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Death Quote by Marya Hornbacher

“Death is a fascinating thing. The human mind continually returns and returns to death, to mortality, immortality, damnation, salvation. Some fear death, some seek it, but it is in our human nature to wonder at the limits of human life, at least. When you are sick like this you begin to wonder too…” quote by Marya Hornbacher
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““Death is a fascinating thing. The human mind continually returns and returns to death, to mortality, immortality, damnation, salvation. Some fear death, some seek it, but it is in our human nature to wonder at the limits of human life, at least. When you are sick like this you begin to wonder too much. Death is at your shoulder, death is your shadow, your scent, your waking and dreaming companion. You cannot help, when sleep begins to touch your eyes, but to wonder: What if? What if? And in that question, there is a longing, too much like the longing of a young girl in love. The sickness occupies your every thought, breath like a lover at your ear; the sickness stands at your shoulder in the mirror, absorbed with your body, each inch of skin and flesh, and you let it work you over, touch you with rough hands that thrill. Nothing will ever be so close to you again. You will never find a lover so careful, so attentive, so unconditionally present and concerned only with you. Some of us use the body to convey the things for which we cannot find words. Some of us decide to take a shortcut, decide the world is too much or too little, death is so easy, so smiling, so simple; and death is dramatic, a final fuck-you to the world.””

Marya Hornbacher

About This Quote

Source Book: The Center Cannot Hold, Marya Hornbacher, 2002

The passage explores how confronting mortality intensifies existential reflection, blending fear, fascination, and a yearning for intimacy with death as a companion.

In simple terms: Thinking about death makes us feel both scared and oddly close to life.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the awareness of mortality to deepen appreciation of living.

Themes

mortality existentialism intimacy psychology suffering

Mood

somber reflective intense

Type

philosophical poetic confessional

When to use this quote

  • hospitalization
  • terminal illness
  • grief counseling
  • creative writing
  • philosophical discourse

Key Concepts

nihilism transcendence attachment

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does confronting mortality change your daily choices?
  • What can you learn from the intimacy you feel with death?
A Different Perspective

The focus on death may overlook the potential for hope and resilience in the face of suffering.

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