Absolutes Quote by Jacques Derrida
“Learning to live ought to mean learning to die - to acknowledge, to accept, an absolute mortality - without positive outcome,or resurrection, or redemption, for oneself or for anyone else. That has been the old philosophical injunction since Plato: to be a philosopher is to learn how to die.”
About This Quote
Source Philosophy: Essays on the Death of Death, Jacques Derrida, 1995
The quote suggests that truly living requires confronting and accepting our inevitable death, without hoping for afterlife or redemption.
In simple terms: Living means accepting death without expecting redemption.
Embrace mortality as part of life.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- end‑of‑life counseling
- ethical decision‑making
- creative writing
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does accepting death change daily choices?
- What role does hope play in confronting mortality?
It may overlook cultural or religious perspectives that find meaning in afterlife concepts.