--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Better to die ten thousand deaths, Than…" description: "\"Better to die ten thousand deaths, Than wound my honour.\" — Joseph Addison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/joseph-addison-377_death_better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-w_2185698.png" --- # Better to die ten thousand deaths, Than wound my honour. ![“Better to die ten thousand deaths, Than wound my honour.” quote by Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/joseph-addison-377_death_better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-w_2185698.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/joseph-addison-377_death_better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-w_2185698.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/joseph-addison-377_death_better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-w_2185698.png) > “Better to die ten thousand deaths, Than wound my honour.” [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing a painful death over a tarnished reputation shows the high value placed on honor. **In simple terms:** Honor is more important than life. Key Takeaway Protect your reputation at all costs. Themes honor integrity reputation Mood serious reflective Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - political scandal - personal betrayal - military conflict - court intrigue Key Concepts ethical code social standing Questions to Reflect On - Is it always worth dying for honor? - When does preserving honor become selfish? A Different Perspective Sometimes survival may be necessary despite dishonor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-die-261489/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Die Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-thousand-817205/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Honorable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honorable/) [Honored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honored/) [Honour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honour/) [Ten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten/) [Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand/) [Thousand Deaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-deaths-847089/) [Wound Honour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wound-honour-4741167/) [Wounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wounds/) ## Related quotes > [Better to die ten thousand deaths than wound my honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-wound-my-honor/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [True it is that each of us has only one life - but how many of us 'die a thousand deaths' in fear and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-vaswani/true-it-is-that-each-of-us-has-only-one-life-but-how-many-of-us-die-a/) [Dada Vaswani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-vaswani/) > [“I’d die a thousand deaths for him to continue to look at me this way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-d-die-a-thousand-deaths-for-him-to-continue-to-look-at-me-this-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is nothing left for me to do but to go and see General Grant and I would rather die a thousand deaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/there-is-nothing-left-for-me-to-do-but-to-go-and-see-general-grant/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [Those who live in fear die a thousand deaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/those-who-live-in-fear-die-a-thousand-deaths/) [George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/) > [I'd rather die a thousand deaths, than having to live once again loving you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-quinonez/i-d-rather-die-a-thousand-deaths-than-having-to-live-once-again/) [Francisco Quinonez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-quinonez/) > [I would rather die a thousand deaths than surrender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/i-would-rather-die-a-thousand-deaths-than-surrender/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [“honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I come on? How then? Can honour set a leg? No:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/honour-pricks-me-on-yea-but-how-if-honour-prick-me-off-when-i-come-on/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Until that time comes I'll live a thousand hopes, die a thousand times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-t-lowe/until-that-time-comes-i-ll-live-a-thousand-hopes-die-a-thousand-times/) [Edward T Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-t-lowe/) > [You can only die once, so do not die a thousand times worrying about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-newton/you-can-only-die-once-so-do-not-die-a-thousand-times-worrying-about-it/) [Huey Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-newton/) > [To cast in it with Hyde was to die a thousand interests and aspirations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-cast-in-it-with-hyde-was-to-die-a-thousand-interests-and/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“I don’t care if I die a thousand more times ... I need you to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-fine/i-don-t-care-if-i-die-a-thousand-more-times-i-need-you-to-live/) [Chelsea Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-fine/) > [Happiness is a thing honored and perfect. This seems to be borne out by the fact that it is a first principle or starting-point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/happiness-is-a-thing-honored-and-perfect-this-seems-to-be-borne-out/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The coward dies a thousand deaths — the brave man only 500.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-willson/the-coward-dies-a-thousand-deaths-the-brave-man-only-500/) [Meredith Willson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-willson/) > [I have died a thousand and one deaths, and you're that much lifetime away, but why am I still thinking of you this way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanum/i-have-died-a-thousand-and-one-deaths-and-you-re-that-much-lifetime/) [Vanum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanum/) ## More by Joseph Addison > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [There is nothing touches our imagination so much as a beautiful woman in a plain dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-nothing-touches-our-imagination-so-much-as-a-beautiful-woman/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [We are always doing something for posterity, but I would fain see posterity do something for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/we-are-always-doing-something-for-posterity-but-i-would-fain-see/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Female Virtues are of a Domestick turn. The Family is the proper Province for Private Women to Shine in. If they must be showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/female-virtues-are-of-a-domestick-turn-the-family-is-the-proper/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [When love once pleads admission to our hearts, In spite of all the virtue we can boast, The woman that deliberates is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/when-love-once-pleads-admission-to-our-hearts-in-spite-of-all-the/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Many actions calculated to procure fame are not conducive to ultimate happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/many-actions-calculated-to-procure-fame-are-not-conducive-to-ultimate/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [T is liberty crowns Britannia's Isle, And makes her barren rocks and her bleak mountains smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/t-is-liberty-crowns-britannia-s-isle-and-makes-her-barren-rocks-and/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/reading-is-a-basic-tool-in-the-living-of-a-good-life/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The moral perfections of the Deity, the more attentively, we consider, the more perfectly still shall we know them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-moral-perfections-of-the-deity-the-more-attentively-we-consider/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The utmost we can hope for in this world is contentment; if we aim at anything higher, we shall meet with nothing but grief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-utmost-we-can-hope-for-in-this-world-is-contentment-if-we-aim-at/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Courage that grows from constitution often forsakes a man when he has occasion for it; courage which arises from a sense of duty acts;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/courage-that-grows-from-constitution-often-forsakes-a-man-when-he-has/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The most skillful flattery is to let a person talk on, and be a listener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-most-skillful-flattery-is-to-let-a-person-talk-on-and-be-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) [Explore all 620 Joseph Addison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Better to die ten thousand deaths, Than wound my honour.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Addison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-wound-my-honour/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-wound-my-honour/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/joseph-addison-377_death_better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-w_2185698.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/joseph-addison-377_death_better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-w_2185698.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/joseph-addison-377_death_better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-w_2185698.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Better to die ten thousand deaths, Than wound my honour.” — Joseph Addison", "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": "Joseph Addison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Better to die ten thousand deaths,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-wound-my-honour/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/better-to-die-ten-thousand-deaths-than-wound-my-honour/#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 } } ] } ```