Bad thing Quote by Leo Tolstoy
“Memento mori-remember death! These are important words. If we kept in mind that we will soon inevitably die, our lives would be completely different. If a person knows that he will die in a half hour, he certainly will not bother doing trivial, stupid, or, especially, bad things during this half hour. Perhaps you have half a century before you die-what makes this any different from a half hour?”
About This Quote
Source Novel: War and Peace, 1869
Memento mori reminds us that mortality should shape priorities, urging us to avoid trivialities.
In simple terms: Remember death to focus on what matters.
Key Takeaway
Live meaningfully, avoid waste.
Themes
mortality
priorities
meaning
Mood
urgent
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- career planning
- health decisions
- relationship building
- creative projects
Key Concepts
existentialism
ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- How would you change if you had one day left?
- What trivial things can you let go now?
A Different Perspective
Short‑term urgency may not reflect long‑term values.
![“I don't really ask myself too much where the ideas come from. When things touch you or anger you, you are moved to want to examine them, to reflect on them. But yes, I guess you could say ['Amour'] is a memento mori, though it would never occur to me to use that term, since it might sound a little…” quote by Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cd6/michael-haneke-3712_idea_i-don-t-really-ask-myself-too-much-where_977505.jpg)
![“One of the things that we talked about was this idea of 'Memento Mori' - like the reminder of our own mortality - and so we were sort of trying to express that in our press photos. And it's one of the themes of the album [Modern Vampires of the City] as well.” quote by Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b2f/rostam-batmanglij-3648_albums_one-of-the-things-that-we-talked-about-w_432096.jpg)
