Death Quote by Lucretius
““O even as here thou art, aslumber in death, So shalt thou slumber down the rest of time, Released from every harrying pang. But we, We have bewept thee with insatiate woe, Standing beside whilst on the awful pyre Thou wert made ashes; and no day shall take For us the eternal sorrow from the breast." But ask the mourner what's the bitterness That man should waste in an eternal grief, If, after all, the thing's but sleep and rest? For when the soul and frame together are sunk In slumber, no one then demands his self Or being. Well, this sleep may be forever, Without desire of any selfhood more, For all it matters unto us asleep. Yet not at all do those primordial germs Roam round our members, at that time, afar From their own motions that produce our senses— Since, when he's startled from his sleep, a man Collects his senses. Death is, then, to us Much less—if there can be a less than that Which is itself a nothing: for there comes Hard upon death a scattering more great Of the throng of matter, and no man wakes up On whom once falls the icy pause of life.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: De Rerum Natura, Book 3, c. 50 BC
The passage reflects on death as a peaceful sleep, arguing that the soul’s dissolution is a return to non‑existence, and that grief is unnecessary because death is merely the cessation of sensation.
In simple terms: Death is like a deep, harmless sleep; mourning is pointless.
Key Takeaway
Accept death as a natural end, release grief.
Themes
mortality
philosophy
acceptance
Mood
reflective
somber
Type
philosophical
literary
poetic
When to use this quote
- contemplating loss
- philosophical writing
- personal grief
- spiritual reflection
Key Concepts
atomism
epicureanism
nihilism
Questions to Reflect On
- What does it mean to “release” grief?
- How can one find comfort in the idea of non‑existence?
A Different Perspective
The view discounts emotional bonds and may seem cold to those who value relational continuity.
![“... deprived of pain, and also deprived of danger, able to do what it wants, [Nature] does not need us, nor understands our deserts, and it cannot be angry.” quote by Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/45d/lucretius-1632_able_deprived-of-pain-and-also-deprived-of-da_83651.jpg)
