--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every breath we draw wards off the death…" description: "\"“Every breath we draw wards off the death that constantly impinges on us…. Ultimately death must triumph, for by birth it has already become our lot an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/irvin-d-yalom-1519_breath_every-breath-we-draw-wards-off-the-death_1527914.jpg" --- # Every breath we draw wards off the death that constantly… ![“Every breath we draw wards off the death that constantly impinges on us…. Ultimately death must triumph, for by birth it has already become our lot and it plays with its prey only for a short while before swallowing it up. However, we continue our life with great interest and much solicitude as…” quote by Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/irvin-d-yalom-1519_breath_every-breath-we-draw-wards-off-the-death_1527914.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/irvin-d-yalom-1519_breath_every-breath-we-draw-wards-off-the-death_1527914.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/irvin-d-yalom-1519_breath_every-breath-we-draw-wards-off-the-death_1527914.jpg) > ““Every breath we draw wards off the death that constantly impinges on us…. Ultimately death must triumph, for by birth it has already become our lot and it plays with its prey only for a short while before swallowing it up. However, we continue our life with great interest and much solicitude as long as possible, just as we blow out a soap-bubble as long and as large as possible, although with the perfect certainty that it will burst.”” [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is fleeting; we cling to it despite knowing death is inevitable, seeking meaning while we can. **In simple terms:** We know death is inevitable, but we still try to live fully. Key Takeaway Embrace each moment, despite mortality. Themes mortality meaning existentialism living fully acceptance Mood reflective somber hopeful Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - personal reflection - philosophical contemplation - seeking purpose Key Concepts existential anxiety temporality human finitude Questions to Reflect On - How do you find purpose knowing life ends? - What small actions make your days feel richer? A Different Perspective Life’s brevity can cause paralysis or denial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath/) [Breath Draw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath-draw-1067155/) [Continue Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continue-life-1299862/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Constantly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-constantly-1536417/) [Death Triumph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-triumph-5662525/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“The life of our bodies is only a constantly prevented dying, an ever deferred death…Every breath we draw wards off death that constantly impinges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/the-life-of-our-bodies-is-only-a-constantly-prevented-dying-an-ever/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Life is too short not to create something with every breath we draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/life-is-too-short-not-to-create-something-with-every-breath-we-draw/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [As you do Pilates, use your breath to draw your mind into the present and whisk the tension out of your body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-austin/as-you-do-pilates-use-your-breath-to-draw-your-mind-into-the-present/) [Denise Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-austin/) > [“I cannot be stopped unless I am dead. Nothing else can stop me. As long as no one has the balls to kill me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-kirk/i-cannot-be-stopped-unless-i-am-dead-nothing-else-can-stop-me-as-long/) [T.J. Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-kirk/) > [Death is nowhere and you are constantly dying; life is a benediction and you are in hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-nowhere-and-you-are-constantly-dying-life-is-a-benediction/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We see death constantly on film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/we-see-death-constantly-on-film/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [“Now, as never before, it was clear to him that art is always, ceaselessly, occupied with two things. It constantly reflects on death and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/now-as-never-before-it-was-clear-to-him-that-art-is-always/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [“Start your future with an act of cruelty and continue your life carrying it in your soul”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameh-elsayed/start-your-future-with-an-act-of-cruelty-and-continue-your-life/) [Sameh Elsayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameh-elsayed/) > [“There's no point regretting something you've already done. It's in the past. Let it go. Continue on with life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/houriya-khan/there-s-no-point-regretting-something-you-ve-already-done-it-s-in-the/) [Houriya Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/houriya-khan/) > [Spread love and continue life. Keep creating life, that's my message!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sizzla/spread-love-and-continue-life-keep-creating-life-that-s-my-message/) [Sizzla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sizzla/) > [For sure, I would like to continue my life with the strings of football by being a coach, manager - I don't know. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepe-reina/for-sure-i-would-like-to-continue-my-life-with-the-strings-of/) [Pepe Reina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepe-reina/) > [“Sometimes I think I have forgiven her. Sometimes I’m not certain I have. I don’t know how—that’s like asking how you continue on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/sometimes-i-think-i-have-forgiven-her-sometimes-i-m-not-certain-i/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I've learned to suck it up, keep my head up, and continue on with life like it didn't bother me at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-learned-to-suck-it-up-keep-my-head-up-and-continue-on-with-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Only what you willingly accept can continue to be part of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/only-what-you-willingly-accept-can-continue-to-be-part-of-your-life/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [“A story might help you get through your life, he said, but it doesn't literally keep you alive -- if anything, most often people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hannaham/a-story-might-help-you-get-through-your-life-he-said-but-it-doesn-t/) [James Hannaham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hannaham/) ## More by Irvin D. Yalom > [“ALAS, IF ALL HUMANS WERE WISE AND HAD MORE GOOD WILL THE WORLD WOULD BE A PARADISE NOW IT IS MOSTLY A HELL”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/alas-if-all-humans-were-wise-and-had-more-good-will-the-world-would/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [I dream of a love that is more than two people craving to possess one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/i-dream-of-a-love-that-is-more-than-two-people-craving-to-possess-one/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Ümitsizlik özfarkındalık uğruna ödenen bedeldir.