--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are days we live as if death were…" description: "\"There are days we live as if death were nowhere in the background; from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from blossom to blossom to impossible blo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/li-young-lee-17263_backgrounds_there-are-days-we-live-as-if-death-were_1272160.jpg" --- # There are days we live as if death were nowhere in the… ![“There are days we live as if death were nowhere in the background; from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from blossom to blossom to impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.” quote by Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/li-young-lee-17263_backgrounds_there-are-days-we-live-as-if-death-were_1272160.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/li-young-lee-17263_backgrounds_there-are-days-we-live-as-if-death-were_1272160.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/li-young-lee-17263_backgrounds_there-are-days-we-live-as-if-death-were_1272160.jpg) > “There are days we live as if death were nowhere in the background; from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from blossom to blossom to impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.” [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is a series of fleeting moments, each layered with joy and the ever‑present awareness of mortality, creating a tapestry of beautiful, impossible experiences. **In simple terms:** Joyful moments exist alongside the awareness of death, forming beautiful, impossible experiences. Key Takeaway Cherish each joyful instant, knowing it is fleeting. Themes mortality joy impermanence beauty Mood contemplative hopeful Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - daily reflection - creative writing - mindful meditation - artistic inspiration Key Concepts existentialism poetics emergent experience Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of death change your appreciation of joy? - What does “impossible blossom” mean to you? A Different Perspective The poetic language may obscure practical application for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowers/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) ## Related quotes > [During the election people from visible minorities stood as candidates on both the left and the right. And only one African woman was elected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-gaubert/during-the-election-people-from-visible-minorities-stood-as/) Patrick Gaubert > [And, of course, some SF is set close enough to here and now that Anglo and European do apply. 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These backgrounds may not be particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-do-not-have-to-be-ashamed-of-what-we-are-as-sentient-beings-we/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [The thing that is making jazz healthy today is that people are coming out of other backgrounds - from rock, folk, from ethnic music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-taylor/the-thing-that-is-making-jazz-healthy-today-is-that-people-are-coming/) Billy Taylor > [I think it is a sin to look at another person as inferior to yourself because of race or because of ethnic background and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/i-think-it-is-a-sin-to-look-at-another-person-as-inferior-to-yourself/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The acting background helped a lot when I started writing. 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User-generated content without editorial oversight will simply be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/eventually-the-consumer-will-come-to-appreciate-the-editorial-point/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) ## More by Li-Young Lee > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Could it be in longing we are most ourselves?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/could-it-be-in-longing-we-are-most-ourselves/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Our bodies look solid, but they arent. Were like a fountain. A fountain of water looks solid, but you can put your fingers right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/our-bodies-look-solid-but-they-arent-were-like-a-fountain-a-fountain/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [A poem is like a score for the human voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/a-poem-is-like-a-score-for-the-human-voice/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [I've been thinking about something for a long time, and I keep noticing that most human speech-if not all human speech-is made with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/i-ve-been-thinking-about-something-for-a-long-time-and-i-keep/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [“From blossoms comes this brown paper bag of peaches we bought from the boy at the bend in the road where we turned toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/from-blossoms-comes-this-brown-paper-bag-of-peaches-we-bought-from/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [“Moonlight and high wind. Dark poplars toss, insinuate the sea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/moonlight-and-high-wind-dark-poplars-toss-insinuate-the-sea/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [“But, no one can tell without cease our human story, and so we lose, lose”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/but-no-one-can-tell-without-cease-our-human-story-and-so-we-lose-lose/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [“The moon from any window is one part whoever’s looking. The part I can’t see is everything my sister keeps to herself. One part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/the-moon-from-any-window-is-one-part-whoever-s-looking-the-part-i-can/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Poetry is the language of extremity. Poetry is a transfer of potency. You feel something potent and then you transfer it onto the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/poetry-is-the-language-of-extremity-poetry-is-a-transfer-of-potency/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [We suffer each other to have