--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am not a fate worse than death, dammit!" description: "\"I am not a fate worse than death, dammit!\" — Lois McMaster Bujold" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_death_i-am-not-a-fate-worse-than-death-dammit_1667532.jpg" --- # I am not a fate worse than death, dammit! ![“I am not a fate worse than death, dammit!” quote by Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_death_i-am-not-a-fate-worse-than-death-dammit_1667532.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_death_i-am-not-a-fate-worse-than-death-dammit_1667532.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_death_i-am-not-a-fate-worse-than-death-dammit_1667532.jpg) > “I am not a fate worse than death, dammit!” [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) ## 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 rejects the notion that death is a fate worse than living, asserting personal agency. **In simple terms:** Death isn’t the worst fate. Key Takeaway Embrace agency over destiny. Themes mortality agency existentialism Mood reflective defiant Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal crisis - philosophical debate - life‑threatening situation Key Concepts fatalism self‑determination humor Questions to Reflect On - Do you view death as a failure? - What gives life meaning beyond survival? A Different Perspective May underestimate genuine fear of death. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Dammit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-dammit-824567/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Fate Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate-worse-824568/) [Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse/) [Worse Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse-death/) ## Related quotes > [“She honestly wondered sometimes which fate was worse, death or standing behind a curtain and looking out at the street at all the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/she-honestly-wondered-sometimes-which-fate-was-worse-death-or/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [Officially there are no fates worse than death. Unofficially, there is a profusion of such fates. For some people, just living with the thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/officially-there-are-no-fates-worse-than-death-unofficially-there-is/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“I waved down a lit cab. He swerved dramatically towards me and stopped inches from my Louboutins. Shoe-icide, a fate worse than death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-kelk/i-waved-down-a-lit-cab-he-swerved-dramatically-towards-me-and-stopped/) [Lindsey Kelk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-kelk/) > [“I could get Brodie back, but I would have to sentence a man to a fate worse than death to do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-pitt/i-could-get-brodie-back-but-i-would-have-to-sentence-a-man-to-a-fate/) [Darrell Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-pitt/) > [“If there was a fate worse than death, it was a life unremembered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-graudin/if-there-was-a-fate-worse-than-death-it-was-a-life-unremembered/) [Ryan Graudin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-graudin/) > [Abortion is the insurance against that fate worse than death which is called a family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/abortion-is-the-insurance-against-that-fate-worse-than-death-which-is/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Immortality - a fate worse than death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-a-shoaff/immortality-a-fate-worse-than-death/) [Edgar A Shoaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-a-shoaff/) > [I think quite often a fate worse than death is life - for lots of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-baker/i-think-quite-often-a-fate-worse-than-death-is-life-for-lots-of-people/) [Tom Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-baker/) > [This may be invading her privacy but I was Death, dammit. I should get some privileges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/this-may-be-invading-her-privacy-but-i-was-death-dammit-i-should-get/) [Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/) > [Losing the Super Bowl is worse than death. You have to get up the next morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-allen/losing-the-super-bowl-is-worse-than-death-you-have-to-get-up-the-next/) [George Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-allen/) > [The loss of liberty to a generous mind is worse than death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/the-loss-of-liberty-to-a-generous-mind-is-worse-than-death/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [“To live in fear and falsehood is worse than death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zend-avesta/to-live-in-fear-and-falsehood-is-worse-than-death/) [Zend - Avesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zend-avesta/) > [“This is worse than death. Now i have to spend eternity with my nagging wife and mother-in-law. what did i do to deserve this?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-corwin/this-is-worse-than-death-now-i-have-to-spend-eternity-with-my-nagging/) [John Corwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-corwin/) > [“I’m not dying, sweetheart. My fate is much worse than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilliana-anderson/i-m-not-dying-sweetheart-my-fate-is-much-worse-than-that/) [Lilliana Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilliana-anderson/) > [What fate can be worse than to know we have no one but ourselves to blame for our misfortunes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/what-fate-can-be-worse-than-to-know-we-have-no-one-but-ourselves-to/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## More by Lois McMaster Bujold > [What you are is a question only you can answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/what-you-are-is-a-question-only-you-can-answer/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Never do yourself, what you can con professionals into doing for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/never-do-yourself-what-you-can-con-professionals-into-doing-for-you/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“It reminded him of that definition of his father's. A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind. The mind was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/it-reminded-him-of-that-definition-of-his-father-s-a-weapon-is-a/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“I was imagining the most bizarre things befalling you.” “Did they include a six-hundred-pound ice bear and a pirate poet?” “No…” “Then they weren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-was-imagining-the-most-bizarre-things-befalling-you-did-they/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [There is a sad disconnectedness that overcomes a library when its owner is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/there-is-a-sad-disconnectedness-that-overcomes-a-library-when-its/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“No, amusing me only, I wonder if they realize how they are used?" "Not a bit. They think they are the emperors of creation."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/no-amusing-me-only-i-wonder-if-they-realize-how-they-are-used-not-a/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“You bastards are on the top of Imperial Lord Auditor Miles Vorkosigan's very own shit list now, you bet. But under what name? Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/you-bastards-are-on-the-top-of-imperial-lord-auditor-miles-vorkosigan/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“Anyway, if the Cetagandans really wanted to assassinate you, they'd hardly do it here. They'd slip something subtle under your skin that wouldn't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/anyway-if-the-cetagandans-really-wanted-to-assassinate-you-they-d/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn't going to supply it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-meaning-because-the-universe/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Your Reverence, I do not hate any man in this world enough to inflict the results of my prayers upon him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/your-reverence-i-do-not-hate-any-man-in-this-world-enough-to-inflict/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“I always thought my parents could fix anything. Now it's my turn. Dear God, how did this happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-always-thought-my-parents-could-fix-anything-now-it-s-my-turn-dear/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“I think it is not so much the growth of virtue, as simply the replacement of prior vices with an addiction to one’s god.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-think-it-is-not-so-much-the-growth-of-virtue-as-simply-the/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“Mark’s ideas tended to the bland, and there was no point in asking Miles, whose embittered suggestions all ran to things like Vomit Vanilla…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/mark-s-ideas-tended-to-the-bland-and-there-was-no-point-in-asking/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/the-dead-cannot-cry-out-for-justice-it-is-a-duty-of-the-living-to-do/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“Gardens were meant to be seen, smelled, walked through, grubbed in. A hundred objective measurements didn't sum the worth of a garden; only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/gardens-were-meant-to-be-seen-smelled-walked-through-grubbed-in-a/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) [Explore all 392 Lois McMaster Bujold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) [J. Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/) > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) [Alan W. Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-powers/) > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am not a fate worse than death, dammit!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lois McMaster Bujold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-am-not-a-fate-worse-than-death-dammit/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-am-not-a-fate-worse-than-death-dammit/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_death_i-am-not-a-fate-worse-than-death-dammit_1667532.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_death_i-am-not-a-fate-worse-than-death-dammit_1667532.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_death_i-am-not-a-fate-worse-than-death-dammit_1667532.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am not a fate worse than death, dammit!” — Lois McMaster Bujold", "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": "Lois McMaster Bujold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am not a fate worse...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-am-not-a-fate-worse-than-death-dammit/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-am-not-a-fate-worse-than-death-dammit/#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 } } ] } ```