---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When she treads on my grave and feels as…"
description: "\"“When she treads on my grave and feels as if she’s trampling on that doting old man’s bones, my spirit will still be alive, feeling the whole weight of..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jun-ichir-tanizaki-21691_quote_when-she-treads-on-my-grave-and-feels-as_12858.jpg"
---

#  When she treads on my grave and feels as if she’s…

![“When she treads on my grave and feels as if she’s trampling on that doting old man’s bones, my spirit will still be alive, feeling the whole weight of her body, feeling pain, feeling the fine-grained velvety smoothness of the soles of her feet. Even after I’m dead I’ll be aware of that. I can’t…” quote by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jun-ichir-tanizaki-21691_quote_when-she-treads-on-my-grave-and-feels-as_12858.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jun-ichir-tanizaki-21691_quote_when-she-treads-on-my-grave-and-feels-as_12858.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jun-ichir-tanizaki-21691_quote_when-she-treads-on-my-grave-and-feels-as_12858.jpg)

> ““When she treads on my grave and feels as if she’s trampling on that doting old man’s bones, my spirit will still be alive, feeling the whole weight of her body, feeling pain, feeling the fine-grained velvety smoothness of the soles of her feet. Even after I’m dead I’ll be aware of that. I can’t believe I won’t. In the same way, Satsuko will be aware of the presence of my spirit, joyfully enduring her weight. Perhaps she may even hear my charred bones rattling together, chuckling, moaning, creaking. And that would by no means occur only when she was actually stepping on my grave. At the very thought of those Buddha’s Footprints modeled after her own feet she would hear my bones wailing under the stone. Between sobs I would scream: “It hurts! It hurts! … Even though it hurts, I’m happy—I’ve never been more happy, I’m much, much happier than when I was alive! … Trample harder! Harder!””

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker revels in post‑mortem awareness, finding ecstatic joy in being physically felt and even trampled upon, turning pain into a heightened sense of existence.

**In simple terms:** Finding bliss in being sensed after death.

Key Takeaway

Pain can amplify happiness when one feels truly present.

Themes

mortality sensory perception paradoxical joy embodiment spiritual awareness

Mood

eerie ecstatic transcendent

Type

philosophical poetic dramatic

When to use this quote

- grieving a loved one
- rituals at graves
- artistic performance
- spiritual meditation
- psychological catharsis

Key Concepts

afterlife bodily contact emotional intensity existential affirmation

Practical Applications

- creative writing exploring death
- therapy using body awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to feel alive through another's touch?
- How can suffering become a source of joy?

A Different Perspective

null

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feeling pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-pain/)

## Related quotes

> [“It's like my karate teacher says - you are more alive when you are feeling pain than when you are so careful that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabel-monaghan/it-s-like-my-karate-teacher-says-you-are-more-alive-when-you-are/)

[Annabel Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabel-monaghan/)

> [Although I try / to hold the single thought / of Buddha's teaching in my heart, / I cannot help but hear / the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izumi-shikibu/although-i-try-to-hold-the-single-thought-of-buddha-s-teaching-in-my/)

[Izumi Shikibu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izumi-shikibu/)

> [“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” - Buddha”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddhaghosa/all-that-we-are-is-the-result-of-what-we-have-thought-buddha/)

Buddhaghosa

> [“Many years ago, I recognized that by understanding your own tradition better, you also develop increased respect, consideration, and understanding for others. I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/many-years-ago-i-recognized-that-by-understanding-your-own-tradition/)

[Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [Passionate grave thought, belief enhanced, ritual returned and magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/passionate-grave-thought-belief-enhanced-ritual-returned-and-magic/)

[Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/)

> [“She couldn't avoid being serious about things she cared for, and happiness made her grave at the thought of all the things which might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/she-couldn-t-avoid-being-serious-about-things-she-cared-for-and/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [“(I'm fucking the grave, I thought, I'm bringing the dead back to life, marvelous so marvelous like eating cold olives at 3 am with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-m-fucking-the-grave-i-thought-i-m-bringing-the-dead-back-to-life-2/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I'm fucking the grave, I thought, I'm bringing the dead back to life...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-m-fucking-the-grave-i-thought-i-m-bringing-the-dead-back-to-life/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“Maybe the heavens were a kind of celestial grave, I thought, the way the earth is a repository for our flesh, and when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-baker/maybe-the-heavens-were-a-kind-of-celestial-grave-i-thought-the-way/)

[Tiffany Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-baker/)

> [Tragedy stays alive by feeling what's been done to us, while peace comes alive by living with the results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/tragedy-stays-alive-by-feeling-what-s-been-done-to-us-while-peace/)

[Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/)

> [It's nice when people are happy to hear that you're still alive, rather than feeling like "Oh, finally he's dead?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/it-s-nice-when-people-are-happy-to-hear-that-you-re-still-alive/)

[Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/)

> [If we keep our little flame alive, our first feeling of enthusiasm of who we are, without the influence or intervention of others, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/if-we-keep-our-little-flame-alive-our-first-feeling-of-enthusiasm-of/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

> [“Why can't life be like this? Human beings in all their magnificence. Working to find that moment of pride. That one second of excellence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-jones/why-can-t-life-be-like-this-human-beings-in-all-their-magnificence/)

Ron Jones

> [“To absolutely live a sensual lifestyle does not mean doing anything just to feel alive, but it's feeling so alive that you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/to-absolutely-live-a-sensual-lifestyle-does-not-mean-doing-anything/)

[Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/)

> [I know I'm alive I'm feeling so blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inna/i-know-i-m-alive-i-m-feeling-so-blue/)

[Inna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inna/)

## More by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki

> [“Teinosuke preferred not to be too deeply involved in domestic problems, and particularly with regard to Etsuko's upbringing he was of the view that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/teinosuke-preferred-not-to-be-too-deeply-involved-in-domestic/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“It’s odd, but even when I am in pain I have a sexual urge. Perhaps especially when I am in pain I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/it-s-odd-but-even-when-i-am-in-pain-i-have-a-sexual-urge-perhaps/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“After looking at myself in the mirror, I looked at Satsuko. I could not believe that we were creatures of the same species. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/after-looking-at-myself-in-the-mirror-i-looked-at-satsuko-i-could-not/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“There are those who hold that to quibble over matters of taste in the basic necessities of life is an extravagance”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/there-are-those-who-hold-that-to-quibble-over-matters-of-taste-in-the/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [ “\[…\] we can’t make a decision between being sad for a little while and being wretched for the rest of our lives. Or rather… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/we-can-t-make-a-decision-between-being-sad-for-a-little-while-and/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“I wouldn’t mind being injured if that would bring Satsuko pleasure, and a mortal injury would be all the better. Yet to think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/i-wouldn-t-mind-being-injured-if-that-would-bring-satsuko-pleasure/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“When I was at the University I knew a law student named Yamada Uruu. Later he worked for the Osaka Municipal Office; he’s been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/when-i-was-at-the-university-i-knew-a-law-student-named-yamada-uruu/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“If I've changed, I've changed." "Have you really changed, or are you only making a show?" "Making a show?" "Yes." "...I don't really know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/if-i-ve-changed-i-ve-changed-have-you-really-changed-or-are-you-only/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“The quality that we call beauty ... must always grow from the realities of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/the-quality-that-we-call-beauty-must-always-grow-from-the-realities/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“To Yukiko, however, drawn as she was to the past, there was something very unsatisfactory about this brother in law, and she was sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/to-yukiko-however-drawn-as-she-was-to-the-past-there-was-something/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“When I saw the illustration a new idea came to me. Might it not be possible to have Satsuko’s face and figure carved on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/when-i-saw-the-illustration-a-new-idea-came-to-me-might-it-not-be/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“Era mortificante pensar que otro hombre había descubierto ese exótico aspecto de su belleza que a mí se me había pasado por alto. Supongo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/era-mortificante-pensar-que-otro-hombre-hab-a-descubierto-ese-ex-tico/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“But when Kaname asked: "Would you like to separate, then?" Misako answered: "Would you?" They knew that divorce was the solution, and yet neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/but-when-kaname-asked-would-you-like-to-separate-then-misako-answered/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“But does a decent man make promises just to please a woman? Isn't it more honest to refuse to?" "I don't like that sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/but-does-a-decent-man-make-promises-just-to-please-a-woman-isn-t-it/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

> [“If indeed "elegance is frigid," it can as well be described as filthy. There is no denying, at any rate, that among the elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/if-indeed-elegance-is-frigid-it-can-as-well-be-described-as-filthy/)

[Jun'ichirō Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

[Explore all 19 Jun'ichirō Tanizaki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/)

## More Feeling pain quotes

> [If you're feeling pain, express that to the Lord. If you're feeling worried, express those worries. One passage that gives me comfort is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/if-you-re-feeling-pain-express-that-to-the-lord-if-you-re-feeling/)

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

> [Good feeling pain is when you fail, it doesn't convince you to stop, but to push harder to overcome so you can succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gee-linder/good-feeling-pain-is-when-you-fail-it-doesn-t-convince-you-to-stop/)

