--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We start dying when we have nothing worth…" description: "\"We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we don't really start living until we find something worth dying for\" — Mark Batterson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/mark-batterson-1137_death_we-start-dying-when-we-have-nothing-wort_3082113.png" --- # We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And… ![“We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we don't really start living until we find something worth dying for” quote by Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/mark-batterson-1137_death_we-start-dying-when-we-have-nothing-wort_3082113.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/mark-batterson-1137_death_we-start-dying-when-we-have-nothing-wort_3082113.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/mark-batterson-1137_death_we-start-dying-when-we-have-nothing-wort_3082113.png) > “We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we don't really start living until we find something worth dying for” [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life feels empty without a meaningful cause; purpose gives urgency and vitality. **In simple terms:** Life needs purpose to feel alive. Key Takeaway Seek a cause that matters. Themes purpose meaning existence Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career - volunteer work - creative projects - relationships Key Concepts Existentialism value motivation Questions to Reflect On - What cause would you risk everything for? - How do you discover what truly matters? A Different Perspective Purpose can be elusive and may cause burnout if misaligned. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Dying Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying-worth-404726/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Start Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-dying-354484/) [Start Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-living/) [Worth Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-dying/) [Worth living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-living/) ## Related quotes > [“We start dying the day we stop dreaming. And ironically, we start living the day we discover a dream worth dying for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/we-start-dying-the-day-we-stop-dreaming-and-ironically-we-start/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [And love … love was worth dying for. Worth living for, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/and-love-love-was-worth-dying-for-worth-living-for-too/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, and nothing worth killing for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-many-things-worth-living-for-a-few-things-worth-dying-for/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Some people seek what is worth dying for, others find what is worth living for](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-rossi/some-people-seek-what-is-worth-dying-for-others-find-what-is-worth/) [Alexandre Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-rossi/) > [Surely so many countries can't all be worth dying for." "Anything worth living for," said Nately, "is worth dying for." "And anything worth dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/surely-so-many-countries-can-t-all-be-worth-dying-for-anything-worth/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [There are causes worth dying for, but none worth killing for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-are-causes-worth-dying-for-but-none-worth-killing-for/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Surely there can't be so many countries worth dying for.' Anything worth living for,' said Nately, 'is worth dying for.' And anything worth dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/surely-there-can-t-be-so-many-countries-worth-dying-for-anything/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [Start living before you start dying..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-living-before-you-start-dying/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The day we stop dreaming is the day we start dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/the-day-we-stop-dreaming-is-the-day-we-start-dying/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [You have to start living for something that's worth dying for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-young/you-have-to-start-living-for-something-that-s-worth-dying-for/) [Andrew Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-young/) > [When you stop growing you start dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-you-stop-growing-you-start-dying/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“What they fail to reckon with, however, is the reverse of that slogan: if nothing is worth dying for, is anything worth living for?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/what-they-fail-to-reckon-with-however-is-the-reverse-of-that-slogan/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [If you've got nothing worth dying for, you've got nothing worth living for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-ve-got-nothing-worth-dying-for-you-ve-got-nothing-worth-living/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I can truly say my life is worth living now because I’ve found someone worth dying for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-rose/i-can-truly-say-my-life-is-worth-living-now-because-i-ve-found/) [Sierra Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-rose/) > [If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-fish/if-our-country-is-worth-dying-for-in-time-of-war-let-us-resolve-that/) [Hamilton Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-fish/) ## More by Mark Batterson > [“The path of least resistance never gets us where we want to go. Shortcuts always end up being cul-de-sacs. The key to spiritual growth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/the-path-of-least-resistance-never-gets-us-where-we-want-to-go/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [If you've never had a God-sized dream that scared you half to death, then you haven't really come to life. If you've never been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/if-you-ve-never-had-a-god-sized-dream-that-scared-you-half-to-death/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [Part of my driving desire as a pastor is to remove every obstacle except the cross that would keep people from coming to faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/part-of-my-driving-desire-as-a-pastor-is-to-remove-every-obstacle/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [The Bible is the place where God bears His soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/the-bible-is-the-place-where-god-bears-his-soul/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [One God idea is worth more than a thousand good ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/one-god-idea-is-worth-more-than-a-thousand-good-ideas/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [“even if the people could no longer hear God, he believed that God could still hear them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/even-if-the-people-could-no-longer-hear-god-he-believed-that-god/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [“100 percent of the prayers I don’t pray won’t get answered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/100-percent-of-the-prayers-i-don-t-pray-won-t-get-answered/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [“You can’t play the man if you don’t pray the price. That’s how God turns the heart. You’ll never be a perfect parent, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/you-can-t-play-the-man-if-you-don-t-pray-the-price-that-s-how-god/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [The antidote for fear of failure is not success but small doses of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/the-antidote-for-fear-of-failure-is-not-success-but-small-doses-of/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [God is in the résumé-building business. He is always using past experiences to prepare us for future opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/god-is-in-the-r-sum-building-business-he-is-always-using-past/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [“Society's goal is to make us less foolish. From the cradle to grave the pressure is on: "Be normal!" Our inner fool may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/society-s-goal-is-to-make-us-less-foolish-from-the-cradle-to-grave/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [If you aren't hungry for God, you are full of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/if-you-aren-t-hungry-for-god-you-are-full-of-yourself/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [In my experience, take the Holy Spirit out of the equation of your life and it spells boring. Add it into the equation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/in-my-experience-take-the-holy-spirit-out-of-the-equation-of-your/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [When we cling too tightly to what God did last, we often miss what God wants to do next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/when-we-cling-too-tightly-to-what-god-did-last-we-often-miss-what-god/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [Uniqueness isn't a virtue. It's a responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/uniqueness-isn-t-a-virtue-it-s-a-responsibility/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) [Explore all 283 Mark Batterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) ## 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": "We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we don't really start living until we find something worth dying for", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Batterson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/we-start-dying-when-we-have-nothing-worth-living-for-and-we-don-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/we-start-dying-when-we-have-nothing-worth-living-for-and-we-don-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/mark-batterson-1137_death_we-start-dying-when-we-have-nothing-wort_3082113.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/mark-batterson-1137_death_we-start-dying-when-we-have-nothing-wort_3082113.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/mark-batterson-1137_death_we-start-dying-when-we-have-nothing-wort_3082113.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we don't really start living until we find…” — Mark Batterson", "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": "Mark Batterson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We start dying when we have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/we-start-dying-when-we-have-nothing-worth-living-for-and-we-don-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/we-start-dying-when-we-have-nothing-worth-living-for-and-we-don-t/#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 } } ] } ```