---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I should prefer to die laughing, and, on…"
description: "\"I should prefer to die laughing, and, on more than one occasion, thought I might.\" — Joseph Epstein"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d8/joseph-epstein-10324_comedy_i-should-prefer-to-die-laughing-and-on-m_2375428.png"
---

#  I should prefer to die laughing, and, on more than one…

![“I should prefer to die laughing, and, on more than one occasion, thought I might.” quote by Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d8/joseph-epstein-10324_comedy_i-should-prefer-to-die-laughing-and-on-m_2375428.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d8/joseph-epstein-10324_comedy_i-should-prefer-to-die-laughing-and-on-m_2375428.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d8/joseph-epstein-10324_comedy_i-should-prefer-to-die-laughing-and-on-m_2375428.png)

> “I should prefer to die laughing, and, on more than one occasion, thought I might.”

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

## 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 dying laughing and has contemplated it multiple times, reflecting a desire for joy even in death.

**In simple terms:** Would rather die laughing, thought about it often.

Key Takeaway

Embrace humor in life.

Themes

mortality humor philosophy

Mood

thoughtful lighthearted

Type

philosophical personal

When to use this quote

- end‑of‑life care
- mental health
- creative writing

Key Concepts

existentialism joy life perspective

Questions to Reflect On

- How does humor affect our view of mortality?
- Can laughter be a coping mechanism?

A Different Perspective

Humor may not address deeper existential concerns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/)

## Related quotes

> [I adore life but I dont fear death. I just prefer to die as late as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/i-adore-life-but-i-dont-fear-death-i-just-prefer-to-die-as-late-as/)

[Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/)

> [“i prefer to die on my feet,than live on my knees”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-miller/i-prefer-to-die-on-my-feet-than-live-on-my-knees/)

[Frank Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-miller/)

> [I prefer rather die like a man, than live like a coward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalifa-firas/i-prefer-rather-die-like-a-man-than-live-like-a-coward/)

[Khalifa Firas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalifa-firas/)

> [I prefer to die standing than to live on my knees,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charb/i-prefer-to-die-standing-than-to-live-on-my-knees/)

[Charb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charb/)

> [“I prefer to die fighting than living defeated”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigina-sgarro/i-prefer-to-die-fighting-than-living-defeated/)

[Luigina Sgarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigina-sgarro/)

> [I adore life but I don't fear death. I just prefer to die as late as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/i-adore-life-but-i-don-t-fear-death-i-just-prefer-to-die-as-late-as/)

[Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/)

> [Family, like arsenic, works best in small doses...unless you prefer to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/family-like-arsenic-works-best-in-small-doses-unless-you-prefer-to-die/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [I'll be working till by last breath and would prefer to die on sets only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharat-saxena/i-ll-be-working-till-by-last-breath-and-would-prefer-to-die-on-sets/)

[Sharat Saxena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharat-saxena/)

> [“Would you prefer to die and become one of us, or become one of us and then die...? Take your pick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuyuko-saigyouji/would-you-prefer-to-die-and-become-one-of-us-or-become-one-of-us-and/)

Yuyuko Saigyouji

> [Only if I am going to die, I should prefer to die as I have lived, drunkenly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rankin/only-if-i-am-going-to-die-i-should-prefer-to-die-as-i-have-lived/)

[Robert Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rankin/)

> [What can I say? I prefer to die well informed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/what-can-i-say-i-prefer-to-die-well-informed/)

[Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/)

> [“prefer to die not knowing something, rather than live my entire life believing something was so, only to find out later that it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-alan-roberts/prefer-to-die-not-knowing-something-rather-than-live-my-entire-life/)

Scott Alan Roberts

> [I prefer to die than fall into someone's eyes, if everyone start thinking like that, the world will become a paradise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/i-prefer-to-die-than-fall-into-someone-s-eyes-if-everyone-start/)

Mak\_786

> [“Everybody has to die. I prefer to die for a crime I have committed rather than to die for one of the crimes which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/everybody-has-to-die-i-prefer-to-die-for-a-crime-i-have-committed/)

[Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/)

> [I prefer to die rather than eat beef.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atal-bihari-vajpayee/i-prefer-to-die-rather-than-eat-beef/)

[Atal Bihari Vajpayee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atal-bihari-vajpayee/)

## More by Joseph Epstein

> [I am basically a complainer and all the grounds for complaint have been swept out from under me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-am-basically-a-complainer-and-all-the-grounds-for-complaint-have/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [I think the story is my form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-think-the-story-is-my-form/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [I was recently asked what it takes to become a writer. Three things, I answered: first, one must cultivate incompetence at almost every other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-was-recently-asked-what-it-takes-to-become-a-writer-three-things-i/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [“To be in the middle of composing a book is almost always to feel oneself in a state of confusion, doubt and mental imprisonment…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/to-be-in-the-middle-of-composing-a-book-is-almost-always-to-feel/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [I am the heterosexual Truman Capote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-am-the-heterosexual-truman-capote/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [Not to like ice cream is to show oneself uninterested in food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/not-to-like-ice-cream-is-to-show-oneself-uninterested-in-food/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [We who are quotatious are never truly alone, but always hear the cheerful flow of remarks made by dead writers so much more intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/we-who-are-quotatious-are-never-truly-alone-but-always-hear-the/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [Culture means, I think, that you have widened your experience enough through reading and through being a little bit thoughtful about these things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/culture-means-i-think-that-you-have-widened-your-experience-enough/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [Food has it over sex for variety. Hedonistically, gustatory possibilities are much broader than copulatory ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/food-has-it-over-sex-for-variety-hedonistically-gustatory/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [“Getting rid of most of my personal library comported nicely with my longheld fantasy of traveling light, existing with minimal encumbrances, living simply. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/getting-rid-of-most-of-my-personal-library-comported-nicely-with-my/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [Envy is never general, but always very particular - at least envy of the kind one feels strongly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/envy-is-never-general-but-always-very-particular-at-least-envy-of-the/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [Many moons ago dictionaries of quotations may have been less needed than they are today. In those good/bad old days, people walked around with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/many-moons-ago-dictionaries-of-quotations-may-have-been-less-needed/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/of-the-seven-deadly-sins-only-envy-is-no-fun-at-all/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [I know how many days in which I have just answered e-mail, had three phone calls and a two hour lunch. Poof, gone. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-know-how-many-days-in-which-i-have-just-answered-e-mail-had-three/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [I am married to someone I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-am-married-to-someone-i-love/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

[Explore all 66 Joseph Epstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

## More Comedy quotes

> ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/)

[Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/)

[Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/)

> [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/)

[Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/)

> [“Laugh and grow strong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-loyola/laugh-and-grow-strong/)

[Ignatius of Loyola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-loyola/)

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/)

[Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/)

[Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/)

> [Oh to that corkscrew, the useful tool to unlock the treasure of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/oh-to-that-corkscrew-the-useful-tool-to-unlock-the-treasure-of-wit/)

[Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/)

> [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/)

[Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/)

> [I do love to laugh!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/i-do-love-to-laugh/)

[Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/)

> [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

[Browse all 19,795 Comedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I should prefer to die laughing, and, on more than one occasion, thought I might.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph Epstein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-should-prefer-to-die-laughing-and-on-more-than-one-occasion-thought/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Comedy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-should-prefer-to-die-laughing-and-on-more-than-one-occasion-thought/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d8/joseph-epstein-10324_comedy_i-should-prefer-to-die-laughing-and-on-m_2375428.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d8/joseph-epstein-10324_comedy_i-should-prefer-to-die-laughing-and-on-m_2375428.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d8/joseph-epstein-10324_comedy_i-should-prefer-to-die-laughing-and-on-m_2375428.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I should prefer to die laughing, and, on more than one occasion, thought I might.” — Joseph Epstein",
                "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 Epstein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I should prefer to die laughing,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-should-prefer-to-die-laughing-and-on-more-than-one-occasion-thought/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-should-prefer-to-die-laughing-and-on-more-than-one-occasion-thought/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
