---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good Lord, how can the rich bear to die?"
description: "\"Good Lord, how can the rich bear to die?\" — Nikos Kazantzakis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_bears_good-lord-how-can-the-rich-bear-to-die-1_19798.jpg"
---

#  Good Lord, how can the rich bear to die?

![“Good Lord, how can the rich bear to die?” quote by Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_bears_good-lord-how-can-the-rich-bear-to-die-1_19798.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_bears_good-lord-how-can-the-rich-bear-to-die-1_19798.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_bears_good-lord-how-can-the-rich-bear-to-die-1_19798.jpg)

> “Good Lord, how can the rich bear to die?”

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

## About This Quote

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

A lament on the moral emptiness of wealth when faced with mortality, suggesting that riches cannot shield one from death or give life meaning.

**In simple terms:** Wealth cannot avert death or provide purpose.

Key Takeaway

Riches lack existential value.

Themes

mortality wealth meaninglessness spirituality human condition

Mood

melancholic reflective somber

Type

philosophical lament question

When to use this quote

- contemplating life’s purpose
- grieving loss of a wealthy person
- philosophical debate on wealth and death
- examining societal values
- personal introspection

Key Concepts

impermanence materialism existential crisis ethical reflection

Practical Applications

- ethical counseling
- literary analysis

Questions to Reflect On

- What does true wealth consist of?
- How does mortality reshape our values?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/)

## Related quotes

> [I LOVE YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEART,I CAN'T BEAR IT TO SEE YOU ALONE,THAT'S IS WHY I CAN'T DIE FOR YOU..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jah-reign/i-love-you-with-my-whole-heart-i-can-t-bear-it-to-see-you-alone-that/)

[JAH REIGN](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jah-reign/)

> [You won't fall for me if you know what's good for you. The Lord made me hard to handle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-won-t-fall-for-me-if-you-know-what-s-good-for-you-the-lord-made/)

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

> [From silly devotions and from sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/from-silly-devotions-and-from-sour-faced-saints-good-lord-deliver-us/)

[Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/)

> [Dear God: It's me again. The only thing good in me is YOU! Lord help me with my daily struggles. Help me stay focused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/dear-god-it-s-me-again-the-only-thing-good-in-me-is-you-lord-help-me/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [“Here is the indictment of the good Lord Hastings; Which in a set hand fairly is engross'd That it may be to-day read o'er…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/here-is-the-indictment-of-the-good-lord-hastings-which-in-a-set-hand/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I think the good Lord is a Yankee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariano-rivera/i-think-the-good-lord-is-a-yankee/)

[Mariano Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariano-rivera/)

> [The Good Lord made all the integers; the rest is man's doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-kronecker/the-good-lord-made-all-the-integers-the-rest-is-man-s-doing/)

[Leopold Kronecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-kronecker/)

> [There's Balenciaga, and the good Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-de-givenchy/there-s-balenciaga-and-the-good-lord/)

[Hubert de Givenchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-de-givenchy/)

> [The good Lord made this world and everything that's in it. The way I see it, baby, you got to love it to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/the-good-lord-made-this-world-and-everything-that-s-in-it-the-way-i/)

[Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/)

> [The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but the fly comes close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-good-lord-didn-t-create-anything-without-a-purpose-but-the-fly/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Nothing's too good for the Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/nothing-s-too-good-for-the-lord/)

[Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/)

> [I don't worry anymore because there's only one person that knows when your day is, and that's the good Lord above.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-kelly/i-don-t-worry-anymore-because-there-s-only-one-person-that-knows-when/)

[Jim Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-kelly/)

> [The good lord gave me a very unusual voice, and gave me the opportunity to learn how to use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurl-ravenscroft/the-good-lord-gave-me-a-very-unusual-voice-and-gave-me-the/)

[Thurl Ravenscroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurl-ravenscroft/)

> [I was not checking him out! xD I was admiring how the good Lord blessed him ^\_^](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-copeland/i-was-not-checking-him-out-xd-i-was-admiring-how-the-good-lord/)

[Rachel Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-copeland/)

> [“Good Lord, Jeeves! Is there anything you don’t know?’ ‘I couldn’t say, sir.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/good-lord-jeeves-is-there-anything-you-don-t-know-i-couldn-t-say-sir/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

