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Death Quote by Lorrie Moore

“Though she would have preferred long ago to have died, fled, gotten it all over with, the body--Jesus, how the body!--took its time. It possessed its own wishes and nostalgias. You could not just turn neatly into light and slip out the window. You couldn't go like that. Within one's own departing…” quote by Lorrie Moore
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““Though she would have preferred long ago to have died, fled, gotten it all over with, the body--Jesus, how the body!--took its time. It possessed its own wishes and nostalgias. You could not just turn neatly into light and slip out the window. You couldn't go like that. Within one's own departing but stubborn flesh, there was only the long, sentimental, piecemeal farewell. Sir? A towel. Is there a towel? The body, hauling sadness, pursued the soul, hobbled after. The body was like a sweet, dim dog trotting lamely toward the gate as you tried slowly to drive off, out the long driveway. Take me, take me, too, barked the dog. Don't go, don't go , it said, running along the fence, almost keeping pace but not quite, its reflection a shrinking charm in the car mirrors as you trundled past the viburnium, past the pin grove, past the property line, past every last patch of land, straight down the swallowing road, disappearing and disappearing. Until at last it was true: you had disappeared.””

Lorrie Moore

About This Quote

Source Short story: “The Body’s Farewell” in “Self-Help” collection, 1999

The passage describes the body's reluctant, sentimental resistance to death, portraying it as a stubborn companion.

In simple terms: The body resists death, clinging to life.

Key Takeaway

Accept the body's slow letting go.

Themes

death body resistance sentimentality

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • end‑of‑life care
  • personal loss
  • creative writing
  • therapy

Key Concepts

embodiment grief acceptance

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does the body’s resistance affect grief?
  • Can we find peace without dramatizing death?
A Different Perspective

The metaphor may romanticize suffering, obscuring practical coping.

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