[Gee Linder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gee-linder/)

> [“Philanthropy is not about money...its about feeling the pain of others and caring enough about their needs to help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/philanthropy-is-not-about-money-its-about-feeling-the-pain-of-others/)

[Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/)

> [“The feeling of pain never leaves. With every beat of my heart, I am reminded that it remains. It festers within me like an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hildreth/the-feeling-of-pain-never-leaves-with-every-beat-of-my-heart-i-am/)

[Scott Hildreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hildreth/)

> [“To visit a modern Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is to enter a world that for all its technological sophistication is still designed on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/to-visit-a-modern-concentrated-animal-feeding-operation-cafo-is-to/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [“If yor are feeling the Pain inside... You are probably doing it right..!!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-yor-are-feeling-the-pain-inside-you-are-probably-doing-it-right/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Sick of being ignored, left out, feeling the same pain everyday. Just sick of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sick-of-being-ignored-left-out-feeling-the-same-pain-everyday-just/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Most people fear pain. I've learned that not feeling pain is a much more frightening proposition than feeling it. In fact, there are times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zupan/most-people-fear-pain-i-ve-learned-that-not-feeling-pain-is-a-much/)

[Mark Zupan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zupan/)

> [“At last there is an unknown element back in my life. This is how it used to be. This is how I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/at-last-there-is-an-unknown-element-back-in-my-life-this-is-how-it/)

[Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/)

> [“Would I jump or would I burn? I guess I would jump, because then I wouldn't have to feel pain. On the other hand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/would-i-jump-or-would-i-burn-i-guess-i-would-jump-because-then-i/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [When I'm playing a character like Jonathan in Ripley's Game I want to be in the moment when he's feeling pain; this very ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dougray-scott/when-i-m-playing-a-character-like-jonathan-in-ripley-s-game-i-want-to/)

[Dougray Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dougray-scott/)

> [“I am betrayed and played but right now im feeling nothing pain but to forgive, it's because I love God too much that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aka/i-am-betrayed-and-played-but-right-now-im-feeling-nothing-pain-but-to/)

AKA

> [Getting even doesn't help a relationship heal. If you're feeling pain, don't take action that creates even more pain. Don't try to cover darkness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/getting-even-doesn-t-help-a-relationship-heal-if-you-re-feeling-pain/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [Learn to run when feeling the pain, then push harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/learn-to-run-when-feeling-the-pain-then-push-harder/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm immune to getting hurt, to feeling pain, to being treated like I was Never anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiree-marquez/i-m-immune-to-getting-hurt-to-feeling-pain-to-being-treated-like-i/)

[Desiree Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiree-marquez/)

[Browse all 87 Feeling pain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-pain/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“When she treads on my grave and feels as if she’s trampling on that doting old man’s bones, my spirit will still be alive, feeling the whole weight of her body, feeling pain, feeling the fine-grained velvety smoothness of the soles of her feet. Even after I’m dead I’ll be aware of that. I can’t believe I won’t. In the same way, Satsuko will be aware of the presence of my spirit, joyfully enduring her weight. Perhaps she may even hear my charred bones rattling together, chuckling, moaning, creaking. And that would by no means occur only when she was actually stepping on my grave. At the very thought of those Buddha’s Footprints modeled after her own feet she would hear my bones wailing under the stone. Between sobs I would scream: “It hurts! It hurts! … Even though it hurts, I’m happy—I’ve never been more happy, I’m much, much happier than when I was alive! … Trample harder! Harder!”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jun'ichirō Tanizaki"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/when-she-treads-on-my-grave-and-feels-as-if-she-s-trampling-on-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feeling pain"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/when-she-treads-on-my-grave-and-feels-as-if-she-s-trampling-on-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jun-ichir-tanizaki-21691_quote_when-she-treads-on-my-grave-and-feels-as_12858.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jun-ichir-tanizaki-21691_quote_when-she-treads-on-my-grave-and-feels-as_12858.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jun-ichir-tanizaki-21691_quote_when-she-treads-on-my-grave-and-feels-as_12858.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When she treads on my grave and feels as if she’s trampling on that doting old man’s bones, my spirit will…” — Jun'ichirō Tanizaki",
                "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": "Jun'ichirō Tanizaki",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-ichir-tanizaki/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When she treads on my grave...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/when-she-treads-on-my-grave-and-feels-as-if-she-s-trampling-on-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-ichir-tanizaki/when-she-treads-on-my-grave-and-feels-as-if-she-s-trampling-on-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