## More by Nikos Kazantzakis

> [“We gaze with perplexity at the highest part of the spiral of force that governs the Universe. And we call it God. We could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/we-gaze-with-perplexity-at-the-highest-part-of-the-spiral-of-force/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. Night has fallen...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-collect-my-tools-sight-smell-touch-taste-hearing-intellect-night/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [Everything in this world has a hidden meaning, I thought. Men, animals, trees, stars, they are all hieroglyphics; woe to anyone who begins to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/everything-in-this-world-has-a-hidden-meaning-i-thought-men-animals/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [“Religion is opium for the masses”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/religion-is-opium-for-the-masses/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [I possess no weapon but love. With that I have come to do battle. Help me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-possess-no-weapon-but-love-with-that-i-have-come-to-do-battle-help/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [Today, any action anywhere on earth has an immediate repercussion on all five continents. News of a victory of the Eastern armies in Morocco…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/today-any-action-anywhere-on-earth-has-an-immediate-repercussion-on/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [“The Lord preserve us from sainthood”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/the-lord-preserve-us-from-sainthood/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [“You have everything but one thing: madness. A man needs a little madness or else - he never dares cut the rope and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/you-have-everything-but-one-thing-madness-a-man-needs-a-little/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [“A man needs a little madness, or else... he never dares cut the rope and be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/a-man-needs-a-little-madness-or-else-he-never-dares-cut-the-rope-and/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [There's a devil inside me which cries, "You're not the son of the Carpenter, you're the son of King David! You are not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/there-s-a-devil-inside-me-which-cries-you-re-not-the-son-of-the/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [Lions and Lambs, love and force, light and fire, good and evil: all things climb the same mountain, the mountain of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/lions-and-lambs-love-and-force-light-and-fire-good-and-evil-all/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [I say one thing, you write another, and those who read you understand still something else! I say: cross, death, kingdom of heaven, God...and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-say-one-thing-you-write-another-and-those-who-read-you-understand/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [“No, you're not free," he said. "The string you're tied to is perhaps no longer than other people's. That's all. You're on a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/no-you-re-not-free-he-said-the-string-you-re-tied-to-is-perhaps-no/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [The masses do not see the Sirens. They do not hear songs in the air. Blind, deaf, stooping, they pull at their oars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/the-masses-do-not-see-the-sirens-they-do-not-hear-songs-in-the-air/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [Three kinds of souls, three prayers: 1) I am a bow in your hands, Lord. Draw me, lest I rot. 2) Do not overdraw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/three-kinds-of-souls-three-prayers-1-i-am-a-bow-in-your-hands-lord/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

[Explore all 275 Nikos Kazantzakis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

## More Bears quotes

> [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/)

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

> [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/)

[Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Television series are like the stock market. There's room for bears and bulls but no room for pigs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/television-series-are-like-the-stock-market-there-s-room-for-bears/)

[Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/)

> [The Germans are the most philosophic people in the world, and the greatest smokers: now I trace their philosophy to their smoking. Smoking has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-borrow/the-germans-are-the-most-philosophic-people-in-the-world-and-the/)

[George Henry Borrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-borrow/)

> [...Gratitude transforms the torment of memory of good things now gone into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/gratitude-transforms-the-torment-of-memory-of-good-things-now-gone/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [You've had a whole lot of experience, but everything is also radically new at each moment, and you have to bring a kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-houston/you-ve-had-a-whole-lot-of-experience-but-everything-is-also-radically/)

[Jean Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-houston/)

> [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/)

[Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/)

> [Pay no heed to the passing religious vogue. Go back to the grass roots. Open your hearts and search the Scriptures. Bear your cross,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/pay-no-heed-to-the-passing-religious-vogue-go-back-to-the-grass-roots/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [I want you to take a red-hot bath as hot as you can bear it, and just relax your nerves. You can read in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-want-you-to-take-a-red-hot-bath-as-hot-as-you-can-bear-it-and-just/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [Some things in this world just ain't meant to be, not in the times we want 'em to, and the heart has to hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/some-things-in-this-world-just-ain-t-meant-to-be-not-in-the-times-we/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [And if anyone knows anything about anything," said Bear to himself, "it's Owl who knows something about something," he said, "or my name's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-if-anyone-knows-anything-about-anything-said-bear-to-himself-it-s/)

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

> [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/)

[Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/)

> [I'm supportive of women, absolutely, and it's so gratifying to have girls come up and say, 'I'm really inspired by your guitar playing.' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-vincent/i-m-supportive-of-women-absolutely-and-it-s-so-gratifying-to-have/)

[St. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-vincent/)

[Browse all 4,111 Bears quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Good Lord, how can the rich bear to die?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nikos Kazantzakis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/good-lord-how-can-the-rich-bear-to-die/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bears"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/good-lord-how-can-the-rich-bear-to-die/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_bears_good-lord-how-can-the-rich-bear-to-die-1_19798.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_bears_good-lord-how-can-the-rich-bear-to-die-1_19798.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_bears_good-lord-how-can-the-rich-bear-to-die-1_19798.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Good Lord, how can the rich bear to die?” — Nikos Kazantzakis",
                "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": "Nikos Kazantzakis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Good Lord, how can the rich...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/good-lord-how-can-the-rich-bear-to-die/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/good-lord-how-can-the-rich-bear-to-die/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
