--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've come to look upon death the same way…" description: "\"I've come to look upon death the same way I look upon root-canal work. Everyone else seems to get through it all right, so it couldn't be too difficult..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/joseph-heller-601_canals_i-ve-come-to-look-upon-death-the-same-wa_1901909.png" --- # I've come to look upon death the same way I look upon… ![“I've come to look upon death the same way I look upon root-canal work. Everyone else seems to get through it all right, so it couldn't be too difficult for me.” quote by Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/joseph-heller-601_canals_i-ve-come-to-look-upon-death-the-same-wa_1901909.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/joseph-heller-601_canals_i-ve-come-to-look-upon-death-the-same-wa_1901909.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/joseph-heller-601_canals_i-ve-come-to-look-upon-death-the-same-wa_1901909.png) > “I've come to look upon death the same way I look upon root-canal work. Everyone else seems to get through it all right, so it couldn't be too difficult for me.” [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Death is treated as a routine task, comparable to a dental procedure, suggesting a calm, matter‑of‑fact attitude toward mortality. **In simple terms:** Seeing death like a root canal makes it less scary. Key Takeaway Approach fear with humor and routine. Themes mortality humor acceptance Mood reflective lighthearted Type philosophical humorous When to use this quote - medical procedures - end‑of‑life care - personal anxiety Key Concepts existentialism cognitive reframing Questions to Reflect On - How can humor help you face fear? - When might it hinder processing loss? A Different Perspective Humor may downplay genuine grief. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Canals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canals/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Root canals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root-canals/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) ## Related quotes > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. 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Still there's no denying the fact that marriage ranks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-schneider/marriage-it-s-a-hard-term-to-define-especially-for-me-i-ve-ducked-it/) [Andrew Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-schneider/) > [I could give you absolutely sterling advice on how to avoid writing, how when you run out of things to do other than going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-could-give-you-absolutely-sterling-advice-on-how-to-avoid-writing/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [I hate dentists. That's why my tooth fell out. 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Love is a spiritual root canal and the only thing that makes life worth living.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/love-is-the-grand-prize-and-the-garbage-heap-love-is-a-spiritual-root/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [Homework, root canals, and deadlines are the important things in life, and only when we have these major dramas taken care of can we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-heimel/homework-root-canals-and-deadlines-are-the-important-things-in-life/) [Cynthia Heimel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-heimel/) > [I have had a number of patients with breast cancer, all of whom had root canals on the tooth related to the breast area…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-diamond/i-have-had-a-number-of-patients-with-breast-cancer-all-of-whom-had/) [John Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-diamond/) > [dating you would be like a series of unnecessary root canals interspersed with occasional makeout sessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/dating-you-would-be-like-a-series-of-unnecessary-root-canals/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So we took out those 3 root canals when she had 3-6 months to live. And that was 6 years ago, and she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-huggins/so-we-took-out-those-3-root-canals-when-she-had-3-6-months-to-live/) Hal Huggins > [“I only had to let myself be happy... It seriously couldn’t be as difficult as I was making it...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mar-gerrison/i-only-had-to-let-myself-be-happy-it-seriously-couldn-t-be-as/) [Heather Mar-Gerrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mar-gerrison/) > [“Working with your ex-husband was almost as much fun as a double root canal. Without anesthesia. Doing it in front of television cameras was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wax/working-with-your-ex-husband-was-almost-as-much-fun-as-a-double-root/) [Wendy Wax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wax/) ## More by Joseph Heller > [“Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle. "That's some catch, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/yossarian-was-moved-very-deeply-by-the-absolute-simplicity-of-this/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [From men motivated by moral certitude, history teaches, no lasting good ever comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/from-men-motivated-by-moral-certitude-history-teaches-no-lasting-good/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [I’m cold,' Snowden said softly, 'I’m cold.' 'You’re going to be all right, kid,' Yossarian reassured him with a grin. 'You’re going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/i-m-cold-snowden-said-softly-i-m-cold-you-re-going-to-be-all-right/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get-you-killed-no-matter-which/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“They think that they’re smart and that the rest of us are dumb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/they-think-that-they-re-smart-and-that-the-rest-of-us-are-dumb/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/there-was-only-one-catch-and-that-was-catch-22-which-specified-that-a/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“Captain Flume was obsessed with the idea that Chief White Halfoat would tiptoe up to his cot one night when he was sound asleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/captain-flume-was-obsessed-with-the-idea-that-chief-white-halfoat/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“Depreciating motels, junked automobiles, and quick-food joints grow like amber waves of