---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We all got to die,\" she said. \"But dying…"
description: "\"“We all got to die,\" she said. \"But dying as your true self is always better. God'll take you however you come to Him. But it's easier on a soul to com..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/james-mcbride-4758_death_we-all-got-to-die-she-said-but-dying-as_577699.jpg"
---

#  We all got to die," she said. "But dying as your true self…

![“We all got to die,&quot; she said. &quot;But dying as your true self is always better. God'll take you however you come to Him. But it's easier on a soul to come to Him clean. You're forever free that way. From top to bottom.” quote by James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/james-mcbride-4758_death_we-all-got-to-die-she-said-but-dying-as_577699.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/james-mcbride-4758_death_we-all-got-to-die-she-said-but-dying-as_577699.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/james-mcbride-4758_death_we-all-got-to-die-she-said-but-dying-as_577699.jpg)

> ““We all got to die," she said. "But dying as your true self is always better. God'll take you however you come to Him. But it's easier on a soul to come to Him clean. You're forever free that way. From top to bottom.””

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote suggests that dying authentically and with a clean conscience leads to a better afterlife.

**In simple terms:** Being true to yourself eases the soul's journey after death.

Key Takeaway

Live authentically for a peaceful afterlife.

Themes

spirituality authenticity death

Mood

contemplative hopeful

Type

philosophical spiritual

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- end‑of‑life counseling
- spiritual guidance

Key Concepts

afterlife conscience redemption

Questions to Reflect On

- How does authenticity affect your view of death?
- What does “clean” mean to you spiritually?

A Different Perspective

May not address all religious perspectives on the afterlife.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [True self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-self/)

## Related quotes

> [“A body can't prosper if a person don't know who they are. That makes you poor as a pea, not knowing who you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/a-body-can-t-prosper-if-a-person-don-t-know-who-they-are-that-makes/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [People always say things like, Oh, well, he was suffering so much that he was better off dying. But that's not true. You're always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/people-always-say-things-like-oh-well-he-was-suffering-so-much-that/)

[Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/)

> [Being true to self is better than being liar to impress &amp; influence other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/being-true-to-self-is-better-than-being-liar-to-impress-influence/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [I meant what I said when I said until my dying day.I'm holding on to you, holding on to me.Maybe it's all gone black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-meant-what-i-said-when-i-said-until-my-dying-day-i-m-holding-on-to/)

[Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/)

> [“She needs us, for our love, but she doesn’t need us for anything else now.” He swallowed hard and said, “Dying is a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/she-needs-us-for-our-love-but-she-doesn-t-need-us-for-anything-else/)

[Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/)

> [Mama always said, dying was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/mama-always-said-dying-was-a-part-of-life-i-sure-wish-it-wasn-t/)

[Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/)

> [“My whole life, I wanted to be dead, but I didn't actually do anything about it. I guess I didn't want to be dead;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-holloway/my-whole-life-i-wanted-to-be-dead-but-i-didn-t-actually-do-anything/)

[Monica Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-holloway/)

> [I said i was dying not that i wanted to live”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-bowler/i-said-i-was-dying-not-that-i-wanted-to-live/)

[Tim Bowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-bowler/)

> [A famous actor, Edmund Kean, on his deathbed, was reported to have said, "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-helitzer/a-famous-actor-edmund-kean-on-his-deathbed-was-reported-to-have-said/)

[Melvin Helitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-helitzer/)

> [I don’t need to ring anyone. I said I’m dying. I didn’t say I wanted to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-bowler/i-don-t-need-to-ring-anyone-i-said-i-m-dying-i-didn-t-say-i-wanted-to/)

[Tim Bowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-bowler/)

> [“(D.L. Moody, who said in his dying days)In a little while you will read in the newspaper that I am dead. Do not believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-kingsbury/d-l-moody-who-said-in-his-dying-days-in-a-little-while-you-will-read/)

[Karen Kingsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-kingsbury/)

> [“if they hadn’t both been pretending, but had had what is called a heart-to-heart talk, that is, simply told each other just what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/if-they-hadn-t-both-been-pretending-but-had-had-what-is-called-a/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Be ur self there's no one better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-dead/be-ur-self-there-s-no-one-better/)

