--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dying is only one thing to be sad over…" description: "\"Dying is only one thing to be sad over... Living unhappily is something else.\" — Morrie Schwartz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f6/morrie-schwartz-9885_death_dying-is-only-one-thing-to-be-sad-over-l_526780.png" --- # Dying is only one thing to be sad over... Living unhappily… ![“Dying is only one thing to be sad over... Living unhappily is something else.” quote by Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f6/morrie-schwartz-9885_death_dying-is-only-one-thing-to-be-sad-over-l_526780.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f6/morrie-schwartz-9885_death_dying-is-only-one-thing-to-be-sad-over-l_526780.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f6/morrie-schwartz-9885_death_dying-is-only-one-thing-to-be-sad-over-l_526780.png) > “Dying is only one thing to be sad over... Living unhappily is something else.” [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Morrie contrasts the sadness of death with the deeper sorrow of living without joy, urging fulfillment. **In simple terms:** Death is sad; unhappy living is worse. Key Takeaway Pursue happiness actively. Themes mortality happiness fulfillment Mood inspirational hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career - family - health - personal goals Key Concepts positive psychology life purpose Questions to Reflect On - What brings you joy daily? - How can you improve your overall happiness? A Different Perspective People may ignore practical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [Dying is one thing to be sad about, but living a sad life is another thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/movie/dying-is-one-thing-to-be-sad-about-but-living-a-sad-life-is-another/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/movie/) > [“Dying is one thing to be sad over. Living unhappily is something else.' ‘For one thing, the culture we have does not make people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/dying-is-one-thing-to-be-sad-over-living-unhappily-is-something-else/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do”; “Accept the past as past without denying it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/accept-what-you-are-able-to-do-and-what-you-are-not-able-to-do-accept/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Dying,” Morris suddenly said, “is only one thing to be sad over, Mitch. Living unhappily is something else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/dying-morris-suddenly-said-is-only-one-thing-to-be-sad-over-mitch/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Dying," Morrie suddenly said, "is the only one thing to be sad over, Mitch. Living unhappily is something else. So many of the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/dying-morrie-suddenly-said-is-the-only-one-thing-to-be-sad-over-mitch/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Dying is only one thing to be sad over, Mitch. Living unhappily is Something else. So many of the people who came to visit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/dying-is-only-one-thing-to-be-sad-over-mitch-living-unhappily-is/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“The trouble with me, he thought unhappily, is that I have been about the world long enough to know that God's plans for us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellis-peters/the-trouble-with-me-he-thought-unhappily-is-that-i-have-been-about/) [Ellis Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellis-peters/) > [My verses, I cannot say poems. . . . I was following in the exquisite footsteps of Miss Millay, unhappily in my own horrible sneakers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/my-verses-i-cannot-say-poems-i-was-following-in-the-exquisite/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [I always do what makes me happy - it doesn't make sense to live life unhappily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibi-bourelly/i-always-do-what-makes-me-happy-it-doesn-t-make-sense-to-live-life/) [Bibi Bourelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibi-bourelly/) > [Life is too short to live unhappily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kadia/life-is-too-short-to-live-unhappily/) Kadia > [Sometimes the memory of happiness cannot stay true because it ended unhappily..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/sometimes-the-memory-of-happiness-cannot-stay-true-because-it-ended/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“Democracy: stored up in heaven; but unhappily has not yet been communicated to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-r-crick/democracy-stored-up-in-heaven-but-unhappily-has-not-yet-been/) Bernard R. Crick > [“An unhappily married woman is necessarily a bad cook.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-marie-macdonald/an-unhappily-married-woman-is-necessarily-a-bad-cook/) [Ann-Marie MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-marie-macdonald/) > [“life is sad…when you are living it alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-matson/life-is-sad-when-you-are-living-it-alone/) [Morgan Matson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-matson/) > [Some people say it's sad living in a hotel, but I'd rather be living in an hotel than living in an house on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-thomas/some-people-say-it-s-sad-living-in-a-hotel-but-i-d-rather-be-living/) [Gareth Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-thomas/) ## More by Morrie Schwartz > [The little things, I can obey. But the big things - how we think, what we value - those you must choose yourself. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/the-little-things-i-can-obey-but-the-big-things-how-we-think-what-we/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [Once you learn how to die you learn how to live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/once-you-learn-how-to-die-you-learn-how-to-live/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [The fact is, there is no foundation, no secure ground, upon which people may stand today if it isn't the family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/the-fact-is-there-is-no-foundation-no-secure-ground-upon-which-people/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [“Okay. The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He's enjoying the wind and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/okay-the-story-is-about-a-little-wave-bobbing-along-in-the-ocean/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/the-culture-we-have-does-not-make-people-feel-good-about-themselves/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [Acceptance is not a talent you either have or don't have. It's a learned response. My meditation teacher made a great point about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/acceptance-is-not-a-talent-you-either-have-or-don-t-have-it-s-a/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [All right, that was my moment with loneliness. I'm not afraid of feeling lonely, but now I'm going to put that loneliness aside and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/all-right-that-was-my-moment-with-loneliness-i-m-not-afraid-of/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [“Morrie: And the biggest one of those values, Mitch? Mitch: Yes? Morrie: Your belief in the importance of your marriage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/morrie-and-the-biggest-one-of-those-values-mitch-mitch-yes-morrie/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [There is no formula to relationships. They have to be negotiated in loving ways, with room for both parties, what they want and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/there-is-no-formula-to-relationships-they-have-to-be-negotiated-in/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [We put our values in the wrong things. And it leads to very disillusioned lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/we-put-our-values-in-the-wrong-things-and-it-leads-to-very/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [Without love, we are birds with broken wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/without-love-we-are-birds-with-broken-wings/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [“Don’t let go too soon, but don’t hang on too long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/don-t-let-go-too-soon-but-don-t-hang-on-too-long/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [“Said to Mitch Album in "Tuesday's with Morrie": "The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We're teaching the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/said-to-mitch-album-in-tuesday-s-with-morrie-the-culture-we-have-does/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [Keep your heart open for as long as you can, as wide as you can, for others and especially for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/keep-your-heart-open-for-as-long-as-you-can-as-wide-as-you-can-for/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [All younger people should know something. If you’re always battling against getting older, you’re always going to be unhappy, because it will happen anyhow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/all-younger-people-should-know-something-if-you-re-always-battling/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) [Explore all 69 Morrie Schwartz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) ## 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 > [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 > [“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": "Dying is only one thing to be sad over... 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