---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one knows better than I do how far…"
description: "\"No one knows better than I do how far heaven is, but I also know all the shortcuts. The secret is to die, when you want to, and not when He proposes. O..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/juan-rulfo-11830_force_no-one-knows-better-than-i-do-how-far-he_813836.jpg"
---

#  No one knows better than I do how far heaven is, but I…

![“No one knows better than I do how far heaven is, but I also know all the shortcuts. The secret is to die, when you want to, and not when He proposes. Or else to force Him to take you before your time.” quote by Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/juan-rulfo-11830_force_no-one-knows-better-than-i-do-how-far-he_813836.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/juan-rulfo-11830_force_no-one-knows-better-than-i-do-how-far-he_813836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/juan-rulfo-11830_force_no-one-knows-better-than-i-do-how-far-he_813836.jpg)

> “No one knows better than I do how far heaven is, but I also know all the shortcuts. The secret is to die, when you want to, and not when He proposes. Or else to force Him to take you before your time.”

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

## About This Quote

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

Life’s ultimate control lies in choosing when to end it, rather than waiting for fate’s timing, suggesting agency over destiny.

**In simple terms:** Choosing death on your terms gives power over fate.

Key Takeaway

Embrace agency over life’s ending.

Themes

mortality agency faith destiny

Mood

somber reflective

Type

philosophical existential

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- terminal illness decisions
- spiritual retreats
- ethical debates on euthanasia

Key Concepts

existentialism free will spirituality

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “shortcuts” mean to you?
- How do you balance acceptance and control?

A Different Perspective

May overlook the value of living fully before deciding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Shortcuts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shortcuts/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Ideas in secret die. They need light and air or they starve to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/ideas-in-secret-die-they-need-light-and-air-or-they-starve-to-death/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [“Never forget a man who holds a secret holds power. A Chinese proverb says: "If women want to keep a secret, one of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eppler/never-forget-a-man-who-holds-a-secret-holds-power-a-chinese-proverb-2/)

John Eppler

> [“Never forget a man who holds a secret holds power. A Chinese proverb says: "If two men want to keep a secret, one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eppler/never-forget-a-man-who-holds-a-secret-holds-power-a-chinese-proverb/)

John Eppler

> [You either create something and you keep it a secret and you die with it, or you can benefit the craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vidal-sassoon/you-either-create-something-and-you-keep-it-a-secret-and-you-die-with/)

[Vidal Sassoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vidal-sassoon/)

> [Calling yourself the 'Best Kept Secret' is a die on your own sword.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-murphy/calling-yourself-the-best-kept-secret-is-a-die-on-your-own-sword/)

[Buddy Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-murphy/)

> [And since all this loveliness can not be Heaven, I know in my heart it is June.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-louisa-goold-woolson/and-since-all-this-loveliness-can-not-be-heaven-i-know-in-my-heart-it/)

[Abba Louisa Goold Woolson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-louisa-goold-woolson/)

> [“Someone from heaven will always know the future”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oladeji-jeremy/someone-from-heaven-will-always-know-the-future/)

Oladeji jeremy

> [This is a book about Heaven. I know it now. It floats among us like a cloud and is the realest thing we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/this-is-a-book-about-heaven-i-know-it-now-it-floats-among-us-like-a/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“Can the dead hear our prayers? When the words come floating up, do they go straight to God's sacred domain, or does all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eishes-chayil/can-the-dead-hear-our-prayers-when-the-words-come-floating-up-do-they/)

[Eishes Chayil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eishes-chayil/)

> [Everytime you are by my side its like heaven to me, You know dreams come true and its happening to me. My darling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-mayne/everytime-you-are-by-my-side-its-like-heaven-to-me-you-know-dreams/)

[Curtis Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-mayne/)

> [I know that they are in heaven, ... and I know that that's why this movement is growing because we have tens of thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/i-know-that-they-are-in-heaven-and-i-know-that-that-s-why-this/)

[Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/)

> [ Everything we "know" from above \[heaven\], we know from down here \[earth\]. How can you take something like that seriously? ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-stevaert/everything-we-know-from-above-heaven-we-know-from-down-here-earth-how/)

Steve Stevaert

> [When you arrive in heaven, you will know that answering the call was worth it. Answering the call is always worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-wheaton/when-you-arrive-in-heaven-you-will-know-that-answering-the-call-was/)

[Karen Wheaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-wheaton/)