each other a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/we-suffer-each-other-to-have-each-other-a-while/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Maybe being winged means being wounded by infinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/maybe-being-winged-means-being-wounded-by-infinity/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [“In the uproar, the confusion of accents and inflections how will you hear me when I open my mouth? Look for me, one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/in-the-uproar-the-confusion-of-accents-and-inflections-how-will-you/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Brimming. That's what it is, I want to get to a place where my sentences enact brimming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/brimming-that-s-what-it-is-i-want-to-get-to-a-place-where-my/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [To pull the metal splinter from my palm my father recited a story in a low voice. I watched his lovely face and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/to-pull-the-metal-splinter-from-my-palm-my-father-recited-a-story-in/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) [Explore all 37 Li-Young Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) ## More Backgrounds quotes > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [Eventually the consumer will come to appreciate the editorial point of view of every different brand. User-generated content without editorial oversight will simply be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/eventually-the-consumer-will-come-to-appreciate-the-editorial-point/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [I bring my classical training - some of it, but not all of it - and also my background and culture, to spirituals. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-battle/i-bring-my-classical-training-some-of-it-but-not-all-of-it-and-also/) [Kathleen Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-battle/) > [The acting background helped a lot when I started writing. I was training for it. In acting class they teach you about the stakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-higgins-clark/the-acting-background-helped-a-lot-when-i-started-writing-i-was/) [Carol Higgins Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-higgins-clark/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [I think it is a sin to look at another person as inferior to yourself because of race or because of ethnic background and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/i-think-it-is-a-sin-to-look-at-another-person-as-inferior-to-yourself/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [The thing that is making jazz healthy today is that people are coming out of other backgrounds - from rock, folk, from ethnic music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-taylor/the-thing-that-is-making-jazz-healthy-today-is-that-people-are-coming/) Billy Taylor > [We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-do-not-have-to-be-ashamed-of-what-we-are-as-sentient-beings-we/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [People from my sort of background needed grammar schools to compete with children from privileged homes like Shirley Williams and Anthony Wedgwood Benn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/people-from-my-sort-of-background-needed-grammar-schools-to-compete/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Persons who have cleansed themselves of any transgression and who have shown their ability to deal with homosexual inclinations and put them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/persons-who-have-cleansed-themselves-of-any-transgression-and-who/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [I come from a theater background, so I always like to dissect the scene and try to get some hint about what the author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adina-porter/i-come-from-a-theater-background-so-i-always-like-to-dissect-the/) [Adina Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adina-porter/) > [And, of course, some SF is set close enough to here and now that Anglo and European do apply. Since many of the writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/and-of-course-some-sf-is-set-close-enough-to-here-and-now-that-anglo/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [For me, I try to look at a person's swagger and a little background on them if I already haven't liked them as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bivins/for-me-i-try-to-look-at-a-person-s-swagger-and-a-little-background-on/) [Michael Bivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bivins/) Browse all 1,648 Backgrounds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are days we live as if death were nowhere in the background; from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from blossom to blossom to impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Li-Young Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/there-are-days-we-live-as-if-death-were-nowhere-in-the-background/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Backgrounds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/there-are-days-we-live-as-if-death-were-nowhere-in-the-background/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/li-young-lee-17263_backgrounds_there-are-days-we-live-as-if-death-were_1272160.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/li-young-lee-17263_backgrounds_there-are-days-we-live-as-if-death-were_1272160.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d93/li-young-lee-17263_backgrounds_there-are-days-we-live-as-if-death-were_1272160.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are days we live as if death were nowhere in the background; from joy to joy to joy, from wing to…” — Li-Young Lee", "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": "Li-Young Lee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are days we live as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/there-are-days-we-live-as-if-death-were-nowhere-in-the-background/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/there-are-days-we-live-as-if-death-were-nowhere-in-the-background/#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 } } ] } ```