--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who hasn't thought about killing…" description: "\"“Who hasn't thought about killing themselves, as a kid? How can you grow up in this world and not think about it? It's an option taken by a lot of succ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/ned-vizzini-1483_high-school_who-hasn-t-thought-about-killing-themsel_3021332.png" --- # Who hasn't thought about killing themselves, as a kid? How… ![“Who hasn't thought about killing themselves, as a kid? How can you grow up in this world and not think about it? It's an option taken by a lot of successful people: Ernest Hemingway, Socrates, Jesus. Even before high school, I thought that it would be a cool thing to do if I ever got really…” quote by Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/ned-vizzini-1483_high-school_who-hasn-t-thought-about-killing-themsel_3021332.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/ned-vizzini-1483_high-school_who-hasn-t-thought-about-killing-themsel_3021332.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/ned-vizzini-1483_high-school_who-hasn-t-thought-about-killing-themsel_3021332.png) > ““Who hasn't thought about killing themselves, as a kid? How can you grow up in this world and not think about it? It's an option taken by a lot of successful people: Ernest Hemingway, Socrates, Jesus. Even before high school, I thought that it would be a cool thing to do if I ever got really famous. If I kept making my maps, for instance, and some art collector came across them and decided to make them worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, if I killed myself at the height of that, they'd be worth millions of dollars, and I wouldn't be responsible for them anymore. I'd have left behind something that spoke for itself.”” [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explores suicidal thoughts as a dark curiosity, especially among high‑achievers, and the desire for legacy. **In simple terms:** Even successful people sometimes think about suicide and legacy. Key Takeaway Seek help, value life. Themes mental health existential legacy Mood somber reflective Type psychological cautionary When to use this quote - personal crisis - creative pressure - mental health support Key Concepts suicidal ideation psychology fame Questions to Reflect On - What drives the link between fame and suicidal thoughts? - How can we support those feeling hopeless? A Different Perspective Romanticizing death can be harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Left behind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-behind/) [Successful people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-people/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [“If you were hurt at a younger age, its the thought that is killing you now”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hillman/if-you-were-hurt-at-a-younger-age-its-the-thought-that-is-killing-you/) John hillman > [I thought of killing the smartest person in the world... But then I remembered. Suicide is a crime. ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/i-thought-of-killing-the-smartest-person-in-the-world-but-then-i/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“Alone again, Beverly relaxed somewhat. It was hard to believe that life could get any worse than this. More than once lately, she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-emerson-white/alone-again-beverly-relaxed-somewhat-it-was-hard-to-believe-that-life/) Ellen Emerson White > [“His heart dropped at the thought of the killing. hans vollman Did the thing merit it. Merit the killing. On the surface it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/his-heart-dropped-at-the-thought-of-the-killing-hans-vollman-did-the/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“The pain had passed. I thought I was killing myself and I did not care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/the-pain-had-passed-i-thought-i-was-killing-myself-and-i-did-not-care/) [H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/) > [“I thought I was killing myself and I did not care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/i-thought-i-was-killing-myself-and-i-did-not-care/) [H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/) > [The thought of killing myself had slowed me down to five miles per hour. The thought of killing someone else stopped me completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/the-thought-of-killing-myself-had-slowed-me-down-to-five-miles-per/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“Eleanor had never thought about killing herself – ever – but she thought a lot about stopping.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/eleanor-had-never-thought-about-killing-herself-ever-but-she-thought/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [I think everyone should go crazy at least once in their life. I don't think you've truly lived until you've thought about killing yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-wentz/i-think-everyone-should-go-crazy-at-least-once-in-their-life-i-don-t/) [Pete Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-wentz/) > [“Ignoring what he's done in the past. Blindly, stupidly, disregarding the entire graveyards he's filled, the thousands who have suffered... the friends he's crippled...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-winick/ignoring-what-he-s-done-in-the-past-blindly-stupidly-disregarding-the/) [Judd Winick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-winick/) > [Helpful to me over the years was some of Ernest Hemingway's writing, for example A Farewell to Arms. You have characters who speak Italian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miroslav-penkov/helpful-to-me-over-the-years-was-some-of-ernest-hemingway-s-writing/) [Miroslav Penkov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miroslav-penkov/) > [Ernest Hemingway was always uneasy in New York and liked being there less than in any other city he frequented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-hotchner/ernest-hemingway-was-always-uneasy-in-new-york-and-liked-being-there/) [A. E. Hotchner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-hotchner/) > [There's this whole post-modern, nuevo beatnik, retro-bohemian thing going on, you know what I mean? You walk into some coffee shops, and it feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/there-s-this-whole-post-modern-nuevo-beatnik-retro-bohemian-thing/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-female-a-theory-that-i-find/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [If you look at any list of great modern writers such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, you'll notice two things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/if-you-look-at-any-list-of-great-modern-writers-such-as-ernest/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) ## More by Ned Vizzini > [I want to live but I want to die. What do I do?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/i-want-to-live-but-i-want-to-die-what-do-i-do/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“See, because being Cool is obviously the most important thing on earth. It’s more important than getting a job, or having a girlfriend, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/see-because-being-cool-is-obviously-the-most-important-thing-on-earth/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“She puts on her poker face; I don’t have any extra faces to put on, just the normal Craig face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/she-puts-on-her-poker-face-i-don-t-have-any-extra-faces-to-put-on/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“pro scienta atque sapienta-Latin- for science and wisdom It's a Darwinian popularity contest. at all times, the question on everyone's mind is, "who's coolest?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/pro-scienta-atque-sapienta-latin-for-science-and-wisdom-it-s-a/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [I think you run out of 'I love yous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/i-think-you-run-out-of-i-love-yous/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [So now live for real, Craig. Live. Live. Live. Live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/so-now-live-for-real-craig-live-live-live-live/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“...one quarter of your life is spent as a minor; you might as well make the best of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/one-quarter-of-your-life-is-spent-as-a-minor-you-might-as-well-make/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [Once you have a kid, it's amazing how quickly people ask, 'So are you going to stop at just one?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/once-you-have-a-kid-it-s-amazing-how-quickly-people-ask-so-are-you/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“So when I ran out of the final bottle of Zoloft, I didn’t take any more. I didn’t call Dr. Barney either. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/so-when-i-ran-out-of-the-final-bottle-of-zoloft-i-didn-t-take-any/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“If Bobby can get a place to live, I think, then I can get a life worth living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/if-bobby-can-get-a-place-to-live-i-think-then-i-can-get-a-life-worth/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“Up next is Noelle. 'Hey, girl!' 'Don't you dare start calling me that. This is very nice of you to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/up-next-is-noelle-hey-girl-don-t-you-dare-start-calling-me-that-this/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [They're sort of ancillary anyway, friends. I mean, they're important -- everybody knows that; the TV tells you so -- but they come and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/they-re-sort-of-ancillary-anyway-friends-i-mean-they-re-important/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [“There are only things that could have turned out differently. You don't have any shoulds or woulds in your life, see? You only have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/there-are-only-things-that-could-have-turned-out-differently-you-don/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [That's what gets me through the day. Knowing that I could do it. That I'm strong enough to do it and I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/that-s-what-gets-me-through-the-day-knowing-that-i-could-do-it-that-i/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [I like how you don't hide your problems like everyone else, and I don't have to hide mine when I'm around you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/i-like-how-you-don-t-hide-your-problems-like-everyone-else-and-i-don/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) [Explore all 237 Ned Vizzini quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) ## More High school quotes > [High school sucked. 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