--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seemed to me that everyone knows they…" description: "\"“It seemed to me that everyone knows they will die one day. My feeling was nobody can stop death; it doesn't matter if it comes from a Talib or cancer...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b02/malala-yousafzai-808_cancer_it-seemed-to-me-that-everyone-knows-they_2253794.png" --- # It seemed to me that everyone knows they will die one day… ![“It seemed to me that everyone knows they will die one day. My feeling was nobody can stop death; it doesn't matter if it comes from a Talib or cancer. So I should do whatever I want to do.” quote by Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b02/malala-yousafzai-808_cancer_it-seemed-to-me-that-everyone-knows-they_2253794.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b02/malala-yousafzai-808_cancer_it-seemed-to-me-that-everyone-knows-they_2253794.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b02/malala-yousafzai-808_cancer_it-seemed-to-me-that-everyone-knows-they_2253794.png) > ““It seemed to me that everyone knows they will die one day. My feeling was nobody can stop death; it doesn't matter if it comes from a Talib or cancer. So I should do whatever I want to do.”” [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Awareness of mortality frees one to pursue personal desires without fear. **In simple terms:** Death awareness fuels freedom. Key Takeaway Live boldly despite death. Themes mortality freedom personal agency Mood determined hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career choices - creative projects - risk taking Key Concepts existentialism youth empowerment Questions to Reflect On - What would you do if fear vanished? - How do you balance desire and duty? A Different Perspective Neglecting responsibility can be harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ## Related quotes > [Last words are always harder to remember when no one knows that someone's about to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/last-words-are-always-harder-to-remember-when-no-one-knows-that/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Every man knows that he will die: and nobody believes it. On that paradox stand not only a host of religions but the entity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-knows-that-he-will-die-and-nobody-believes-it-on-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The man who can be compelled knows not how to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-man-who-can-be-compelled-knows-not-how-to-die/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The mercy of the world is time. Time does not stop for love, but it does not stop for death and grief, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mercy-of-the-world-is-time-time-does-not-stop-for-love-but-it/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [As J.R. I could get away with anything - bribery, blackmail and adultery. But I got caught by cancer. I do want everyone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hagman/as-j-r-i-could-get-away-with-anything-bribery-blackmail-and-adultery/) [Larry Hagman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hagman/) > [Addiction has a worse prognosis than most cancers. I tell someone they have cancer and they want to be airlifted to a cancer treatment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/addiction-has-a-worse-prognosis-than-most-cancers-i-tell-someone-they/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [“I just want it to stop. All of it. The pain. The suffering. The fucking cancer. I want it gone. I need it gone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-maxlyn/i-just-want-it-to-stop-all-of-it-the-pain-the-suffering-the-fucking/) [Amanda Maxlyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-maxlyn/) > [The thing with cancer is that you want to get it as early as you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-douglas/the-thing-with-cancer-is-that-you-want-to-get-it-as-early-as-you-can/) [Michael Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-douglas/) > [Stupid cancer... Some of us want a new house... A new car... A new mobile phone... To lose weight... But someone battling cancer wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stupid-cancer-some-of-us-want-a-new-house-a-new-car-a-new-mobile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want 100 different cures of cancer. I want, you know, give me five. So if you had, you know, five medicines, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-watson/i-don-t-want-100-different-cures-of-cancer-i-want-you-know-give-me/) [James D. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-watson/) > [Humans have discovered that they cannot stop Death, but at least they can spit in his drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/humans-have-discovered-that-they-cannot-stop-death-but-at-least-they/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [“The mercy of the world is time. Time does not stop for love, but it does not stop for death and grief, either. After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mercy-of-the-world-is-time-time-does-not-stop-for-love-but-it-2/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Love is thronged than death even through it can't stop death from happening.. But no matter how hard death tries, it can't separate people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janethnipay/love-is-thronged-than-death-even-through-it-can-t-stop-death-from/) Janethnipay > [One day the ordinariness will be terminally punctuated by the extraordinary full stop of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/one-day-the-ordinariness-will-be-terminally-punctuated-by-the/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [Ageing destroys youth, sickness destroys health, degeneration of life destroys all excellent qualities and death destroys life. Even if you are a great runner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/ageing-destroys-youth-sickness-destroys-health-degeneration-of-life/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) ## More by Malala Yousafzai > [I don't want to be remembered as the girl who was shot. I want to be remembered as the girl who stood up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-don-t-want-to-be-remembered-as-the-girl-who-was-shot-i-want-to-be/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [I speak not for myself, but so those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights. Their right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-speak-not-for-myself-but-so-those-without-a-voice-can-be-heard/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [I think I have a right to live my life the way I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-think-i-have-a-right-to-live-my-life-the-way-i-like/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [I want to have fun, but I don't quite know how.