She's\_Dead

> [Save a life, Stop bullying. People KILL themselves because of bullying, Make your self a better person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-marie/save-a-life-stop-bullying-people-kill-themselves-because-of-bullying/)

[Jenna Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-marie/)

> [It is always our own self that we find at the end of the journey. The sooner we face that self, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-maillart/it-is-always-our-own-self-that-we-find-at-the-end-of-the-journey-the/)

[Ella Maillart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-maillart/)

## More by James McBride

> [Some things in this world just ain't meant to be, not in the times we want 'em to, and the heart has to hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/some-things-in-this-world-just-ain-t-meant-to-be-not-in-the-times-we/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [There are some really great books that have been written about slavery, but I don't think that the discourse about it in society has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/there-are-some-really-great-books-that-have-been-written-about/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [“Whatever you is, Onion," he said, "be it full.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/whatever-you-is-onion-he-said-be-it-full/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [There are two responses to really awful things. One is to lament and say, "Oh my God, oh lord." And the other is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/there-are-two-responses-to-really-awful-things-one-is-to-lament-and/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [If you're going to cheat and take people's history and you're not writing the Bible, you ain't really so great. But if you try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/if-you-re-going-to-cheat-and-take-people-s-history-and-you-re-not/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [“Most cars drove through there because the drivers is either from The Bottom and wanna get home - or they ain't from The Bottom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/most-cars-drove-through-there-because-the-drivers-is-either-from-the/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [There has to be some mystery in life, because the joy of being a writer and the joy of being a musician is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/there-has-to-be-some-mystery-in-life-because-the-joy-of-being-a/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [“And when James asked what color God was, she said, God is the color of water.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/and-when-james-asked-what-color-god-was-she-said-god-is-the-color-of/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [I'm proud of 'Miracle at St. Anna' and I loved it; there's no question in my mind it's as good as any movie that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/i-m-proud-of-miracle-at-st-anna-and-i-loved-it-there-s-no-question-in/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [“back,” Daddy said. “It’ll work out.” He had no idea what to do about Helen. They spoke a completely different language. He was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/back-daddy-said-it-ll-work-out-he-had-no-idea-what-to-do-about-helen/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [I'm one of the few Black writers, or African American writers, who managed to work my way through the system so that it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/i-m-one-of-the-few-black-writers-or-african-american-writers-who/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [God is the color of water. Water doesn't have a color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/god-is-the-color-of-water-water-doesn-t-have-a-color/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [First person narrative is a very effective tool but you have to know as a writer how to make it work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/first-person-narrative-is-a-very-effective-tool-but-you-have-to-know/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [The act of choosing what to place in your piece when you're a historian or a non-fiction writer already renders it into fiction for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/the-act-of-choosing-what-to-place-in-your-piece-when-you-re-a/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [...since I was a little boy, she had always wanted me to go. She was always sending me off on a bus someplace, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/since-i-was-a-little-boy-she-had-always-wanted-me-to-go-she-was/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

[Explore all 106 James McBride quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

## More Death quotes

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

J. Anthony Torino

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

Alan W. Powers

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We all got to die,\" she said. \"But dying as your true self is always better. God'll take you however you come to Him. But it's easier on a soul to come to Him clean. You're forever free that way. From top to bottom.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James McBride"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/we-all-got-to-die-she-said-but-dying-as-your-true-self-is-always/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/we-all-got-to-die-she-said-but-dying-as-your-true-self-is-always/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/james-mcbride-4758_death_we-all-got-to-die-she-said-but-dying-as_577699.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/james-mcbride-4758_death_we-all-got-to-die-she-said-but-dying-as_577699.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/james-mcbride-4758_death_we-all-got-to-die-she-said-but-dying-as_577699.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We all got to die,\" she said. \"But dying as your true self is always better. God'll take you however you…” — James McBride",
                "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": "James McBride",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We all got to die,\" she...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/we-all-got-to-die-she-said-but-dying-as-your-true-self-is-always/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/we-all-got-to-die-she-said-but-dying-as-your-true-self-is-always/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
