--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When our parents are alive, they stand in…" description: "\"“When our parents are alive, they stand in front of us, blocking our view of death. But once they’ve gone, we find ourselves at the cliff edge.”\" — Ma ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e31/ma-jian-14632_cliff_when-our-parents-are-alive-they-stand-in_917513.jpg" --- # When our parents are alive, they stand in front of us… ![“When our parents are alive, they stand in front of us, blocking our view of death. But once they’ve gone, we find ourselves at the cliff edge.” quote by Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e31/ma-jian-14632_cliff_when-our-parents-are-alive-they-stand-in_917513.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e31/ma-jian-14632_cliff_when-our-parents-are-alive-they-stand-in_917513.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e31/ma-jian-14632_cliff_when-our-parents-are-alive-they-stand-in_917513.jpg) > ““When our parents are alive, they stand in front of us, blocking our view of death. But once they’ve gone, we find ourselves at the cliff edge.”” [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Loss of parents removes a protective barrier, exposing us to mortality and existential reflection. **In simple terms:** Death becomes visible when parents die. Key Takeaway Embrace mortality as a catalyst for growth. Themes mortality family existence growth Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal loss - life planning - spiritual contemplation Key Concepts psychology existentialism grief Questions to Reflect On - How does parental loss change your view of life? - What does the “cliff edge” symbolize for you? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex grieving processes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliff/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) ## Related quotes > [There is something about writing poetry that brings a man close to the cliff's edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-is-something-about-writing-poetry-that-brings-a-man-close-to/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“…one of those terrifying rows where suddenly an end you never thought would come rears up in front of you, like a cliff edge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/one-of-those-terrifying-rows-where-suddenly-an-end-you-never-thought/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [I think a lot of people view the death penalty as a debate class or something. The cost and what's at stake is really,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/i-think-a-lot-of-people-view-the-death-penalty-as-a-debate-class-or/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [I think I want to talk about life from the point of view of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-think-i-want-to-talk-about-life-from-the-point-of-view-of-death/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [It has become, in my view, a bit too trendy to regard the acceptance of death as something tantamount to intrinsic dignity. Of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/it-has-become-in-my-view-a-bit-too-trendy-to-regard-the-acceptance-of/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I've been doing extremely dangerous activities for a long time, but I've been lucky enough to have survived so far. However, sooner or later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuichiro-miura/i-ve-been-doing-extremely-dangerous-activities-for-a-long-time-but-i/) [Yuichiro Miura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuichiro-miura/) > [I hold the view that death is rather like changing one's clothes when they are torn and old. It is not an end in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-hold-the-view-that-death-is-rather-like-changing-one-s-clothes-when/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [... the way we view death determines, to a surprising degree, the way we live our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-way-we-view-death-determines-to-a-surprising-degree-the-way-we/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [If I could go back in time, I'd return to when my parents were alive and appreciate them more than I did when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-harris/if-i-could-go-back-in-time-i-d-return-to-when-my-parents-were-alive/) [Rolf Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-harris/) > [“It was 1965 and life seemed easier. Her parents were alive and so was her brother, her bones were hard and strong and her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-mccorkle/it-was-1965-and-life-seemed-easier-her-parents-were-alive-and-so-was/) [Jill McCorkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-mccorkle/) > [It was the beginning of the war. I was twelve years old, my parents were alive, and God still dwelt in our town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/it-was-the-beginning-of-the-war-i-was-twelve-years-old-my-parents/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [A Jewish man with his parents alive is half the time a helpless infant!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/a-jewish-man-with-his-parents-alive-is-half-the-time-a-helpless-infant/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [A Jewish man with parents alive is a fifteen-year-old boy, and will remain a fifteen-year-old boy until they die!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/a-jewish-man-with-parents-alive-is-a-fifteen-year-old-boy-and-will/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [If my parents were still alive, they would be very proud. They gave me a good start in life, the values that have driven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/if-my-parents-were-still-alive-they-would-be-very-proud-they-gave-me/) [Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/) > [“Good Christ, a Jewish man with parents alive is a fifteen-year-old boy, and will remain a fifteen-year-old boy till they die!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/good-christ-a-jewish-man-with-parents-alive-is-a-fifteen-year-old-boy/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## More by Ma Jian > [Everything I was I carry with me, everything I will belies waiting on the road ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/everything-i-was-i-carry-with-me-everything-i-will-belies-waiting-on/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [I am trying to persuade my family to spend more time in China. It's no fun to be in exile. I can't even figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/i-am-trying-to-persuade-my-family-to-spend-more-time-in-china-it-s-no/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [“I see my skeleton walking down the street now. I’m walking behind it. Our feet touch the ground at the same time. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/i-see-my-skeleton-walking-down-the-street-now-i-m-walking-behind-it/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [Red Dust was about the late 1980s; it was a time of burgeoning hopes and opening up and people searching for new ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/red-dust-was-about-the-late-1980s-it-was-a-time-of-burgeoning-hopes/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [I meant that the Chinese people are not aware of their own entrapment. They believe they live in a free society, but don't realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/i-meant-that-the-chinese-people-are-not-aware-of-their-own-entrapment/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [I am completely in favour of dialogue and engagement. But it must be a true, open dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/i-am-completely-in-favour-of-dialogue-and-engagement-but-it-must-be-a/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [I have to live within my memories, within my private universe, and continually return to China, the land where my thoughts are locked. