--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd rather die terrified than live forever." description: "\"I'd rather die terrified than live forever.\" — Joey Comeau" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/joey-comeau-10694_dies_i-d-rather-die-terrified-than-live-forev_1611006.png" --- # I'd rather die terrified than live forever. ![“I'd rather die terrified than live forever.” quote by Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/joey-comeau-10694_dies_i-d-rather-die-terrified-than-live-forev_1611006.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/joey-comeau-10694_dies_i-d-rather-die-terrified-than-live-forev_1611006.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/joey-comeau-10694_dies_i-d-rather-die-terrified-than-live-forev_1611006.png) > “I'd rather die terrified than live forever.” [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He prefers a life of intense fear over an endless, possibly meaningless existence. **In simple terms:** Fearful living is better than endless life. Key Takeaway Embrace risk and authenticity. Themes existential fear life choice meaning Mood introspective philosophical Type existential motivational When to use this quote - personal decision making - mental health - creative work - risk taking Key Concepts nihilism authenticity existentialism Questions to Reflect On - Is a terrifying life truly fulfilling? - What defines a meaningful existence? A Different Perspective Fear can be paralyzing and reduce quality of life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Live forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-forever/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) ## Related quotes > [We are terrible for each other, and, yes, we are a disaster. But tell me your heart doesn't race for a hurricane or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/we-are-terrible-for-each-other-and-yes-we-are-a-disaster-but-tell-me/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [The stage always terrified me. The live audience is just one thing I bewilderingly look back on and say, 'How did I ever participate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/the-stage-always-terrified-me-the-live-audience-is-just-one-thing-i/) [Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/) > [When I started on 'Strictly,' I was terrified. Live television seemed like the most daunting thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darcey-bussell/when-i-started-on-strictly-i-was-terrified-live-television-seemed/) [Darcey Bussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darcey-bussell/) > [“Jesus, I don’t want to die today or tomorrow, but I don’t want to live forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/jesus-i-don-t-want-to-die-today-or-tomorrow-but-i-don-t-want-to-live/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [One is given to self-dramatization from time to time. I intend to live forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/one-is-given-to-self-dramatization-from-time-to-time-i-intend-to-live/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Be honest: Are you surprised that I didn't realize sooner? Are you surprised that it took me so long to even /think/ the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/be-honest-are-you-surprised-that-i-didn-t-realize-sooner-are-you/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [It is here that I can concentrate my mind upon the Remembered Earth. It is here that I am most conscious of being, here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-scott-momaday/it-is-here-that-i-can-concentrate-my-mind-upon-the-remembered-earth/) [N. Scott Momaday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-scott-momaday/) > [Thoughts are things. Negativity is what kills you... It's tough to do, but you've got to work at living, you know? Most people work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/thoughts-are-things-negativity-is-what-kills-you-it-s-tough-to-do-but/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [the fear of death is that you are dying too soon. 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He sat back in his chair and looked up to where his Bible sat on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/there-s-something-not-quite-christian-about-it-tony-said-he-sat-back/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [“Our love is a forest fire and we are the little things that live in the trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/our-love-is-a-forest-fire-and-we-are-the-little-things-that-live-in/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [Depression is like slashing at ghosts. Of course it's tempting to finally cut something real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/depression-is-like-slashing-at-ghosts-of-course-it-s-tempting-to/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [“I'm not really like a cop at all. I haven't got any actual authority. If someone does show up to do anything bad, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/i-m-not-really-like-a-cop-at-all-i-haven-t-got-any-actual-authority/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [“We'll wake up every day and we'll tell ourselves, "Live for today, you retarded little shit. The end is near.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/we-ll-wake-up-every-day-and-we-ll-tell-ourselves-live-for-today-you/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [“She wears glasses that are not too small. I wish I was a girl like that. I wear contact lenses because glasses make me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/she-wears-glasses-that-are-not-too-small-i-wish-i-was-a-girl-like/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [Death is not the end. Death is an ocean on all sides of our lives. Deep and dark and cold, and anything but empty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/death-is-not-the-end-death-is-an-ocean-on-all-sides-of-our-lives-deep/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [If we couldn't carry our dead inside us, we would be empty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/if-we-couldn-t-carry-our-dead-inside-us-we-would-be-empty/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [Dear Nintendo, We need a new Mario game, where you rescue the princess in the first ten minutes, and for the rest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/dear-nintendo-we-need-a-new-mario-game-where-you-rescue-the-princess/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [I have a form of ESP that allows me to consistently pick losing lottery numbers, and generally make poor life choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/i-have-a-form-of-esp-that-allows-me-to-consistently-pick-losing/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [Satellite images, maps and blueprints of the whole world, of every city. We could look it up and know what's there in someone else's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/satellite-images-maps-and-blueprints-of-the-whole-world-of-every-city/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [“There is no subtle way to mention you miss the curve of someone’s ass. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/there-is-no-subtle-way-to-mention-you-miss-the-curve-of-someone-s-ass/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [Be the trouble you want to see in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/be-the-trouble-you-want-to-see-in-the-world/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [“I break into heterosexual houses so I can masturbate in their heterosexual kitchens”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/i-break-into-heterosexual-houses-so-i-can-masturbate-in-their/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [“I get scared thinking about the yawning void of space and the maddening smallness of our solar system in it, and the smallness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/i-get-scared-thinking-about-the-yawning-void-of-space-and-the/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) [Explore all 64 Joey Comeau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) ## More Dies quotes > [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'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Don't even think for a moment that you are not going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/don-t-even-think-for-a-moment-that-you-are-not-going-to-die/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [I wonder: when a Jehovah's Witness dies and goes to Heaven, does God hide behind the door and pretend He's not home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-wonder-when-a-jehovah-s-witness-dies-and-goes-to-heaven-does-god/) [Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/) > [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/) [Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/) > [“When he stops giving you butterflies, Love dies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-blanchard/when-he-stops-giving-you-butterflies-love-dies/) Michelle Blanchard > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [I don't want to just die a normal death, I wanna be killed twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-don-t-want-to-just-die-a-normal-death-i-wanna-be-killed-twice/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [My father thrives on fear. You know that prayer If I should die before I wake? I had sheets that said that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-father-thrives-on-fear-you-know-that-prayer-if-i-should-die-before/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [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/) > [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [If you’re going to die on screen, you’ve got to be strong and in good health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-garbo/if-you-re-going-to-die-on-screen-you-ve-got-to-be-strong-and-in-good/) [Greta Garbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-garbo/) Browse all 7,484 Dies quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd rather die terrified than live forever.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joey Comeau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/i-d-rather-die-terrified-than-live-forever/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/i-d-rather-die-terrified-than-live-forever/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/joey-comeau-10694_dies_i-d-rather-die-terrified-than-live-forev_1611006.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/joey-comeau-10694_dies_i-d-rather-die-terrified-than-live-forev_1611006.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/joey-comeau-10694_dies_i-d-rather-die-terrified-than-live-forev_1611006.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'd rather die terrified than live forever.” — Joey Comeau", "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": "Joey Comeau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'd rather die terrified than live...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/i-d-rather-die-terrified-than-live-forever/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/i-d-rather-die-terrified-than-live-forever/#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 } } ] } ```