--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is not an option, it is a gift…" description: "\"“Life is not an option, it is a gift. Death is the option.”\" — Frank Herbert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/frank-herbert-262_choice_life-is-not-an-option-it-is-a-gift-death_636526.jpg" --- # Life is not an option, it is a gift. Death is the option. ![“Life is not an option, it is a gift. Death is the option.” quote by Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/frank-herbert-262_choice_life-is-not-an-option-it-is-a-gift-death_636526.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/frank-herbert-262_choice_life-is-not-an-option-it-is-a-gift-death_636526.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/frank-herbert-262_choice_life-is-not-an-option-it-is-a-gift-death_636526.jpg) > ““Life is not an option, it is a gift. Death is the option.”” [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) ## 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 contrasts life and death, presenting life as a gift and death as a choice, emphasizing the value of existence. **In simple terms:** Life is a gift; death is a choice. Key Takeaway Cherish life. Themes existential literary philosophical Mood thoughtful contemplative Type existential literary When to use this quote - healthcare decisions - end‑of‑life planning - personal reflection Key Concepts mortality meaning of life Questions to Reflect On - How do you view mortality? - What choices give life meaning? A Different Perspective Choosing how to live influences how we face death. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Option](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-option-4158335/) [Gift Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift-death-634187/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Option](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-option-1764294/) ## Related quotes > [“You’re my easy life option. The moment you stop being that, you’re no option at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/you-re-my-easy-life-option-the-moment-you-stop-being-that-you-re-no/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“Death is not an option. Death is inevitable. But death is a choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lik-hock-yap-ivan/death-is-not-an-option-death-is-inevitable-but-death-is-a-choice/) [Lik Hock Yap Ivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lik-hock-yap-ivan/) > [The trick to having obedient, unquestioning children was to have death be the other option](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/the-trick-to-having-obedient-unquestioning-children-was-to-have-death/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“The precious gift of life must be preserved no matter now painful and pointless it seemed. Peace, I told them, is a gift so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/the-precious-gift-of-life-must-be-preserved-no-matter-now-painful-and/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Thank God for the gift of death for life can be tiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kateeep/thank-god-for-the-gift-of-death-for-life-can-be-tiring/) [Kateeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kateeep/) > [“But death was her curse and her gift, and death had been her good friend these long, long years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/but-death-was-her-curse-and-her-gift-and-death-had-been-her-good/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“Although the woman—like the countless victims that came before her—would never appreciate the gift, through death, he would give her immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-cross/although-the-woman-like-the-countless-victims-that-came-before-her/) [Ethan Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-cross/) > [How could death be the tragedy of life…when life is a woman's gift death is a God's gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santanu-mishra/how-could-death-be-the-tragedy-of-life-when-life-is-a-woman-s-gift/) [Santanu Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santanu-mishra/) > [Never make someone a priority in your life when you're only an option in theirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-make-someone-a-priority-in-your-life-when-you-re-only-an-option/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've never sold widely enough to be able to relax about money. I had two kids and their mother to support and my own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-ve-never-sold-widely-enough-to-be-able-to-relax-about-money-i-had/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Sometimes enough is enough. Moving on in your life is the only option you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/sometimes-enough-is-enough-moving-on-in-your-life-is-the-only-option/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [How can I let you be a priority in my life, when I'm still an option in your life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/how-can-i-let-you-be-a-priority-in-my-life-when-i-m-still-an-option/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [“I can’t live in a world where she is not in my life, it’s not even an option. She told me that she doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-harvey/i-can-t-live-in-a-world-where-she-is-not-in-my-life-it-s-not-even-an/) [B.J. Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-harvey/) > [Dont let someone become a priority in your life when you are always an option in their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-let-someone-become-a-priority-in-your-life-when-you-are-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How can ilet you be a priority in my life , when I'm still an option in your life ??](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-can-ilet-you-be-a-priority-in-my-life-when-i-m-still-an-option-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Frank Herbert > [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“A leader, you see, is one of the things that distinguishes a mob from a people. He maintains the level of individuals. Too few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/a-leader-you-see-is-one-of-the-things-that-distinguishes-a-mob-from-a/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“I will tell you this only once. Homosexuals have been among the best warriors in our history, the berserkers of last resort. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/i-will-tell-you-this-only-once-homosexuals-have-been-among-the-best/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Between depriving a man of one hour from his life and depriving him of his life there exists only a difference of degree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/between-depriving-a-man-of-one-hour-from-his-life-and-depriving-him/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [The surest way to keep a secret is to make someone think they already know the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-surest-way-to-keep-a-secret-is-to-make-someone-think-they-already/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“how inevitable it was that the aristocrat would refuse his final duty—which was to step aside and vanish into history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/how-inevitable-it-was-that-the-aristocrat-would-refuse-his-final-duty/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“What we should have done was test the gift first. We should have probed for dangers. We were too bedazzled by it, though.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/what-we-should-have-done-was-test-the-gift-first-we-should-have/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Have you noticed, Stil, how beautiful the young women are this year?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/have-you-noticed-stil-how-beautiful-the-young-women-are-this-year/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Humans are born with a susceptibility to that most persistent and debilitating disease of intellect: self-deception. The best of all possible worlds and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/humans-are-born-with-a-susceptibility-to-that-most-persistent-and/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Face your fears or they will climb over your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/face-your-fears-or-they-will-climb-over-your-back/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Many have marked the speed with which Muad'Dib learned the necessities of Arrakis. The Bene Gesserit, of course, know the basis of this speed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/many-have-marked-the-speed-with-which-muad-dib-learned-the/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“The assumption that a whole system can be made to work better through an assault on its conscious elements betrays a dangerous ignorance. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-assumption-that-a-whole-system-can-be-made-to-work-better-through/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-power-to-destroy-a-thing-is-the-absolute-control-over-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Providence and Manifest Destiny are synonyms often invoked to support arguments based on wishful thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/providence-and-manifest-destiny-are-synonyms-often-invoked-to-support/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [If you ask "Should we be in space?" you ask a nonsense question. We are in space. We will be in space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/if-you-ask-should-we-be-in-space-you-ask-a-nonsense-question-we-are/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) [Explore all 776 Frank Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) ## More Choice quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“Exactly. So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/exactly-so-what-can-t-you-take-decide-which-of-the-two-options-is/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I have too many options when it comes to guitars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-have-too-many-options-when-it-comes-to-guitars/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [“Amazing how a small choice can change your life forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-c-dockens/amazing-how-a-small-choice-can-change-your-life-forever/) [Randy C. Dockens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-c-dockens/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Since I don't outline my books very much, I feel like sometimes I don't have a choice in what the characters do; they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/since-i-don-t-outline-my-books-very-much-i-feel-like-sometimes-i-don/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Words can only have an effect on you if you choose to listen to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/words-can-only-have-an-effect-on-you-if-you-choose-to-listen-to-them/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) [Browse all 8,092 Choice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Life is not an option, it is a gift. 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