---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Death is an unsurpassable limit of human…"
description: "\"Death is an unsurpassable limit of human existence... We discover the relationship which is the basis for all feelings of reverence, fear, awe, wonder,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/medard-boss-43729_able_death-is-an-unsurpassable-limit-of-human_2267950.jpg"
---

#  Death is an unsurpassable limit of human existence... We…

![“Death is an unsurpassable limit of human existence... We discover the relationship which is the basis for all feelings of reverence, fear, awe, wonder, sorrow, and deference in the face of something greater and more powerful... Only such a being-unto-death can guarantee the precondition that the…” quote by Medard Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/medard-boss-43729_able_death-is-an-unsurpassable-limit-of-human_2267950.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/medard-boss-43729_able_death-is-an-unsurpassable-limit-of-human_2267950.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/medard-boss-43729_able_death-is-an-unsurpassable-limit-of-human_2267950.jpg)

> “Death is an unsurpassable limit of human existence... We discover the relationship which is the basis for all feelings of reverence, fear, awe, wonder, sorrow, and deference in the face of something greater and more powerful... Only such a being-unto-death can guarantee the precondition that the Da-sein be able to free itself from its absorption in, its submission and surrender of itself to the things and relationships of everyday living and to return to itself.”

[Medard Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage suggests that confronting mortality reveals profound emotions and allows the self to transcend everyday concerns, achieving deeper authenticity.

**In simple terms:** Facing death reveals deep feelings and frees the self.

Key Takeaway

Recognize mortality to find authentic self.

Themes

existence mortality authenticity philosophy psychology

Mood

contemplative serene thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- counseling
- therapy
- philosophical reflection
- creative writing
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

existentialism self-transcendence human condition

Questions to Reflect On

- How does awareness of death change daily choices?
- What practices help return to the self?

A Different Perspective

The concept may be abstract and hard to apply practically.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Absorption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absorption/) [Awe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awe/) [Bases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bases/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Unsurpassable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-unsurpassable-5245203/) [Deference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deference/) [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [Everyday living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday-living/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Feelings Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings-reverence-4882053/) [Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater/) [Guarantees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guarantees/) [Human existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-existence/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return/) [Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverence/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Sorrow Deference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow-deference-5245202/) [Submission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/submission/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/) [Unto Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unto-death-618900/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/)

## Related quotes

> [Music can act upon our senses to produce or induce feelings of reverence, humility, fervor, assurance, or other feelings attuned to the spirit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/music-can-act-upon-our-senses-to-produce-or-induce-feelings-of/)

[Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/)

> [“I thought I saw how stories of this kind could steal past a certain inhibition which had paralysed much of my own religion in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/i-thought-i-saw-how-stories-of-this-kind-could-steal-past-a-certain/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [“All who live are in despair.(?) And that is the sickness unto death.(?) It is that a man refuses to be what he is.(?)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/all-who-live-are-in-despair-and-that-is-the-sickness-unto-death-it-is/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [So to be sick unto death is, not to be able to die-yet not as though there were hope of life; no, the hopelessness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-to-be-sick-unto-death-is-not-to-be-able-to-die-yet-not-as-though/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Have a patience and be faithful unto death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/have-a-patience-and-be-faithful-unto-death/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [If you will not have death unto sin, you shall have sin unto death. There is no alternative. If you do not die to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-you-will-not-have-death-unto-sin-you-shall-have-sin-unto-death/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavius-winslow/for-this-god-is-our-god-for-ever-and-ever-he-will-be-our-guide-even/)

[Octavius Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavius-winslow/)

> [Every sin that is left without repentance is a sin unto death, for which if even a saint shall pray, he shall not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-eremita/every-sin-that-is-left-without-repentance-is-a-sin-unto-death-for/)

[Marcus Eremita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-eremita/)

> [Work unto death! I am with you, and when I am gone, my spirit will work with you. This life comes and goes; wealth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/work-unto-death-i-am-with-you-and-when-i-am-gone-my-spirit-will-work/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Eroticism is the approval of life unto death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bataille/eroticism-is-the-approval-of-life-unto-death/)

[Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bataille/)

> [We do not know the value of Christ, if we will not cleave to Him unto death!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-murray/we-do-not-know-the-value-of-christ-if-we-will-not-cleave-to-him-unto/)

[Robert E. Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-murray/)

> [“This sickness is not unto death." John 11:4 From our Lord's words we learn that there is a limit to sickness. Here is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/this-sickness-is-not-unto-death-john-11-4-from-our-lord-s-words-we/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“The self is configured in ways that both reflect and influence the very foundations of social life and everyday living. Without the guidance set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-cushman/the-self-is-configured-in-ways-that-both-reflect-and-influence-the/)

[Philip Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-cushman/)

> [I've been playing music since I was four, so it's part of my life. It's all I know. It's just a part of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trombone-shorty/i-ve-been-playing-music-since-i-was-four-so-it-s-part-of-my-life-it-s/)

[Trombone Shorty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trombone-shorty/)

> [We must have courage to bet on our ideas, to take the calculated risk, and to act. Everyday living requires courage if life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-maltz/we-must-have-courage-to-bet-on-our-ideas-to-take-the-calculated-risk/)

[Maxwell Maltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-maltz/)

## More by Medard Boss

> [When we visualize something, we establish a relationship to the thing itself, not to some mere subjective representation of it inside us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/when-we-visualize-something-we-establish-a-relationship-to-the-thing/)

[Medard Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/)

> [If man did not exist as a world-spanning receptive realm of perception, if he were not engaged in this capacity, nothing at all could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/if-man-did-not-exist-as-a-world-spanning-receptive-realm-of/)

[Medard Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/)

> [The prevailing attunement is at any given time the condition of our openness for perceiving and dealing with what we encounter; the pitch at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/the-prevailing-attunement-is-at-any-given-time-the-condition-of-our/)

[Medard Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/)

> [A new vision and understanding of something demands a new way of talking about it, for the old terminology gets in the way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/a-new-vision-and-understanding-of-something-demands-a-new-way-of/)

[Medard Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/)

> [We declare that only man exists. This is not to say that material, inorganic nature and nonhuman beings-animals and plants-are in any sense unreal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/we-declare-that-only-man-exists-this-is-not-to-say-that-material/)

[Medard Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/)

> [Whether he is aware of it or not, every human being dwells in tradition and history. Human memory is this constant dwelling in tradition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/whether-he-is-aware-of-it-or-not-every-human-being-dwells-in/)

[Medard Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/)

> [A watch can only tell us how much time it is, how much time has passed, or how much time must still pass before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/a-watch-can-only-tell-us-how-much-time-it-is-how-much-time-has-passed/)

[Medard Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/)

> [The borders of my bodyhood coincide with those of my openness to the world. They are in fact at any given time identical, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/the-borders-of-my-bodyhood-coincide-with-those-of-my-openness-to-the/)

[Medard Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/)

[Explore all 9 Medard Boss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

[Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Death is an unsurpassable limit of human existence... We discover the relationship which is the basis for all feelings of reverence, fear, awe, wonder, sorrow, and deference in the face of something greater and more powerful... Only such a being-unto-death can guarantee the precondition that the Da-sein be able to free itself from its absorption in, its submission and surrender of itself to the things and relationships of everyday living and to return to itself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Medard Boss"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/death-is-an-unsurpassable-limit-of-human-existence-we-discover-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/death-is-an-unsurpassable-limit-of-human-existence-we-discover-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/medard-boss-43729_able_death-is-an-unsurpassable-limit-of-human_2267950.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/medard-boss-43729_able_death-is-an-unsurpassable-limit-of-human_2267950.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/medard-boss-43729_able_death-is-an-unsurpassable-limit-of-human_2267950.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Death is an unsurpassable limit of human existence... We discover the relationship which is the basis for…” — Medard Boss",
                "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": "Medard Boss",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Death is an unsurpassable limit of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/death-is-an-unsurpassable-limit-of-human-existence-we-discover-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/death-is-an-unsurpassable-limit-of-human-existence-we-discover-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