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/i-have-to-live-within-my-memories-within-my-private-universe-and/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [After the Tiananmen Massacre, I felt compelled not only to continue writing but to actively resist the restrictions placed on freedom of speech. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/after-the-tiananmen-massacre-i-felt-compelled-not-only-to-continue/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [The Beijing Olympics represent China's grand entrance onto the world stage and confirmation of its new superpower status.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/the-beijing-olympics-represent-china-s-grand-entrance-onto-the-world/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [China is completely lacking in self-awareness and as someone who has stepped outside that society, I have a responsibility to write about it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/china-is-completely-lacking-in-self-awareness-and-as-someone-who-has/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [It is vitally important for me, both personally and for my writing, to be able to return to China freely, so being barred entry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/it-is-vitally-important-for-me-both-personally-and-for-my-writing-to/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [The literal meaning of the Chinese characters for revolution is elimination of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/the-literal-meaning-of-the-chinese-characters-for-revolution-is/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [“Before the sparrow arrived, you had almost stopped thinking about flight. Then, last winter, it soared through the sky and landed in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/before-the-sparrow-arrived-you-had-almost-stopped-thinking-about/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [In my 20s, when I was a photojournalist in Beijing. I joined an underground art group and put on clandestine exhibitions of my paintings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/in-my-20s-when-i-was-a-photojournalist-in-beijing-i-joined-an/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [The great quality of the 'Three Kingdoms' is that it seems to encapsulate and portray every facet of the Chinese personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/the-great-quality-of-the-three-kingdoms-is-that-it-seems-to/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) [Explore all 46 Ma Jian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) ## More Cliff quotes > [The unemployed in Greece can get a voucher and choose a training program somewhere in Europe to be retrained during this crisis and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/the-unemployed-in-greece-can-get-a-voucher-and-choose-a-training/) [George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/) > [“Cliff took his arm from my shoulder and raised both hands high. "Go. Be gone!" All of the birds stopped shrieking”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-claflin/cliff-took-his-arm-from-my-shoulder-and-raised-both-hands-high-go-be/) [Stacy Claflin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-claflin/) > [Sometimes I think my past life was unrealized. I met a tragic end - it might have been a car over a cliff. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-ebersole/sometimes-i-think-my-past-life-was-unrealized-i-met-a-tragic-end-it/) [Christine Ebersole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-ebersole/) > [Let's push the Pentagon off the fiscal cliff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/let-s-push-the-pentagon-off-the-fiscal-cliff/) [Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/) > [“She had what I'd call a lemming ass - that is, an ass that you would follow right over the edge of the cliff.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davidson/she-had-what-i-d-call-a-lemming-ass-that-is-an-ass-that-you-would/) [Andrew Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davidson/) > [I'm not a lemming about to run off the end of a cliff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-roeder/i-m-not-a-lemming-about-to-run-off-the-end-of-a-cliff/) [Glenn Roeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-roeder/) > [Wow! We beat him! I mean, yeah technically he fell off a cliff but, we still won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/po-the-dragon-warrior/wow-we-beat-him-i-mean-yeah-technically-he-fell-off-a-cliff-but-we/) Po - The Dragon Warrior > [I've now met, I would say, almost every single one of my rock idols. I feel like I should just drive off a cliff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/i-ve-now-met-i-would-say-almost-every-single-one-of-my-rock-idols-i/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [People with high levels of wellbeing have been careful to work out early in the morning and not to have heavy meals throughout the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rath/people-with-high-levels-of-wellbeing-have-been-careful-to-work-out/) [Tom Rath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rath/) > [Don't make me hang on to long I have the grip but this cliff is really steep but for you ill be like spiderman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mcglory/don-t-make-me-hang-on-to-long-i-have-the-grip-but-this-cliff-is/) [Greg Mcglory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mcglory/) > [“Feeling the Wind in Your Hair The peak of the cliff sits tantalizingly close. Your hands rest on your knees as you gasp, willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-kieran/feeling-the-wind-in-your-hair-the-peak-of-the-cliff-sits/) Dan Kieran > [I always likened retirement to falling off a cliff, and then you have to kind of brush yourself off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-young/i-always-likened-retirement-to-falling-off-a-cliff-and-then-you-have/) [Steve Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-young/) > [There is something about writing poetry that brings a man close to the cliff's edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-is-something-about-writing-poetry-that-brings-a-man-close-to/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Acting like it's a big deal because, hey, I don't who Cliff Bowyer is. -Si](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duck-dynasty/acting-like-it-s-a-big-deal-because-hey-i-don-t-who-cliff-bowyer-is-si/) [Duck Dynasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duck-dynasty/) > [“Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your wings on the way down.--Ray Bradbury”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-k-thorne/go-to-the-edge-of-the-cliff-and-jump-off-build-your-wings-on-the-way/) T.K. Thorne [Browse all 159 Cliff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliff/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When our parents are alive, they stand in front of us, blocking our view of death. 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