---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who would teach men to die would teach…"
description: "\"He who would teach men to die would teach them to live.\" — Michel de Montaigne"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/michel-de-montaigne-142_dies_he-who-would-teach-men-to-die-would-teac_2598794.jpg"
---

#  He who would teach men to die would teach them to live.

![“He who would teach men to die would teach them to live.” quote by Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/michel-de-montaigne-142_dies_he-who-would-teach-men-to-die-would-teac_2598794.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/michel-de-montaigne-142_dies_he-who-would-teach-men-to-die-would-teac_2598794.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/michel-de-montaigne-142_dies_he-who-would-teach-men-to-die-would-teac_2598794.jpg)

> “He who would teach men to die would teach them to live.”

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

## About This Quote

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

Understanding mortality teaches us to value life and act purposefully.

**In simple terms:** Learning about death helps us live fully.

Key Takeaway

Embrace mortality to appreciate life.

Themes

mortality purpose philosophy

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- leadership
- decision making

Key Concepts

existentialism stoicism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does confronting death change your daily choices?
- What does living fully mean to you?

A Different Perspective

Life's meaning is subjective, not absolute.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Die Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-teach-1926810/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teach Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-live-1564689/) [Teach Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-men-276164/)

## Related quotes

> [If you really want to help this world, what you will have to teach is how to live in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-you-really-want-to-help-this-world-what-you-will-have-to-teach-is/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [If I were a maker of books I should compile a register, with comments, of different deaths. He who should teach people to die,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/if-i-were-a-maker-of-books-i-should-compile-a-register-with-comments/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [“Anyone who teaches men how to die would teach them how to live.36”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/anyone-who-teaches-men-how-to-die-would-teach-them-how-to-live-36/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [“If you really want to help this world, what you really will have to teach is how to live in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-you-really-want-to-help-this-world-what-you-really-will-have-to/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [All religions are nothing but a science - or an art - to teach you how to die. And the only way to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-religions-are-nothing-but-a-science-or-an-art-to-teach-you-how-to/)

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

> [For the sole true end of education is simply this: to teach men how to learn for themselves; and whatever instruction fails to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/for-the-sole-true-end-of-education-is-simply-this-to-teach-men-how-to/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [Holy Writ was intended to teach men how to go to Heaven not how the heavens go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/holy-writ-was-intended-to-teach-men-how-to-go-to-heaven-not-how-the/)

[Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/)

> [The great body of our citizens shoot less as times goes on. We should encourage rifle practice among schoolboys, and indeed among all classes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-great-body-of-our-citizens-shoot-less-as-times-goes-on-we-should/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [“you teach men how to treat you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-stimpson/you-teach-men-how-to-treat-you/)

[Michelle Stimpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-stimpson/)

> [“And we shall see for the first time since man lifted the club to strike down his brother, the world that woman would make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/and-we-shall-see-for-the-first-time-since-man-lifted-the-club-to/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“I will teach men the meaning of their existence: the Superman, the lightning out of the dark cloud- man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-will-teach-men-the-meaning-of-their-existence-the-superman-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Women are the best teachers in the universe, because they teach men how to love in a very innocent way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/women-are-the-best-teachers-in-the-universe-because-they-teach-men/)

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

> [Incessant falls teach men to reform, and distress rouses their strength. Life springs from calamity, and death from ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/incessant-falls-teach-men-to-reform-and-distress-rouses-their/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [Woman is very much more in contact with their feeling than a man. As a matter of fact, woman always teach to men how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabio-lanzoni/woman-is-very-much-more-in-contact-with-their-feeling-than-a-man-as-a/)

[Fabio Lanzoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabio-lanzoni/)

> [“A brick could be used to teach men how to dance, by learning balance. But a blanket could also teach men how to dance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-teach-men-how-to-dance-by-learning-balance/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