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-want-to-have-fun-but-i-don-t-quite-know-how/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [In some parts of the world, students are going to school every day. It's their normal life. But in other part of the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/in-some-parts-of-the-world-students-are-going-to-school-every-day-it/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [If one man can destroy everything, why can't one girl change it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/if-one-man-can-destroy-everything-why-can-t-one-girl-change-it/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [“We all played cricket on the street or rooftops together, but I knew as we got older the girls would be expected to stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/we-all-played-cricket-on-the-street-or-rooftops-together-but-i-knew/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [When I was young I used to listen to other people and to try and understand what they thought and where they were coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/when-i-was-young-i-used-to-listen-to-other-people-and-to-try-and/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [Once I had asked God for one or two extra inches in height, but instead, he made me as tall as the sky, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/once-i-had-asked-god-for-one-or-two-extra-inches-in-height-but/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [We human beings don't realize how great God is. He has given us an extraordinary brain and a sensitive loving heart. He has blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/we-human-beings-don-t-realize-how-great-god-is-he-has-given-us-an/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [ Education had been a great gift for him \[Ziauddin\]. He believed that lack of education was the root of all the Pakistan's problems. Ignorance… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/education-had-been-a-great-gift-for-him-ziauddin-he-believed-that/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [I was born a proud daughter of Pakistan, though like all Swatis I thought of myself first as a Swati and Pashtun, before Pakistani.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-was-born-a-proud-daughter-of-pakistan-though-like-all-swatis-i/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [I had two options One was to remain silent and wait to be killed and the second was to speak up and then be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-had-two-options-one-was-to-remain-silent-and-wait-to-be-killed-and/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [The important thing to note is that it is not important whether Malala was shot or not - Malala is not asking for personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/the-important-thing-to-note-is-that-it-is-not-important-whether/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [It's an honor to be awarded the Liberty Medal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/it-s-an-honor-to-be-awarded-the-liberty-medal/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) [Explore all 348 Malala Yousafzai quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) ## More Cancer quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Historically, more people have died of religion than cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-francis/historically-more-people-have-died-of-religion-than-cancer/) [Dick Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-francis/) > [“Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world sweetest cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/our-kind-of-love-can-go-into-remission-but-it-s-always-waiting-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Bollywood is a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-banerjee/bollywood-is-a-cancer/) [Victor Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-banerjee/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [When people go get chemo, they're not injecting themselves with will - I have lost various loved ones to cancer, and I certainly don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/when-people-go-get-chemo-they-re-not-injecting-themselves-with-will-i/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [“the doctor hesitated before breaking the news to her. "those aren't stars. it's cancer." - forty years a smoker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lovelace/the-doctor-hesitated-before-breaking-the-news-to-her-those-aren-t/) [Amanda Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lovelace/) > [I loved you to the moon and back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-loved-you-to-the-moon-and-back/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [I would do away with super PACs. I think it's a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-conrad/i-would-do-away-with-super-pacs-i-think-it-s-a-cancer/) [Kent Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-conrad/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [If you are a white male, you don't deserve to live. You are a cancer, you're a disease, white males have never contributed anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-ignatiev/if-you-are-a-white-male-you-don-t-deserve-to-live-you-are-a-cancer/) [Noel Ignatiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-ignatiev/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) [Browse all 3,177 Cancer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It seemed to me that everyone knows they will die one day. My feeling was nobody can stop death; it doesn't matter if it comes from a Talib or cancer. 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