> [“It's heaven to know that it's still possible to run, though she doesn't know what she's running from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/it-s-heaven-to-know-that-it-s-still-possible-to-run-though-she-doesn/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [“People who die in Detroit and then go to hell probably think they’re in heaven. I know, because I’ve been to Cleveland. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/people-who-die-in-detroit-and-then-go-to-hell-probably-think-they-re/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

## More by Juan Rulfo

> [“You've been dreaming lies again, Susana.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/you-ve-been-dreaming-lies-again-susana/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [“The sky was filled with fat stars, swollen from the long night. The moon had risen briefly and then slipped out of sight. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/the-sky-was-filled-with-fat-stars-swollen-from-the-long-night-the/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [“What's taking you so long in the privy, son?" "Nothing, mama." "If you stay in there much longer, a snake will come and bite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/what-s-taking-you-so-long-in-the-privy-son-nothing-mama-if-you-stay/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [“I am lying in the same bed where my mother died so long ago; on the same mattress, beneath the same black wool coverlet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/i-am-lying-in-the-same-bed-where-my-mother-died-so-long-ago-on-the/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [“We live in a region where everything is given to us, thanks to Providence, but where everything is bitter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/we-live-in-a-region-where-everything-is-given-to-us-thanks-to/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [“Vivimos rompiendo nuestro mundo a cada rato...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/vivimos-rompiendo-nuestro-mundo-a-cada-rato/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [“Every morning at dawn the village trembles with the rumbling of the wagons. They come in from everywhere, loaded with saltpeter, with corn, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/every-morning-at-dawn-the-village-trembles-with-the-rumbling-of-the/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [I am talking about misery and all of its implications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/i-am-talking-about-misery-and-all-of-its-implications/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [Because to write, one must truly suffer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/because-to-write-one-must-truly-suffer/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [There was no air; only the dead, still night fired by the dog days of August. Not a breath. I had to suck in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/there-was-no-air-only-the-dead-still-night-fired-by-the-dog-days-of/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [Nothing can last forever. There isn't any memory, no matter how intense, that doesn't fade out at last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/nothing-can-last-forever-there-isn-t-any-memory-no-matter-how-intense/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [There you'll find the place I love most in the world. The place where I grew thin from dreaming. My village, rising from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/there-you-ll-find-the-place-i-love-most-in-the-world-the-place-where/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [“Me mataron los murmullos”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/me-mataron-los-murmullos/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [“La muerte no se reparte como si fuera un bien.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/la-muerte-no-se-reparte-como-si-fuera-un-bien/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

> [“You'll see why a person would want to live there forever. Dawn, morning, mid-day, night: all the same, except for the changes in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/you-ll-see-why-a-person-would-want-to-live-there-forever-dawn-morning/)

[Juan Rulfo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

[Explore all 21 Juan Rulfo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/)

## More Force quotes

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/)

[Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [Above Coblentz almost every mountain has a ruin and a legend. One feels everywhere the spirit of the past, and its stirring recollections come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/above-coblentz-almost-every-mountain-has-a-ruin-and-a-legend-one/)

[Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/)

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [The one means that wins the easiest victory over reason is terror and force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-one-means-that-wins-the-easiest-victory-over-reason-is-terror-and/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/dictatorship-is-rule-based-directly-upon-force-and-unrestricted-by/)

[Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/)

> [The great force for forging a society into a solid mass has always been war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/the-great-force-for-forging-a-society-into-a-solid-mass-has-always/)

[William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/)

Segun Magbagbeola

Browse all 10,458 Force quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No one knows better than I do how far heaven is, but I also know all the shortcuts. The secret is to die, when you want to, and not when He proposes. Or else to force Him to take you before your time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Juan Rulfo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/no-one-knows-better-than-i-do-how-far-heaven-is-but-i-also-know-all/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Force"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/no-one-knows-better-than-i-do-how-far-heaven-is-but-i-also-know-all/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/juan-rulfo-11830_force_no-one-knows-better-than-i-do-how-far-he_813836.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/juan-rulfo-11830_force_no-one-knows-better-than-i-do-how-far-he_813836.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/juan-rulfo-11830_force_no-one-knows-better-than-i-do-how-far-he_813836.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No one knows better than I do how far heaven is, but I also know all the shortcuts. The secret is to die…” — Juan Rulfo",
                "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": "Juan Rulfo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-rulfo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "No one knows better than I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/no-one-knows-better-than-i-do-how-far-heaven-is-but-i-also-know-all/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-rulfo/no-one-knows-better-than-i-do-how-far-heaven-is-but-i-also-know-all/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
