---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Someone who is about to die does not…"
description: "\"Someone who is about to die does not mourn the dead.\" — Friedrich Durrenmatt"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/friedrich-d-rrenmatt-4497_dead_someone-who-is-about-to-die-does-not-mou_1832149.png"
---

#  Someone who is about to die does not mourn the dead.

![“Someone who is about to die does not mourn the dead.” quote by Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/friedrich-d-rrenmatt-4497_dead_someone-who-is-about-to-die-does-not-mou_1832149.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/friedrich-d-rrenmatt-4497_dead_someone-who-is-about-to-die-does-not-mou_1832149.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/friedrich-d-rrenmatt-4497_dead_someone-who-is-about-to-die-does-not-mou_1832149.png)

> “Someone who is about to die does not mourn the dead.”

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

## About This Quote

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

Those facing death are preoccupied with their own end, not grieving others.

**In simple terms:** The dying don’t mourn.

Key Takeaway

Focus on living, not on others’ losses.

Themes

mortality empathy perspective

Mood

philosophical somber

Type

reflection question

When to use this quote

- end‑of‑life care
- war zones
- personal loss

Key Concepts

existentialism ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does awareness of mortality change your priorities?
- Can you empathize with the dying?

A Different Perspective

Grieving is a natural human response regardless of one’s own fate.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/)

## Related quotes

> [“The living mourn the dead for a time but they forget about them as days pass. The living are so selfish, so spoilt, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/the-living-mourn-the-dead-for-a-time-but-they-forget-about-them-as/)

[Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/)

> [I don't mourn the dead. I mourn the living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-evans/i-don-t-mourn-the-dead-i-mourn-the-living/)

[Stephen Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-evans/)

> [Do not mourn the dead. They know what they are doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/do-not-mourn-the-dead-they-know-what-they-are-doing/)

[Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/)

> [Do not mourn the dead with the belly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/do-not-mourn-the-dead-with-the-belly/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [Mourn the dead, fight like hell for the living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/mourn-the-dead-fight-like-hell-for-the-living/)

Mother Jones

> [I am not going to be licked by tragedy, as life is a challenge, and we must carry on and work for the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-kennedy/i-am-not-going-to-be-licked-by-tragedy-as-life-is-a-challenge-and-we/)

[Rose Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-kennedy/)

> [We don't mourn for the dead nigga, we pour bottles. Drown sorrows, ocean blue Murcielagos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pusha-t/we-don-t-mourn-for-the-dead-nigga-we-pour-bottles-drown-sorrows-ocean/)

[Pusha T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pusha-t/)

> [“For, truly, the man who does not know when to die, does not know how to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/for-truly-the-man-who-does-not-know-when-to-die-does-not-know-how-to/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-scott/when-you-die-that-does-not-mean-that-you-lose-to-cancer/)

[Stuart Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-scott/)

> [A small fact: You are going to die…does this worry you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/a-small-fact-you-are-going-to-die-does-this-worry-you/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [When I die, so does hip hop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/when-i-die-so-does-hip-hop/)

[Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/)

> [I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense? -Peeta Mellark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunger-games/i-want-to-die-as-myself-does-that-make-any-sense-peeta-mellark/)

[Hunger Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunger-games/)

> [No parent should have their child die before he or she does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/no-parent-should-have-their-child-die-before-he-or-she-does/)

[Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/)

> [When I Die, So Does Hip Hop. -Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-die-so-does-hip-hop-eminem/)

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

> [The only reason people die, is because EVERYONE does it. You all just go along with it. It's RUBBISH, death. It's STUPID. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-only-reason-people-die-is-because-everyone-does-it-you-all-just/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

## More by Friedrich Durrenmatt

> [Rome has betrayed itself. It knew the truth and chose violence, it knew humaneness and it chose tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/rome-has-betrayed-itself-it-knew-the-truth-and-chose-violence-it-knew/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [A major power can afford a military debacle only when it looks like a political victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/a-major-power-can-afford-a-military-debacle-only-when-it-looks-like-a/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [“...he had read von Lambert's book on terrorism, there were two pages devoted to the Arab resistance movement, von Lambert refused to call them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/he-had-read-von-lambert-s-book-on-terrorism-there-were-two-pages/)

