---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everybody dies.\" I said. \"Mortality is…"
description: "\"“Everybody dies.\" I said. \"Mortality is the constant that defines our existence.”\" — K. J. Parker"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9a/k-j-parker-2-71515_blue-and-gold_everybody-dies-i-said-mortality-is-the-c_3010027.jpg"
---

#  Everybody dies." I said. "Mortality is the constant that…

![“Everybody dies." I said. "Mortality is the constant that defines our existence.” quote by K. J. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9a/k-j-parker-2-71515_blue-and-gold_everybody-dies-i-said-mortality-is-the-c_3010027.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9a/k-j-parker-2-71515_blue-and-gold_everybody-dies-i-said-mortality-is-the-c_3010027.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9a/k-j-parker-2-71515_blue-and-gold_everybody-dies-i-said-mortality-is-the-c_3010027.jpg)

> ““Everybody dies." I said. "Mortality is the constant that defines our existence.””

K. J. Parker

## About This Quote

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

Statement that mortality is the unchanging backdrop of life.

**In simple terms:** Death is the constant that shapes existence.

Key Takeaway

Live with awareness of mortality.

Themes

mortality existence time inevitability philosophy

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- life planning
- ethical decisions
- creative writing

Key Concepts

existentialism ethics literature

Questions to Reflect On

- How does mortality guide choices?
- What does constant mortality mean for meaning?

A Different Perspective

May induce fatalism.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Blue and gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue-and-gold/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortality/)

## Related quotes

> [“Fuck you! I hope you die!" "Everybody Dies," I said. "So fuck you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-block/fuck-you-i-hope-you-die-everybody-dies-i-said-so-fuck-you/)

[Lawrence Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-block/)

> [“Man is mortal, and as the professor so rightly said mortality can come so suddenly”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/man-is-mortal-and-as-the-professor-so-rightly-said-mortality-can-come/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [The first one is always the hardest," he said. "The first?" "The first one you love who dies," he said. "It gets easier, after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/the-first-one-is-always-the-hardest-he-said-the-first-the-first-one/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [No one who dies never said that he had got everything in his/her life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-who-dies-never-said-that-he-had-got-everything-in-his-her-life/)

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

> [“But all of a sudden the scene changed; it was the memory, no longer of old impressions but of an old desire, only recently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/but-all-of-a-sudden-the-scene-changed-it-was-the-memory-no-longer-of/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [“The summer came to life. It burst from gray to fierce blue and gold in the blink of an eye; the air pealed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/the-summer-came-to-life-it-burst-from-gray-to-fierce-blue-and-gold-in/)

[Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/)

> [“Alex was raised in this house along with his sisters, Katherine and Cecile. Their world was this house, with its mahogany globes the size…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-novak/alex-was-raised-in-this-house-along-with-his-sisters-katherine-and/)

Chase Novak

> [I had the whole sky in my eyes and it was blue and gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-had-the-whole-sky-in-my-eyes-and-it-was-blue-and-gold/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“Something new, they had said. They had a perfect day for it. A day with the blue and gold good weather of anyone's primitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt/something-new-they-had-said-they-had-a-perfect-day-for-it-a-day-with/)

[A.S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt/)

> [“I shall sit alone in a darkened room, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything but a little grey old head, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-shall-sit-alone-in-a-darkened-room-sans-teeth-sans-eyes-sans-taste/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [For us there is only one season, the season of sorrow. The very sun and moon seem taken from us. Outside, the day may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/for-us-there-is-only-one-season-the-season-of-sorrow-the-very-sun-and/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“She lingered by the door, in a tunic of deep blue and gold, unbuttoned with careless grace at the neck, her hair loose at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/she-lingered-by-the-door-in-a-tunic-of-deep-blue-and-gold-unbuttoned/)

[Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/)

> [For like everyday, just kind of hanging out, I love flannels. Part of my closet, there's a whole section of flannels because I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-dobrev/for-like-everyday-just-kind-of-hanging-out-i-love-flannels-part-of-my/)

[Nina Dobrev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-dobrev/)

> [I want to say thank you to the great state of Indiana and all the fans… Pacers Nation, Blue and Gold, thank you guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-miller/i-want-to-say-thank-you-to-the-great-state-of-indiana-and-all-the/)

[Reggie Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-miller/)

> [We have relegated the saints to a pink and blue and gold world of plaster statuary that belongs to the past; it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-kilmer-myers/we-have-relegated-the-saints-to-a-pink-and-blue-and-gold-world-of/)

C Kilmer Myers

## More by K. J. Parker

> [“The idea is to make the space around you into a zone where nothing mortal can survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-parker-2/the-idea-is-to-make-the-space-around-you-into-a-zone-where-nothing/)

K. J. Parker

> [“When she started crying, all he wanted to do was hit her. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-parker-2/when-she-started-crying-all-he-wanted-to-do-was-hit-her/)

