is-desultory-i-know-so-much-and/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [We recognize the distinctness of Asian art when we turn to its traditional forms, recognize it as Japanese, Chinese and Indian, even Balinese or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/we-recognize-the-distinctness-of-asian-art-when-we-turn-to-its/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“There is nothing in the world which an artist cannot recreate into something poetic, ennobling. And why do we read these things? They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/there-is-nothing-in-the-world-which-an-artist-cannot-recreate-into/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [All through history, a nation or a civilization's enduring glory is articulated by its mega constructions - the pyramids, the lofty cathedrals of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/all-through-history-a-nation-or-a-civilization-s-enduring-glory-is/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Colonialism subdues in many dulcet guises. It conquered under the pretext of spreading Christianity, civilization, law and order, to make the world safe for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/colonialism-subdues-in-many-dulcet-guises-it-conquered-under-the/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [November is auspicious in so many parts of the country: the rice harvest is already in, the weather starts to cool, and the festive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/november-is-auspicious-in-so-many-parts-of-the-country-the-rice/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“No stranger can come battering down my door and say he brings me light. This I have within me. -Istak”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/no-stranger-can-come-battering-down-my-door-and-say-he-brings-me/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Literature - Eastern and Western - abounds with stories, myths, legends about the search for youth, for eternal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/literature-eastern-and-western-abounds-with-stories-myths-legends/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) [Explore all 168 F. Sionil José quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) ## 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. 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