---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Death is not a blotting-out of existence…"
description: "\"Death is not a blotting-out of existence, a final escape from life; nor is death the door to immortality. He who has fled his Self in earthly joys will..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/paramahansa-yogananda-556_anvils_death-is-not-a-blotting-out-of-existence_686181.jpg"
---

#  Death is not a blotting-out of existence, a final escape…

![“Death is not a blotting-out of existence, a final escape from life; nor is death the door to immortality. He who has fled his Self in earthly joys will not recapture It amidst the gossamer charms of an astral world. There he merely accumulates finer perceptions and more sensitive responses to the…” quote by Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/paramahansa-yogananda-556_anvils_death-is-not-a-blotting-out-of-existence_686181.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/paramahansa-yogananda-556_anvils_death-is-not-a-blotting-out-of-existence_686181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/paramahansa-yogananda-556_anvils_death-is-not-a-blotting-out-of-existence_686181.jpg)

> “Death is not a blotting-out of existence, a final escape from life; nor is death the door to immortality. He who has fled his Self in earthly joys will not recapture It amidst the gossamer charms of an astral world. There he merely accumulates finer perceptions and more sensitive responses to the beautiful and the good, which are one. It is on the anvil of this gross earth that struggling man must hammer out the imperishable gold of spiritual identity.”

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

## About This Quote

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

Death is not annihilation nor a gateway to another realm; it is a transformation where the soul refines perception and merges with the divine.

**In simple terms:** Death changes form, not existence; the soul seeks higher understanding.

Key Takeaway

Seek spiritual growth beyond material pursuits.

Themes

mortality spirituality identity transformation

Mood

contemplative hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- meditation
- ethical living
- philosophical study
- grieving process

Key Concepts

non‑duality impermanence inner alchemy

Questions to Reflect On

- What does spiritual identity mean to you?
- How can you honor life while preparing for death?

A Different Perspective

May be interpreted as dismissing physical experiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

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> [Never was the victory of patience more complete than in the early church. The anvil broke the hammer by bearing all the blows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-was-the-victory-of-patience-more-complete-than-in-the-early/)

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> [Sometimes we are so busy being the hammer or the anvil, that we forget who really needs the shaping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/sometimes-we-are-so-busy-being-the-hammer-or-the-anvil-that-we-forget/)

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> [“Life's a forge! Yes, and hammer and anvil, too! You'll be roasted, smelted, and pounded, and you'll scarce know what's happening to you. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/life-s-a-forge-yes-and-hammer-and-anvil-too-you-ll-be-roasted-smelted/)

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> [Every man who strikes blows for power, for influence, for institutions, for the right, must be just as good an anvil as he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/every-man-who-strikes-blows-for-power-for-influence-for-institutions/)

[J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/)

> [You must be either the servant or the master, the hammer or the anvil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/you-must-be-either-the-servant-or-the-master-the-hammer-or-the-anvil/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I would rather be the hammer than the anvil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-rommel/i-would-rather-be-the-hammer-than-the-anvil/)

[Erwin Rommel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-rommel/)

> [Harsh counsels have no effect; they are like hammers which are always repulsed by the anvil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-adrien-helvetius/harsh-counsels-have-no-effect-they-are-like-hammers-which-are-always/)

[Claude Adrien Helvetius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-adrien-helvetius/)

> [You must either conquer and rule or serve and lose, suffer or triumph, be the anvil or the hammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/you-must-either-conquer-and-rule-or-serve-and-lose-suffer-or-triumph/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [The anvil is not afraid of the hammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-anvil-is-not-afraid-of-the-hammer/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [Hammer the iron that lies on your anvil instead of daydreaming about working silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/hammer-the-iron-that-lies-on-your-anvil-instead-of-daydreaming-about/)

[Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/)

> [Use truth as your anvil, nonviolence as your hammer and anything that does not stand the test when it is brought to the anvil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/use-truth-as-your-anvil-nonviolence-as-your-hammer-and-anything-that/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [The first time I saw nitroglycerine was in the beginning of the Crimean War. Professor Zinin in St. Petersburg exhibited some to my father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/the-first-time-i-saw-nitroglycerine-was-in-the-beginning-of-the/)

[Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/)

## More by Paramahansa Yogananda

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [He who is persistent will realize God. So try your best to make meditation a regular experience in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/he-who-is-persistent-will-realize-god-so-try-your-best-to-make/)

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> [Truth is exact correspondence with reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/truth-is-exact-correspondence-with-reality/)

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> [We should bathe our spirits in the deep, pure feeling that stirs within us when we gaze on the glories of His creation. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/we-should-bathe-our-spirits-in-the-deep-pure-feeling-that-stirs/)

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> [Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts, only you can change them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/since-you-alone-are-responsible-for-your-thoughts-only-you-can-change/)

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[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

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[Explore all 466 Paramahansa Yogananda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

## More Anvils quotes

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> [Hammer the iron that lies on your anvil instead of daydreaming about working silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/hammer-the-iron-that-lies-on-your-anvil-instead-of-daydreaming-about/)

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> [The anvil is not afraid of the hammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-anvil-is-not-afraid-of-the-hammer/)

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[Billy Casper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-casper/)

> [The enemy hates the ego, which the seeker wants to kill; thus, like the anvil to the goldsmith, he is actually a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-enemy-hates-the-ego-which-the-seeker-wants-to-kill-thus-like-the/)

[Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/)

> [You must either conquer and rule or serve and lose, suffer or triumph, be the anvil or the hammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/you-must-either-conquer-and-rule-or-serve-and-lose-suffer-or-triumph/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I wait until an investment idea is so good, it hits me over the head like an anvil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-greenblatt/i-wait-until-an-investment-idea-is-so-good-it-hits-me-over-the-head/)

[Joel Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-greenblatt/)

Browse all 68 Anvils quotes

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