[Friedrich Dürrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [People like us who are on their last leg can only understand comedies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/people-like-us-who-are-on-their-last-leg-can-only-understand-comedies/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [Before anything else, we need a new age of Enlightenment. Our present political systems must relinquish their claims on truth, justice and freedom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/before-anything-else-we-need-a-new-age-of-enlightenment-our-present/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [So then learn to conquer your fear. This is the only art we have to master nowadays: to look at things without fear, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/so-then-learn-to-conquer-your-fear-this-is-the-only-art-we-have-to/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [We are not cave dwellers anymore, we live in the age of technology. When someone needs a car, he does not need to build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/we-are-not-cave-dwellers-anymore-we-live-in-the-age-of-technology/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [Every work of art depicts an aspect of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/every-work-of-art-depicts-an-aspect-of-reality/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [Justice is horrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/justice-is-horrible/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [Then the American flag was saluted. In general, in the United States people always salute the American flag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/then-the-american-flag-was-saluted-in-general-in-the-united-states/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [Communism is a proposition to structure the world more reasonably, a proposition for changing the world. As such, we have to analyze it and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/communism-is-a-proposition-to-structure-the-world-more-reasonably-a/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [The content of physics is the concern of physicists, its effect the concern of all men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/the-content-of-physics-is-the-concern-of-physicists-its-effect-the/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [This inhuman world has to become more humane. But how?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/this-inhuman-world-has-to-become-more-humane-but-how/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [Humans need justice in the here and now and grace in the thereafter. Justice in the here and now is possible only without freedom,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/humans-need-justice-in-the-here-and-now-and-grace-in-the-thereafter/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [The only remedy against hunger is reasonable birth control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/the-only-remedy-against-hunger-is-reasonable-birth-control/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

[Explore all 95 Friedrich Durrenmatt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

## More Dead quotes

> [I'm going to stay on stage until I drop dead. Then I'm going to have myself stuffed, like Trigger, and I'm going to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-m-going-to-stay-on-stage-until-i-drop-dead-then-i-m-going-to-have/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [I can't be a legend yet. I'm not dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-can-t-be-a-legend-yet-i-m-not-dead/)

[Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/)

> [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/)

[Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/)

> [It's a really dark, emotionally wrenching world that we've created on 'The Walking Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/it-s-a-really-dark-emotionally-wrenching-world-that-we-ve-created-on/)

[Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/)

> [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [“I’m just–” She wanted to say “not in the mood,” but that was not only a cliché but a vast understatement. She was dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-mcintosh/i-m-just-she-wanted-to-say-not-in-the-mood-but-that-was-not-only-a/)

[Will McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-mcintosh/)

> [Library: A place where the dead lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/library-a-place-where-the-dead-lie/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

> [When we dead awaken ... we see that we have never lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/when-we-dead-awaken-we-see-that-we-have-never-lived/)

[Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/)

> [Rather be dead than cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/rather-be-dead-than-cool/)

[Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/)

> [He was obviously dead. But since he was a vampire that wasn't as hopless a thing as it might have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/he-was-obviously-dead-but-since-he-was-a-vampire-that-wasn-t-as/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/)

[John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/)

> [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [I intend to do the Penn &amp; Teller show until they pry my cheesy magic wand from my cold dead fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-intend-to-do-the-penn-teller-show-until-they-pry-my-cheesy-magic/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> ['Misery' left a lasting mark on me. When I die, it will be 'Kathy 'Misery' Bates Is Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/misery-left-a-lasting-mark-on-me-when-i-die-it-will-be-kathy-misery/)

[Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/)

> [The only good Indian is a dead Indian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-sherman/the-only-good-indian-is-a-dead-indian/)

[William Tecumseh Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tecumseh-sherman/)

Browse all 3,376 Dead quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Someone who is about to die does not mourn the dead.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Friedrich Durrenmatt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/someone-who-is-about-to-die-does-not-mourn-the-dead/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dead"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/someone-who-is-about-to-die-does-not-mourn-the-dead/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/friedrich-d-rrenmatt-4497_dead_someone-who-is-about-to-die-does-not-mou_1832149.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/friedrich-d-rrenmatt-4497_dead_someone-who-is-about-to-die-does-not-mou_1832149.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/friedrich-d-rrenmatt-4497_dead_someone-who-is-about-to-die-does-not-mou_1832149.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Someone who is about to die does not mourn the dead.” — Friedrich Durrenmatt",
                "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": "Friedrich Durrenmatt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Someone who is about to die...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/someone-who-is-about-to-die-does-not-mourn-the-dead/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/someone-who-is-about-to-die-does-not-mourn-the-dead/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