K. J. Parker

> [“…if medical science is geography, then mankind as a species has a map with three towns marked on it and a lot of blank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-parker-2/if-medical-science-is-geography-then-mankind-as-a-species-has-a-map/)

K. J. Parker

Explore all 4 K. J. Parker quotes

## More Blue and gold quotes

> [We have relegated the saints to a pink and blue and gold world of plaster statuary that belongs to the past; it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-kilmer-myers/we-have-relegated-the-saints-to-a-pink-and-blue-and-gold-world-of/)

C Kilmer Myers

> [For us there is only one season, the season of sorrow. The very sun and moon seem taken from us. Outside, the day may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/for-us-there-is-only-one-season-the-season-of-sorrow-the-very-sun-and/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“But all of a sudden the scene changed; it was the memory, no longer of old impressions but of an old desire, only recently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/but-all-of-a-sudden-the-scene-changed-it-was-the-memory-no-longer-of/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [I want to say thank you to the great state of Indiana and all the fans… Pacers Nation, Blue and Gold, thank you guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-miller/i-want-to-say-thank-you-to-the-great-state-of-indiana-and-all-the/)

[Reggie Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-miller/)

> [For like everyday, just kind of hanging out, I love flannels. Part of my closet, there's a whole section of flannels because I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-dobrev/for-like-everyday-just-kind-of-hanging-out-i-love-flannels-part-of-my/)

[Nina Dobrev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-dobrev/)

> [“She lingered by the door, in a tunic of deep blue and gold, unbuttoned with careless grace at the neck, her hair loose at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/she-lingered-by-the-door-in-a-tunic-of-deep-blue-and-gold-unbuttoned/)

[Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/)

> [“I shall sit alone in a darkened room, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything but a little grey old head, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-shall-sit-alone-in-a-darkened-room-sans-teeth-sans-eyes-sans-taste/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [“Something new, they had said. They had a perfect day for it. A day with the blue and gold good weather of anyone's primitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt/something-new-they-had-said-they-had-a-perfect-day-for-it-a-day-with/)

[A.S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt/)

> [I had the whole sky in my eyes and it was blue and gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-had-the-whole-sky-in-my-eyes-and-it-was-blue-and-gold/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“Alex was raised in this house along with his sisters, Katherine and Cecile. Their world was this house, with its mahogany globes the size…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-novak/alex-was-raised-in-this-house-along-with-his-sisters-katherine-and/)

Chase Novak

> [“The summer came to life. It burst from gray to fierce blue and gold in the blink of an eye; the air pealed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/the-summer-came-to-life-it-burst-from-gray-to-fierce-blue-and-gold-in/)

[Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/)

> [“Twelve thousand years after walking the plank, Rakesh woke on the floor of his tent. He was lying face-down on a blue and gold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-egan/twelve-thousand-years-after-walking-the-plank-rakesh-woke-on-the/)

[Greg Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-egan/)

> [Pitt will always be my school and I'm honored to be able to support the Blue and Gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-donald/pitt-will-always-be-my-school-and-i-m-honored-to-be-able-to-support/)

[Aaron Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-donald/)

> [“I took the stairs two at a time, excited to have company today. When I opened the door I gasped and stood there in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-higgins/i-took-the-stairs-two-at-a-time-excited-to-have-company-today-when-i/)

[Wendy Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-higgins/)

> [God said,--"Let there be light!" Grim darkness felt His might, And fled away; Then startled seas and mountains cold Shone forth, all bright in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebenezer-elliott/god-said-let-there-be-light-grim-darkness-felt-his-might-and-fled/)

[Ebenezer Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ebenezer-elliott/)

[Browse all 26 Blue and gold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue-and-gold/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Everybody dies.\" I said. \"Mortality is the constant that defines our existence.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "K. J. Parker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-parker-2/everybody-dies-i-said-mortality-is-the-constant-that-defines-our/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blue and gold"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-parker-2/everybody-dies-i-said-mortality-is-the-constant-that-defines-our/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9a/k-j-parker-2-71515_blue-and-gold_everybody-dies-i-said-mortality-is-the-c_3010027.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9a/k-j-parker-2-71515_blue-and-gold_everybody-dies-i-said-mortality-is-the-c_3010027.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9a/k-j-parker-2-71515_blue-and-gold_everybody-dies-i-said-mortality-is-the-c_3010027.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Everybody dies.\" I said. \"Mortality is the constant that defines our existence.” — K. J. Parker",
                "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": "K. J. Parker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-j-parker-2/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Everybody dies.\" I said. \"Mortality is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-parker-2/everybody-dies-i-said-mortality-is-the-constant-that-defines-our/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-parker-2/everybody-dies-i-said-mortality-is-the-constant-that-defines-our/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```