--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Memento mori-remember death! These are…" description: "\"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. I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/leo-tolstoy-55_bad-thing_memento-mori-remember-death-these-are-im_1298729.jpg" --- # Memento mori-remember death! These are important words. If… ![“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…” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/leo-tolstoy-55_bad-thing_memento-mori-remember-death-these-are-im_1298729.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/leo-tolstoy-55_bad-thing_memento-mori-remember-death-these-are-im_1298729.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/leo-tolstoy-55_bad-thing_memento-mori-remember-death-these-are-im_1298729.jpg) > “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?” [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Existentialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existentialism/) [Half a century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-a-century/) [Memento mori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memento-mori/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“Memento mori,” the monarch whispered. “Remember death. Even for those who wield great power, life is brief. There is only one way to triumph…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/memento-mori-the-monarch-whispered-remember-death-even-for-those-who/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Memento mori and obey the Lord. Art and religion love the somber chord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/memento-mori-and-obey-the-lord-art-and-religion-love-the-somber-chord/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [It is a nostalgic time right now, and photographs actively promote nostalgia. Photography is an elegiac art, a twilight art. Most subjects photographed are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/it-is-a-nostalgic-time-right-now-and-photographs-actively-promote/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Memento Mori' means that no matter who you are, we are all mortal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lacey-sturm/memento-mori-means-that-no-matter-who-you-are-we-are-all-mortal/) [Lacey Sturm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lacey-sturm/) > [“Hospitals were to her a memento mori in bricks and mortar; an awful reminder of the inevitable end that was coming to all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/hospitals-were-to-her-a-memento-mori-in-bricks-and-mortar-an-awful/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [We are warned by the Word both of our duty, our danger, and our remedy. On the sea of life there would be many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/we-are-warned-by-the-word-both-of-our-duty-our-danger-and-our-remedy/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/all-photographs-are-memento-mori-to-take-a-photograph-is-to/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“My life is like a memento mori painting from European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martell/my-life-is-like-a-memento-mori-painting-from-european-art-there-is/) Yann Martell > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/i-don-t-really-ask-myself-too-much-where-the-ideas-come-from-when/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [One of the things that we talked about was this idea of 'Memento Mori' - like the reminder of our own mortality - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/one-of-the-things-that-we-talked-about-was-this-idea-of-memento-mori/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [Never forget that you must die; that death will come sooner than you expect... God has written the letters of death upon your hands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-furniss/never-forget-that-you-must-die-that-death-will-come-sooner-than-you/) John Furniss > [In a sense, Open City is a kind of Wunderkammer, one of those little rooms assembled with bric-a-brac by Renaissance scholars. I don't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/in-a-sense-open-city-is-a-kind-of-wunderkammer-one-of-those-little/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“My life is like a memento more painting from European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/my-life-is-like-a-memento-more-painting-from-european-art-there-is/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [The world is impermanent. One should constantly remember death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/the-world-is-impermanent-one-should-constantly-remember-death/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [“What matters is to be natural and calm In happiness and in unhappiness, To feel as if feeling were seeing, To think as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-matters-is-to-be-natural-and-calm-in-happiness-and-in/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) ## More by Leo Tolstoy > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-significance-of-life-consists-in-helping-to-establish-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“If you only knew what those society women are, and women in general! My father is right. Selfish, vain, stupid, trivial in everything—that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/if-you-only-knew-what-those-society-women-are-and-women-in-general-my/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To speak of it would be giving importance to that which has none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-speak-of-it-would-be-giving-importance-to-that-which-has-none/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but it's only here that the new and the good begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/once-we-re-thrown-off-our-habitual-paths-we-think-all-is-lost-but-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He knew she was there by the rapture and the terror that seized on his heart. She was standing talking to a lady at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-knew-she-was-there-by-the-rapture-and-the-terror-that-seized-on/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Rest, nature, books, music...such is my idea of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/rest-nature-books-music-such-is-my-idea-of-happiness/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He was not to blame for being born with an irrepressible charachter and a mind some how constrained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-was-not-to-blame-for-being-born-with-an-irrepressible-charachter/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [I ask one thing only: I ask for the right to hope, to suffer as I do. But if even that cannot be, command…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-ask-one-thing-only-i-ask-for-the-right-to-hope-to-suffer-as-i-do/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The idea shared by many that life is a vale of tears is just as false as the idea shared by the great majority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-idea-shared-by-many-that-life-is-a-vale-of-tears-is-just-as-false/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To say that a work of art is good, but incomprehensible to the majority of men, is the same as saying of some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-say-that-a-work-of-art-is-good-but-incomprehensible-to-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [True life is lived when tiny changes occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/true-life-is-lived-when-tiny-changes-occur/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) [Explore all 1,754 Leo Tolstoy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## More Bad thing quotes > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [I think the people I talk about are generally so stupid that they don't even know I'm saying bad things about them. I've run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/i-think-the-people-i-talk-about-are-generally-so-stupid-that-they-don/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [I'm not going to pretend that bad things don't happen. I just hope my daughter has enough understanding that when they do, just give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-m-not-going-to-pretend-that-bad-things-don-t-happen-i-just-hope-my/) [John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/) > [I've heard some pretty bad things in my life. I'm just one of those people I've gotten to a point where I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-bush/i-ve-heard-some-pretty-bad-things-in-my-life-i-m-just-one-of-those/) [Sophia Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-bush/) > [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [Be Thankful for all things in life. Even for the bad things. SOMETIMES the worst situations in life turn out to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-thankful-for-all-things-in-life-even-for-the-bad-things-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my business, you should be very strong in mind. You have to be sure about yourself and about your work and your career,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irina-shayk/in-my-business-you-should-be-very-strong-in-mind-you-have-to-be-sure/) [Irina Shayk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irina-shayk/) > [“I don’t know why I latched onto the idea of being friends, but it sits right with my gut. I want Hartley in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-watt/i-don-t-know-why-i-latched-onto-the-idea-of-being-friends-but-it-sits/) [Erin Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-watt/) > [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I love it when television is shot in a cinematic way and I think to aspire to that is no bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-love-it-when-television-is-shot-in-a-cinematic-way-and-i-think-to/) [Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/) > [“Dear Delphine, When you are older I want you to find Chinua Achebe. I want you to read Things Fall Apart. Don't be hardheaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-williams-garcia/dear-delphine-when-you-are-older-i-want-you-to-find-chinua-achebe-i/) [Rita Williams-Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-williams-garcia/) > [Lobbying is not a bad thing. I'm not trying to say that we shouldn't have lobbyists or we shouldn't have lobbying to petition our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/lobbying-is-not-a-bad-thing-i-m-not-trying-to-say-that-we-shouldn-t/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [In life, we don't know why things happen. I believe God is not responsible for the bad things that happen to you. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/) [Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/) Browse all 2,889 Bad thing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leo Tolstoy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/memento-mori-remember-death-these-are-important-words-if-we-kept-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad thing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/memento-mori-remember-death-these-are-important-words-if-we-kept-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/leo-tolstoy-55_bad-thing_memento-mori-remember-death-these-are-im_1298729.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/leo-tolstoy-55_bad-thing_memento-mori-remember-death-these-are-im_1298729.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/leo-tolstoy-55_bad-thing_memento-mori-remember-death-these-are-im_1298729.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Memento mori-remember death! These are important words. If we kept in mind that we will soon inevitably die…” — Leo Tolstoy", "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": "Leo Tolstoy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Memento mori-remember death! These are important...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/memento-mori-remember-death-these-are-important-words-if-we-kept-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/memento-mori-remember-death-these-are-important-words-if-we-kept-in/#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 } } ] } ```