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/mitsizlik-zfark-ndal-k-u-runa-denen-bedeldir/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Therapists need to have a long experience in personal therapy to see what it's like to be on the other side of the couch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/therapists-need-to-have-a-long-experience-in-personal-therapy-to-see/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Beginning therapists must learn that there are times to sit in silence, sometimes in silent communion, sometimes simply while waiting for patients' thoughts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/beginning-therapists-must-learn-that-there-are-times-to-sit-in/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [If one is to learn to live with the dead, one must first learn to live with the living!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/if-one-is-to-learn-to-live-with-the-dead-one-must-first-learn-to-live/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Specialness as a primary mode of death transcendence takes a number of other maladaptive forms. The drive for power is not uncommonly motivated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/specialness-as-a-primary-mode-of-death-transcendence-takes-a-number/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Exactly. We know that the great Goethe carried a copy of Spinoza’s Ethics in his pocket for a year. Imagine that—an entire year! And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/exactly-we-know-that-the-great-goethe-carried-a-copy-of-spinoza-s/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Hope is the worst of evils because it protracts torment.” “Your”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/hope-is-the-worst-of-evils-because-it-protracts-torment-your/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Mature love is loving, not being loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/mature-love-is-loving-not-being-loved/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Absolute power, as we have always known, corrupts absolutely; it corrupts because it does not do the trick for the individual. Reality always creeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/absolute-power-as-we-have-always-known-corrupts-absolutely-it/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Indeed, the capacity to tolerate uncertainty is a prerequisite for the profession. Though the public may believe that therapists guide patients systematically and sure-handedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/indeed-the-capacity-to-tolerate-uncertainty-is-a-prerequisite-for-the/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Rollo May quipped that anxiety about nothing tries to become anxiety about something. In other words, anxiety about nothingness quickly attaches itself to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/rollo-may-quipped-that-anxiety-about-nothing-tries-to-become-anxiety/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“I often urge patients to project themselves into the future and to consider how they can live now so that five years hence they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/i-often-urge-patients-to-project-themselves-into-the-future-and-to/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [When people don't have any curiosity about themselves, that is always a bad sign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/when-people-don-t-have-any-curiosity-about-themselves-that-is-always/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) [Explore all 184 Irvin D. Yalom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) ## More Breath quotes > [“The days may last forever, but the years pass by in a blink; the secret to survival is actually remembering to take a deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-smokler/the-days-may-last-forever-but-the-years-pass-by-in-a-blink-the-secret/) [Jill Smokler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-smokler/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [Take a deep breath. It,s just a bad day not a bad life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-a-deep-breath-it-s-just-a-bad-day-not-a-bad-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I stopped loving you today, But OMG..., Seeing your Body takes my breath away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becka-miller/i-stopped-loving-you-today-but-omg-seeing-your-body-takes-my-breath/) [Becka Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becka-miller/) > [So we must do our very best Whatever life may bring And look beyond the winter chill To smell the breath of spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-we-must-do-our-very-best-whatever-life-may-bring-and-look-beyond/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Poetry should be vital--either stirring our blood by its divine movements or snatching our breath by its divine perfection. To do both is supreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/poetry-should-be-vital-either-stirring-our-blood-by-its-divine/) [Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/) > [“The first step in awareness is to be watchful of your body. Slowly,slowly one becomes alert about each gesture,each movement. And as you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/the-first-step-in-awareness-is-to-be-watchful-of-your-body-slowly/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [Tic Tacs are the maracas of breath mints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/tic-tacs-are-the-maracas-of-breath-mints/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [“To control your life, control your mind. To control your mind, control your breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/to-control-your-life-control-your-mind-to-control-your-mind-control/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [“He’s sitting so close, I can feel his breath on my cheek. My stomach flip-flops again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-s-sitting-so-close-i-can-feel-his-breath-on-my-cheek-my-stomach/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“My heart is your heart," she whispers, and wow that takes my breath away, this line from my childhood that she always used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabel-pitcher/my-heart-is-your-heart-she-whispers-and-wow-that-takes-my-breath-away/) [Annabel Pitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabel-pitcher/) > [Good manners and bad breath will get you nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/good-manners-and-bad-breath-will-get-you-nowhere/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [“Being able to be myself was like being able to exhale for the first time after holding my breath for years. It’s only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/404-ink/being-able-to-be-myself-was-like-being-able-to-exhale-for-the-first/) [404 Ink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/404-ink/) [Browse all 1,839 Breath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Every breath we draw wards off the death that constantly impinges on us…. Ultimately death must triumph, for by birth it has already become our lot and it plays with its prey only for a short while before swallowing it up. However, we continue our life with great interest and much solicitude as long as possible, just as we blow out a soap-bubble as long and as large as possible, although with the perfect certainty that it will burst.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Irvin D. 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