--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing that [Amaranta] did not…" description: "\"“The only thing that [Amaranta] did not keep in mind in her fearsome plan was that in spite of her pleas to God she might die before Rebeca. That was, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_ahead-of-time_the-only-thing-that-amaranta-did-not-kee_396633.jpg" --- # The only thing that \[Amaranta\] did not keep in mind in her… ![“The only thing that [Amaranta] did not keep in mind in her fearsome plan was that in spite of her pleas to God she might die before Rebeca. That was, in fact, what happened. At the final moment, however, Amaranta did not feel frustrated, but, on the contrary, free of all bitterness because death…” quote by Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_ahead-of-time_the-only-thing-that-amaranta-did-not-kee_396633.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_ahead-of-time_the-only-thing-that-amaranta-did-not-kee_396633.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_ahead-of-time_the-only-thing-that-amaranta-did-not-kee_396633.jpg) > ““The only thing that \[Amaranta\] did not keep in mind in her fearsome plan was that in spite of her pleas to God she might die before Rebeca. That was, in fact, what happened. At the final moment, however, Amaranta did not feel frustrated, but, on the contrary, free of all bitterness because death had awarded her the privilege of announcing itself several years ahead of time. She saw it on one burning afternoon sewing with her on the porch a short time after Meme had left for school. She saw it because it was a woman dressed in blue with long hair, with a sort of antiquated look, and with a certain resemblance to Pilar Ternera during the time when she had helped with the chores in the kitchen. Fernanda was present several times and did not see her, in spite of the fact that she was so real – so human and on one occasion asked of Amaranta the favor of threading a needle. Death did not tell her when she was going to die or whether her hour was assigned before that of Rebeca, but ordered her to begin sewing her own shroud on the next sixth of April. She was authorized to make it as complicated and as fine as she wanted, but just as honestly executed as Rebeca's, and she was told that she would die without pain, fear, or bitterness at dusk on the day that she finished it. Trying to waste the most time possible, Amaranta ordered some rough flax and spun the thread herself. She did it so carefully that the work alone took four years. Then she started the sewing. As she got closer to the unavoidable end she began to understand that only a miracle would allow her to prolong the work past Rebeca's death, but the very concentration gave her the calmness that she needed to accept the idea of frustration.”” [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Amaranta confronts death by turning it into a purposeful, patient craft, finding peace in acceptance rather than frustration. **In simple terms:** She accepts death by carefully making her own shroud, gaining calm. Key Takeaway Embrace inevitable endings with purposeful action. Themes acceptance death patience craft calm Mood reflective somber hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grieving - creative projects - long‑term planning - spiritual reflection - caregiving Key Concepts existentialism mindfulness ritual control agency Questions to Reflect On - How can purposeful activity ease fear of death? - What does “craft” symbolize in confronting mortality? 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Le contesté: Si es por amor no importa.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/el-ch-fer-me-previno-cuidado-sabio-en-esa-casa-matan-le-contest-si-es/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Bad luck doesn't have any chinks in it," he said with deep bitterness. "I was born a son of a bitch and I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/bad-luck-doesn-t-have-any-chinks-in-it-he-said-with-deep-bitterness-i/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Always. 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Mine was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/i-really-believe-that-all-ceo-pay-should-be-voted-on-by-shareholders/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) Browse all 222 Ahead of time quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The only thing that [Amaranta] did not keep in mind in her fearsome plan was that in spite of her pleas to God she might die before Rebeca. That was, in fact, what happened. At the final moment, however, Amaranta did not feel frustrated, but, on the contrary, free of all bitterness because death had awarded her the privilege of announcing itself several years ahead of time. She saw it on one burning afternoon sewing with her on the porch a short time after Meme had left for school. She saw it because it was a woman dressed in blue with long hair, with a sort of antiquated look, and with a certain resemblance to Pilar Ternera during the time when she had helped with the chores in the kitchen. Fernanda was present several times and did not see her, in spite of the fact that she was so real – so human and on one occasion asked of Amaranta the favor of threading a needle. Death did not tell her when she was going to die or whether her hour was assigned before that of Rebeca, but ordered her to begin sewing her own shroud on the next sixth of April. She was authorized to make it as complicated and as fine as she wanted, but just as honestly executed as Rebeca's, and she was told that she would die without pain, fear, or bitterness at dusk on the day that she finished it. Trying to waste the most time possible, Amaranta ordered some rough flax and spun the thread herself. She did it so carefully that the work alone took four years. Then she started the sewing. 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