--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I die, people will say it is the…" description: "\"When I die, people will say it is the best thing for me. It is because they know it is the worst. They want to avoid the feeling of pity. As though the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/ivy-compton-burnett-10491_best-things_when-i-die-people-will-say-it-is-the-bes_2187790.jpg" --- # When I die, people will say it is the best thing for me… ![“When I die, people will say it is the best thing for me. It is because they know it is the worst. They want to avoid the feeling of pity. As though they were the people most concerned!” quote by Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/ivy-compton-burnett-10491_best-things_when-i-die-people-will-say-it-is-the-bes_2187790.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/ivy-compton-burnett-10491_best-things_when-i-die-people-will-say-it-is-the-bes_2187790.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/ivy-compton-burnett-10491_best-things_when-i-die-people-will-say-it-is-the-bes_2187790.jpg) > “When I die, people will say it is the best thing for me. It is because they know it is the worst. They want to avoid the feeling of pity. As though they were the people most concerned!” [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator suggests that death is seen as a relief by others, but they actually fear the pity that would accompany it. **In simple terms:** People think death is relief, but they fear pity. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden motives behind comfort statements. Themes mortality social perception empathy Mood somber introspective Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - end‑of‑life discussions - comforting the dying - social etiquette Key Concepts existential dread social expectations Questions to Reflect On - Why do people avoid expressing pity? - How does fear of pity shape our talk about death? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex grief reactions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-things/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) ## Related quotes > [Gentlemen, I must ask you to rid yourselves of all feeling of pity. We must annihilate the Jews wherever we find them and wherever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-frank/gentlemen-i-must-ask-you-to-rid-yourselves-of-all-feeling-of-pity-we/) [Hans Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-frank/) > [Isn't it good just to be alive on a day like this? I pity the people who aren't born yet for missing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/isn-t-it-good-just-to-be-alive-on-a-day-like-this-i-pity-the-people/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [“I had great pity on Ansje, because she always acted very happy, but I believed that it was really a front. I could see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diet-eman/i-had-great-pity-on-ansje-because-she-always-acted-very-happy-but-i/) [Diet Eman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diet-eman/) > [I have always a slight feeling of pity for the man who has no knowledge of chess, just as I would pity the man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegbert-tarrasch/i-have-always-a-slight-feeling-of-pity-for-the-man-who-has-no-2/) [Siegbert Tarrasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegbert-tarrasch/) > [I have always had a slight feeling of pity for man who has no knowledge of chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegbert-tarrasch/i-have-always-had-a-slight-feeling-of-pity-for-man-who-has-no/) [Siegbert Tarrasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegbert-tarrasch/) > [“People feeling pity for me is as offensive as them feeling inspired by me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-leigh-stewart/people-feeling-pity-for-me-is-as-offensive-as-them-feeling-inspired/) [Christy Leigh Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-leigh-stewart/) > [Self-pity is the bestiality of emotions: it absolutely disgusts people. When you're feeling pity for yourself, and somebody says to you 'You think maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/self-pity-is-the-bestiality-of-emotions-it-absolutely-disgusts-people/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I always pity people who have to write my plot synopses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-always-pity-people-who-have-to-write-my-plot-synopses/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“Stop constantly pity other people for how unfortunate and miserable they are, it's unpleasent to hear that repeadetly. A man who do not pity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-macdermott/stop-constantly-pity-other-people-for-how-unfortunate-and-miserable/) Fergus MacDermott > [“People might feel sorry for a man who's fallen on hard times, but when an entire nation is poor, the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/people-might-feel-sorry-for-a-man-who-s-fallen-on-hard-times-but-when/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“Pity the nation whose people are sheep, and whose shepherds mislead them. Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/pity-the-nation-whose-people-are-sheep-and-whose-shepherds-mislead/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [“Self-pity people are the most self-centered people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-tse/self-pity-people-are-the-most-self-centered-people/) [Sarah Tse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-tse/) > [And pity--people who inspire it in you are actually very powerful people. To get someone else to take care of you, to feel sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/and-pity-people-who-inspire-it-in-you-are-actually-very-powerful/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [“I pity people who don't like to read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-turi/i-pity-people-who-don-t-like-to-read/) Susan Turi > [“What a splendid day! Isn't it good just to be alive on a day like this? I pity the people who aren't born yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/what-a-splendid-day-isn-t-it-good-just-to-be-alive-on-a-day-like-this/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) ## More by Ivy Compton-Burnett > [Our desires have a way of getting bigger with our incomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/our-desires-have-a-way-of-getting-bigger-with-our-incomes/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [I never know why self-sacrifice is noble. Why is it better to sacrifice oneself than someone else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/i-never-know-why-self-sacrifice-is-noble-why-is-it-better-to/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [My youth is escaping without giving me anything it owes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/my-youth-is-escaping-without-giving-me-anything-it-owes-me/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [It will be a beautiful family talk, mean and worried and full of sorrow and spite and excitement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/it-will-be-a-beautiful-family-talk-mean-and-worried-and-full-of/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [“People do not like to lose their lives. That is the reason why they should not take other people's.