--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She's had a long life. Now she's going to…" description: "\"“She's had a long life. Now she's going to the Lord.\" \"Frankly it creeps me out a little when you say things like that,\" Simon said. \"It shouldn't. If ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/michael-cunningham-1120_afterlife_she-s-had-a-long-life-now-she-s-going-to_194932.png" --- # She's had a long life. Now she's going to the Lord."… ![“She's had a long life. Now she's going to the Lord." "Frankly it creeps me out a little when you say things like that," Simon said. "It shouldn't. If you don't like 'Lord,' pick another word. She's going home. She's going back to the party. Whatever you like." "I suppose you have some definite…” quote by Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/michael-cunningham-1120_afterlife_she-s-had-a-long-life-now-she-s-going-to_194932.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/michael-cunningham-1120_afterlife_she-s-had-a-long-life-now-she-s-going-to_194932.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/michael-cunningham-1120_afterlife_she-s-had-a-long-life-now-she-s-going-to_194932.png) > ““She's had a long life. Now she's going to the Lord." "Frankly it creeps me out a little when you say things like that," Simon said. "It shouldn't. If you don't like 'Lord,' pick another word. She's going home. She's going back to the party. Whatever you like." "I suppose you have some definite ideas about an afterlife." "Sure. We get reabsorbed into the earthly and celestial mechanism." "No heaven?" "That's heaven." "What about realms of glory? What about walking around in golden slippers?" "We abandon consciousness as if we were waking from a bad dream. We throw it off like clothes that never fit us right. It's an ecstatic release we're physically unable to apprehend while we're in our bodies. Orgasm is our best hint, but it's crude and minor by comparison.”” [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## 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 explores how death is portrayed as a transition to a different state of being, likening it to shedding a restrictive identity and experiencing an ecstatic release beyond ordinary perception. **In simple terms:** Death is described as a transformative release, like shedding clothes and feeling an ecstatic freedom. Key Takeaway Embrace death as a profound, liberating transition. Themes mortality transformation spirituality identity ecstasy Mood contemplative melancholic hopeful Type literary philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - grief counseling - philosophical debate - creative writing - spiritual practice Key Concepts afterlife consciousness metaphor psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape our perception of death? - What personal metaphors help you cope with mortality? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex emotional experiences of loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afterlife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afterlife/) [Bad dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-dream/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-life/) ## Related quotes > [I think you should enjoy this life that you are given on this earth because we really don't know what it is in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-benante/i-think-you-should-enjoy-this-life-that-you-are-given-on-this-earth/) [Charlie Benante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-benante/) > [The afterlife I'm not so sure about. 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Unless my cats are there to welcome me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-heaven-will-not-ever-heaven-be-unless-my-cats-are-there-to-welcome/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man content to go to heaven alone will never go to heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boethius/a-man-content-to-go-to-heaven-alone-will-never-go-to-heaven/) [Boethius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boethius/) > [If heaven is within you, everywhere you go you will find heaven!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-heaven-is-within-you-everywhere-you-go-you-will-find-heaven/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Our body is dependent on heaven and heaven on the Spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/our-body-is-dependent-on-heaven-and-heaven-on-the-spirit/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Heaven... I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/heaven-i-m-in-heaven-and-my-heart-beats-so-that-i-can-hardly-speak/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do not have to see heaven, because I see heaven in your lovely heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-do-not-have-to-see-heaven-because-i-see-heaven-in-your-lovely-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For what is Mysticism? It is not the attempt to draw near to God, not by rites or ceremonies, but by inward disposition? Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/for-what-is-mysticism-it-is-not-the-attempt-to-draw-near-to-god-not/) [Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/) > [The main object of religion is not to get a man into heaven, but to get heaven into him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-main-object-of-religion-is-not-to-get-a-man-into-heaven-but-to/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Children are a bridge to Heaven. OR Heaven is under feet of mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/persian-proverb/children-are-a-bridge-to-heaven-or-heaven-is-under-feet-of-mothers/) [Persian Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/persian-proverb/) > [Heaven must be in me before I can be in heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-villiers-stanford/heaven-must-be-in-me-before-i-can-be-in-heaven/) Charles Villiers Stanford > [I found that when I did something for the sake of heaven, heaven happened. These things changed my life. I owe them to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-blue/i-found-that-when-i-did-something-for-the-sake-of-heaven-heaven/) [Lionel Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-blue/) > [if we have not found the heaven within,we have not found the heaven without](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/if-we-have-not-found-the-heaven-within-we-have-not-found-the-heaven/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) ## More by Michael Cunningham > [“Mizzy has wandered into the garden. Carole looks contemplatively at him, says, "Lovely boy." "My wife's insanely younger brother. He's one of those kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/mizzy-has-wandered-into-the-garden-carole-looks-contemplatively-at/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“Zoe loved Trancas's mother. She respected her exhausted and ironic hope for rebirth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/zoe-loved-trancas-s-mother-she-respected-her-exhausted-and-ironic/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-books-they-write-are-two-very/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“How often since then has she wondered what might have happened if she'd tried to remain with him; if she’d returned Richard's kiss on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/how-often-since-then-has-she-wondered-what-might-have-happened-if-she/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“...a full week of their mother's quiet fury over the fun they don't seem to be having and their father's dogged attempts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/a-full-week-of-their-mother-s-quiet-fury-over-the-fun-they-don-t-seem/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Oh, all you immigrants and visionaries, what do you hope to find here, who do you hope to become?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/oh-all-you-immigrants-and-visionaries-what-do-you-hope-to-find-here/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She wants to have baked a cake that banishes sorrow, even if only for a little while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-wants-to-have-baked-a-cake-that-banishes-sorrow-even-if-only-for/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And yet, it gives Peter nothing. Not now. Not today. Not when he needs... more. More than this well-executed idea. More than the shark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-yet-it-gives-peter-nothing-not-now-not-today-not-when-he-needs/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [He insists on a version of you that is funnier, stranger, more eccentric and prfound thatn you suspect yourself to be--capable of doing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/he-insists-on-a-version-of-you-that-is-funnier-stranger-more/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The worst are full of passionate intensity while the best lack all conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-worst-are-full-of-passionate-intensity-while-the-best-lack-all/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And here he is, letting the massive steel street door click shut behind him, standing at the top of the three iron steps that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-here-he-is-letting-the-massive-steel-street-door-click-shut/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [It's the world, you live in it, even if some boy has made a fool of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/it-s-the-world-you-live-in-it-even-if-some-boy-has-made-a-fool-of-you/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Any other vexations to report?" he asks. "I love the word 'vexations.'" "It's the 'x.' Nice to jump off a 'v' and bite into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/any-other-vexations-to-report-he-asks-i-love-the-word-vexations-it-s/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Dead, we are revealed in our true dimensions, and they are surprisingly modest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/dead-we-are-revealed-in-our-true-dimensions-and-they-are-surprisingly/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“You know what I am?" he says. "What?" "I'm an ordinary person." "Come on." "I know. Who isn't an ordinary person? How horribly presumptuous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/you-know-what-i-am-he-says-what-i-m-an-ordinary-person-come-on-i-know/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) [Explore all 277 Michael Cunningham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## More Afterlife quotes > [I don't believe in an afterlife. I don't believe in a single or multiple godhead. I respect people who do, but I don't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/i-don-t-believe-in-an-afterlife-i-don-t-believe-in-a-single-or/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“There was no attack on religion because people were generally indifferent to religion. They were neither hot nor cold. They were the tepid, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/there-was-no-attack-on-religion-because-people-were-generally/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [I guess on one hand I believe it doesn't matter if there is life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morton/i-guess-on-one-hand-i-believe-it-doesn-t-matter-if-there-is-life/) [Joe Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morton/) > [“And what if there are only spiders there, or something of that sort”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-what-if-there-are-only-spiders-there-or-something-of-that-sort/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“The obsession with the afterlife is born of a panic at not having memories of a before-life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-obsession-with-the-afterlife-is-born-of-a-panic-at-not-having/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. 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Unless you are immortal, both the soul and body are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yelle-hughes/death-is-predestined-for-all-mortals-souls-live-forever-but-the-body/) [Yelle Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yelle-hughes/) [Browse all 844 Afterlife quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afterlife/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She's had a long life. Now she's going to the Lord.\" \"Frankly it creeps me out a little when you say things like that,\" Simon said. \"It shouldn't. If you don't like 'Lord,' pick another word. She's going home. She's going back to the party. Whatever you like.\" \"I suppose you have some definite ideas about an afterlife.\" \"Sure. We get reabsorbed into the earthly and celestial mechanism.\" \"No heaven?\" \"That's heaven.\" \"What about realms of glory? What about walking around in golden slippers?\" \"We abandon consciousness as if we were waking from a bad dream. 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