---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are two ways of extending life…"
description: "\"There are two ways of extending life: firstly by moving the two points \"born\" and \"died\" farther away from one another. The other method is to go more ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c84/georg-c-lichtenberg-1087_born_there-are-two-ways-of-extending-life-fir_1032448.png"
---

#  There are two ways of extending life: firstly by moving…

![“There are two ways of extending life: firstly by moving the two points &quot;born&quot; and &quot;died&quot; farther away from one another. The other method is to go more slowly and leave the two points wherever God wills they should be, and this method is for the philosophers.” quote by Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c84/georg-c-lichtenberg-1087_born_there-are-two-ways-of-extending-life-fir_1032448.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c84/georg-c-lichtenberg-1087_born_there-are-two-ways-of-extending-life-fir_1032448.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c84/georg-c-lichtenberg-1087_born_there-are-two-ways-of-extending-life-fir_1032448.png)

> “There are two ways of extending life: firstly by moving the two points "born" and "died" farther away from one another. The other method is to go more slowly and leave the two points wherever God wills they should be, and this method is for the philosophers.”

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

## About This Quote

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

Life can be lengthened either by expanding experiences or by slowing down, a philosophical approach to existence.

**In simple terms:** Extend life by expanding experiences or slowing down.

Key Takeaway

Choose depth over speed.

Themes

philosophy time existence

Mood

contemplative thoughtful

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- career planning
- retirement
- creative projects
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

longevity mindfulness experience

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance expansion with patience?
- What does “slowing down” mean for you?

A Different Perspective

May neglect practical responsibilities while seeking depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died/) [Died Farther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died-farther-2366679/) [Extending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extending/) [Extending Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extending-life-1720719/) [Gods will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-will/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method/) [Method Philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method-philosophers-2366680/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Two ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-ways/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Ways Extending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ways-extending-2366678/)

## Related quotes

> [One of the things that Jon Kabat-Zinnn talks about is that everyone wants to figure out how to live longer. But this actually is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/one-of-the-things-that-jon-kabat-zinnn-talks-about-is-that-everyone/)

[Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/)

> [The aim is to postpone frailty, postpone degenerative disease, debilitation and so on and thereby shorten the period at the end of life, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/the-aim-is-to-postpone-frailty-postpone-degenerative-disease/)

[Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/)

> [Reducing caloric intake is the only proven method of extending life. If caloric intake is reduced to 20 percent below maintenance, you can extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/reducing-caloric-intake-is-the-only-proven-method-of-extending-life/)

[S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/)

> [ “\[...\] people too busy leading their lives to worry about extending their life expectancy.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/people-too-busy-leading-their-lives-to-worry-about-extending-their/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Even with the knowledge that they may die a slow, grueling death, many people still wish to remain kept alive at all costs. Larry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/even-with-the-knowledge-that-they-may-die-a-slow-grueling-death-many/)

[Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/)

> [Time is a rigid, bonelike structure, extending infinitely ahead and behind, fossilizing the future as well as the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/time-is-a-rigid-bonelike-structure-extending-infinitely-ahead-and/)

[Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/)

> [Sometimes breaking the rules is extending the rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/sometimes-breaking-the-rules-is-extending-the-rules/)

[Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/)

> [The president is 100 percent for extending the tax cuts for 98.7 percent of small businesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austan-goolsbee/the-president-is-100-percent-for-extending-the-tax-cuts-for-98-7/)

[Austan Goolsbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austan-goolsbee/)

> [The Shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-shadow-is-a-moral-problem-that-challenges-the-whole-ego/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [We applaud Congress for extending equitable abortion coverage to female Peace Corps volunteers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/we-applaud-congress-for-extending-equitable-abortion-coverage-to/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [I believe in art that is connected to real human feeling, that extends itself beyond the limits of the art world to embrace all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-chicago/i-believe-in-art-that-is-connected-to-real-human-feeling-that-extends/)

[Judy Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-chicago/)

> [Such exceptional suffering and calamity, then, affecting the hero, and-we must now add-generally extending far and wide beyond him, so as to make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-bradley/such-exceptional-suffering-and-calamity-then-affecting-the-hero-and/)

[A. C. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-bradley/)

> [Muse of the many twinkling feet, whose charms are now extending up from legs to arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/muse-of-the-many-twinkling-feet-whose-charms-are-now-extending-up/)

[Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/)

> [Two to 4% of cancers respond to chemotherapy…The bottom line is for a few kinds of cancer chemo is a life extending procedure-Hodgkin's disease,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-w-moss/two-to-4-of-cancers-respond-to-chemotherapy-the-bottom-line-is-for-a/)

[Ralph W. Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-w-moss/)

> [The old charters of Massachusetts, Virginia, and the Carolinas had given title to strips of territory extending from the Atlantic westward to the Pacific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bushnell-hart/the-old-charters-of-massachusetts-virginia-and-the-carolinas-had/)

[Albert Bushnell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bushnell-hart/)

## More by Georg C. Lichtenberg

> [If people should ever start to do only what is necessary millions would die of hunger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/if-people-should-ever-start-to-do-only-what-is-necessary-millions/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [The wisdom of providence is as much revealed in the rarity of genius, as in the circumstance that not everyone is deaf or blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/the-wisdom-of-providence-is-as-much-revealed-in-the-rarity-of-genius/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [I ceased in the year 1764 to believe that one can convince one’s opponents with arguments printed in books. It is not to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/i-ceased-in-the-year-1764-to-believe-that-one-can-convince-one-s/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [Probably no invention came more easily to man than heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/probably-no-invention-came-more-easily-to-man-than-heaven/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [It is a great shame; most of our words are misused tools / which often still smell of the mud in which previous owners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/it-is-a-great-shame-most-of-our-words-are-misused-tools-which-often/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [To live when you do not want to is dreadful, but it would be even more terrible to be immortal when you did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/to-live-when-you-do-not-want-to-is-dreadful-but-it-would-be-even-more/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [He who understands the wise is wise already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/he-who-understands-the-wise-is-wise-already/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [The fruits of philosophy are the important thing, not the philosophy itself. When we ask the time, we don't want to know how watches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/the-fruits-of-philosophy-are-the-important-thing-not-the-philosophy/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [He who says he hates all kinds of flattery, and says so in earnest, has undoubtedly not as yet become acquainted with all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/he-who-says-he-hates-all-kinds-of-flattery-and-says-so-in-earnest-has/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [One can live in this world on soothsaying but not on truth saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/one-can-live-in-this-world-on-soothsaying-but-not-on-truth-saying/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [Actual aristocracy cannot be abolished by any law: all the law can do is decree how it is to be imparted and who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/actual-aristocracy-cannot-be-abolished-by-any-law-all-the-law-can-do/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [One of the greatest and also the commonest of faults is for men to believe that, because they never hear their shortcomings spoken of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/one-of-the-greatest-and-also-the-commonest-of-faults-is-for-men-to/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [People who never have any time on their hands are those who do the least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/people-who-never-have-any-time-on-their-hands-are-those-who-do-the/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [An hour-glass is a reminder not only of time's quick flight, but also of the dust to which we must at last return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/an-hour-glass-is-a-reminder-not-only-of-time-s-quick-flight-but-also/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

[Explore all 295 Georg C. Lichtenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

## More Born quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/)

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

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

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

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/)

[Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/)

[Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/)

[Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/)

[Browse all 11,606 Born quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There are two ways of extending life: firstly by moving the two points \"born\" and \"died\" farther away from one another. The other method is to go more slowly and leave the two points wherever God wills they should be, and this method is for the philosophers.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Georg C. Lichtenberg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/there-are-two-ways-of-extending-life-firstly-by-moving-the-two-points/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Born"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/there-are-two-ways-of-extending-life-firstly-by-moving-the-two-points/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c84/georg-c-lichtenberg-1087_born_there-are-two-ways-of-extending-life-fir_1032448.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c84/georg-c-lichtenberg-1087_born_there-are-two-ways-of-extending-life-fir_1032448.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c84/georg-c-lichtenberg-1087_born_there-are-two-ways-of-extending-life-fir_1032448.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There are two ways of extending life: firstly by moving the two points \"born\" and \"died\" farther away from…” — Georg C. Lichtenberg",
                "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": "Georg C. Lichtenberg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There are two ways of extending...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/there-are-two-ways-of-extending-life-firstly-by-moving-the-two-points/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/there-are-two-ways-of-extending-life-firstly-by-moving-the-two-points/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