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/people-do-not-like-to-lose-their-lives-that-is-the-reason-why-they/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Never is a long word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/never-is-a-long-word/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [A person who can really be called an unselfish person, has no place in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/a-person-who-can-really-be-called-an-unselfish-person-has-no-place-in/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [We do not discuss the members of our family to their faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/we-do-not-discuss-the-members-of-our-family-to-their-faces/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [The plot is not very important to me, though a novel must have one, of course. It's just a line to hang the washing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/the-plot-is-not-very-important-to-me-though-a-novel-must-have-one-of/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Time is not a great healer. It is an indifferent and perfunctory one. Sometimes it does not heal at all. And sometimes when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/time-is-not-a-great-healer-it-is-an-indifferent-and-perfunctory-one/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [There are different kinds of wrong. The people sinned against are not always the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/there-are-different-kinds-of-wrong-the-people-sinned-against-are-not/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Pushing forty? She's hanging on for dear life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/pushing-forty-she-s-hanging-on-for-dear-life/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Well, Buttermere, this is a day that is good to live and breathe in, that makes a man feel in his prime. Standing here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/well-buttermere-this-is-a-day-that-is-good-to-live-and-breathe-in/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Civilized life exacts its toll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/civilized-life-exacts-its-toll/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [We none of us talk to people as we do behind their backs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/we-none-of-us-talk-to-people-as-we-do-behind-their-backs/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) [Explore all 65 Ivy Compton-Burnett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) ## More Best things quotes > [I need the best things in life, that's women, thats cars. Cigars in Venice, bottle on ice, thats priceless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-need-the-best-things-in-life-that-s-women-thats-cars-cigars-in/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The next best thing to being witty one's self, is to be able to be able to quote another's wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/the-next-best-thing-to-being-witty-one-s-self-is-to-be-able-to-be/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [I really believe that our past can really hold us back from growth, so the best thing that we can do is MOVE ON…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-harper/i-really-believe-that-our-past-can-really-hold-us-back-from-growth-so/) [Bob Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-harper/) > [The best thing for you to do is shop at your local farmer's market and support the organic growers who are there. Because those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/the-best-thing-for-you-to-do-is-shop-at-your-local-farmer-s-market/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [The best thing about the term 'performance artist' is that it includes just about everything you might want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/the-best-thing-about-the-term-performance-artist-is-that-it-includes/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [The best things in life are free. Sunsets and sunrises are free. Air is free. Love is free. Death is free. The best things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-best-things-in-life-are-free-sunsets-and-sunrises-are-free-air-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I always wanted to be a player, but I never had the talent to make the big leagues. So I did the next best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-finley/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-player-but-i-never-had-the-talent-to-make-the/) Charlie Finley > [I was a 36C or D, and at 5' 1'', I knew that being a small person with big boobs standing in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-was-a-36c-or-d-and-at-5-1-i-knew-that-being-a-small-person-with-big/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Each time I stop somewhere and look out, there are more people sitting there than there were the time I came before. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-giglio/each-time-i-stop-somewhere-and-look-out-there-are-more-people-sitting/) [Louie Giglio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-giglio/) > [One of the best things that happened for me as a playwright is becoming a comic-book writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-aguirre-sacasa/one-of-the-best-things-that-happened-for-me-as-a-playwright-is/) [Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-aguirre-sacasa/) > [I don't really know who I am as an actor: the best thing would be to experiment with it for the next 30 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-barnes/i-don-t-really-know-who-i-am-as-an-actor-the-best-thing-would-be-to/) [Ben Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-barnes/) > [The best thing about time passing is the privilege of running out of it, of watching the wave of mortality break over me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-best-thing-about-time-passing-is-the-privilege-of-running-out-of/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [What was the best thing before sliced bread?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/what-was-the-best-thing-before-sliced-bread/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [The best thing about waking up early is seeing the sun rise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgit-mendler/the-best-thing-about-waking-up-early-is-seeing-the-sun-rise/) [Bridgit Mendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridgit-mendler/) [Browse all 1,021 Best things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I die, people will say it is the best thing for me. 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