## More by Michel de Montaigne

> [No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/no-man-is-exempt-from-saying-silly-things-the-mischief-is-to-say-them/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [The laws keep up their credit, not by being just, but because they are laws; 'tis the mystic foundation of their authority; they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-laws-keep-up-their-credit-not-by-being-just-but-because-they-are/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Every one rushes elsewhere and into the future, because no one wants to face one's own inner self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/every-one-rushes-elsewhere-and-into-the-future-because-no-one-wants/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Beauty is the true prerogative of women, and so peculiarly their own, that our sex, though naturally requiring another sort of feature, is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/beauty-is-the-true-prerogative-of-women-and-so-peculiarly-their-own/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [The height and value of true virtue consists in the facility, utility, and pleasure of its exercise; so far from difficulty, that boys, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-height-and-value-of-true-virtue-consists-in-the-facility-utility/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Fie on the eloquence that leaves us craving itself, not things!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/fie-on-the-eloquence-that-leaves-us-craving-itself-not-things/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [The plainest sign of wisdom is a continual cheerfulness: her state is like that of things in the regions above the moon, always clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-plainest-sign-of-wisdom-is-a-continual-cheerfulness-her-state-is/)

[Michel De Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [The corruption of the age is made up by the particular contribution of every individual man; some contribute treachery, others injustice, atheism, tyranny, avarice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-corruption-of-the-age-is-made-up-by-the-particular-contribution/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [If people must be talking about me, I would have it to be truthfully and justly. I would willingly return from the next world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/if-people-must-be-talking-about-me-i-would-have-it-to-be-truthfully/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Most pleasures embrace us but to strangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/most-pleasures-embrace-us-but-to-strangle/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [In true friendship, in which I am expert, I give myself to my friend more than I draw him to me. I not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/in-true-friendship-in-which-i-am-expert-i-give-myself-to-my-friend/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [There are as many and innumerable degrees of wit, as there are cubits between this and heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/there-are-as-many-and-innumerable-degrees-of-wit-as-there-are-cubits/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [A man has need of tough ears to hear himself fairly judged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/a-man-has-need-of-tough-ears-to-hear-himself-fairly-judged/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Lucius Arruntius killed himself, he said, to escape both the future and the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/lucius-arruntius-killed-himself-he-said-to-escape-both-the-future-and/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [I have a vocabulary all my own. I pass the time when itis wet and disagreeable. Whenit is fine I do not wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/i-have-a-vocabulary-all-my-own-i-pass-the-time-when-itis-wet-and/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

[Explore all 1,131 Michel de Montaigne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

## More Dies quotes

> [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'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [Don't even think for a moment that you are not going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/don-t-even-think-for-a-moment-that-you-are-not-going-to-die/)

[Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

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

> [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/)

[Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/)

> [I wonder: when a Jehovah's Witness dies and goes to Heaven, does God hide behind the door and pretend He's not home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-wonder-when-a-jehovah-s-witness-dies-and-goes-to-heaven-does-god/)

[Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/)

> [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/)

[Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/)

> [“When he stops giving you butterflies, Love dies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-blanchard/when-he-stops-giving-you-butterflies-love-dies/)

[Michelle Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-blanchard/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [I don't want to just die a normal death, I wanna be killed twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-don-t-want-to-just-die-a-normal-death-i-wanna-be-killed-twice/)

[Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/)

> [My father thrives on fear. You know that prayer If I should die before I wake? I had sheets that said that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-father-thrives-on-fear-you-know-that-prayer-if-i-should-die-before/)

[Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/)

[Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/)

> [If you’re going to die on screen, you’ve got to be strong and in good health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-garbo/if-you-re-going-to-die-on-screen-you-ve-got-to-be-strong-and-in-good/)

[Greta Garbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-garbo/)

[Browse all 7,484 Dies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "He who would teach men to die would teach them to live.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michel de Montaigne"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/he-who-would-teach-men-to-die-would-teach-them-to-live/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dies"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/he-who-would-teach-men-to-die-would-teach-them-to-live/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/michel-de-montaigne-142_dies_he-who-would-teach-men-to-die-would-teac_2598794.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/michel-de-montaigne-142_dies_he-who-would-teach-men-to-die-would-teac_2598794.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/michel-de-montaigne-142_dies_he-who-would-teach-men-to-die-would-teac_2598794.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He who would teach men to die would teach them to live.” — Michel de Montaigne",
                "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": "Michel de Montaigne",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "He who would teach men to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/he-who-would-teach-men-to-die-would-teach-them-to-live/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/he-who-would-teach-men-to-die-would-teach-them-to-live/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