grain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/depreciating-motels-junked-automobiles-and-quick-food-joints-grow/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“That was where he wanted to be if he had to be there at all, instead of hung out there in front like some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/that-was-where-he-wanted-to-be-if-he-had-to-be-there-at-all-instead/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [I had examined myself pretty thoroughly and discovered that I was unfit for military service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/i-had-examined-myself-pretty-thoroughly-and-discovered-that-i-was/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“Yossarian was moved by such intense pity for his poverty that he wanted to smash his pale. sad, sickly face with his fist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/yossarian-was-moved-by-such-intense-pity-for-his-poverty-that-he/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [You have deep-seated survival anxieties. And you don't like bigots, bullies, snobs or hypocrites. Subconsciously there are many people you hate." "Consciously, sir, consciously,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/you-have-deep-seated-survival-anxieties-and-you-don-t-like-bigots/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“His specialty was alfalfa, and he made a good thing out of not growing any. The government paid him well for every bushel of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/his-specialty-was-alfalfa-and-he-made-a-good-thing-out-of-not-growing/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [Every writer I know has trouble writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/every-writer-i-know-has-trouble-writing/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“No such private nights of ecstasy or hushed-up drinking and sex orgies ever occurred. They might have occurred if either General Dreedle or General…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/no-such-private-nights-of-ecstasy-or-hushed-up-drinking-and-sex/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) [Explore all 420 Joseph Heller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) ## More Canals quotes > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [Actors do have good and bad sides. It's because the passage down the birth canal distorts the face. People born by caesarean section are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-griffiths/actors-do-have-good-and-bad-sides-it-s-because-the-passage-down-the/) [Richard Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-griffiths/) > [My daughter squealed again and both Bubba and I winced. It’s not an attractive sound, that. It’s high-pitched and it enters your ear canals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/my-daughter-squealed-again-and-both-bubba-and-i-winced-it-s-not-an/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [The citizens of Love Canal provided an example of how a blue-collar community with few resources can win against great odds (a multi-billion-dollar international…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-gibbs/the-citizens-of-love-canal-provided-an-example-of-how-a-blue-collar/) [Lois Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-gibbs/) > [The problem was that Panama technically belonged to Colombia, which refused to sign a treaty leasing it to the United States. So Roosevelt sent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-problem-was-that-panama-technically-belonged-to-colombia-which/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [All this piling up of one technology on top of another-railroad on steamboat, interstate highway on railroad, hydroelectric dam on watermill-had reduced the Mississippi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raban/all-this-piling-up-of-one-technology-on-top-of-another-railroad-on/) [Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raban/) > [I miss that time. The cities back then, just after the forests died, were full of wonders, and you'd stumble on them--these princes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-miss-that-time-the-cities-back-then-just-after-the-forests-died/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One learns little more about a man from his feats of literary memory than from the feats of his alimentary canal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-colby/one-learns-little-more-about-a-man-from-his-feats-of-literary-memory/) [Frank Moore Colby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-colby/) > [“The city's canals outnumber those in Venice,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonely-planet/the-city-s-canals-outnumber-those-in-venice/) Lonely Planet > [dating you would be like a series of unnecessary root canals interspersed with occasional makeout sessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/dating-you-would-be-like-a-series-of-unnecessary-root-canals/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I have had a number of patients with breast cancer, all of whom had root canals on the tooth related to the breast area…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-diamond/i-have-had-a-number-of-patients-with-breast-cancer-all-of-whom-had/) [John Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-diamond/) > [The digestive canal represents a tube passing through the entire organism and communicating with the external world, i.e. as it were the external surface…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-pavlov/the-digestive-canal-represents-a-tube-passing-through-the-entire/) [Ivan Pavlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-pavlov/) > [People generally have more feeling for canals and roads than education. However, I hope we can advance them with equal pace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/people-generally-have-more-feeling-for-canals-and-roads-than/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The crowning fortune of a man is to be born to some pursuit which finds him employment and happiness, whether it be to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-crowning-fortune-of-a-man-is-to-be-born-to-some-pursuit-which/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Equally important is the lack of cultivable land for farmers, a profound problem when you take into account that Afghanistan has always largely been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/equally-important-is-the-lack-of-cultivable-land-for-farmers-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) [Browse all 129 Canals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've come to look upon death the same way I look upon root-canal work. 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