---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If one regards life and death as natural…"
description: "\"If one regards life and death as natural processes, the metaphysical dread vanishes, and one obtains peace of mind.\" — Peter Wessel Zapffe"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d49/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_death_if-one-regards-life-and-death-as-natural_2346482.jpg"
---

#  If one regards life and death as natural processes, the…

![“If one regards life and death as natural processes, the metaphysical dread vanishes, and one obtains peace of mind.” quote by Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d49/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_death_if-one-regards-life-and-death-as-natural_2346482.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d49/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_death_if-one-regards-life-and-death-as-natural_2346482.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d49/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_death_if-one-regards-life-and-death-as-natural_2346482.jpg)

> “If one regards life and death as natural processes, the metaphysical dread vanishes, and one obtains peace of mind.”

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

## About This Quote

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

Seeing life and death as natural removes existential fear, bringing calm.

**In simple terms:** Accept mortality to find peace.

Key Takeaway

Recognize nature’s cycles.

Themes

existentialism acceptance peace

Mood

reflective calm

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- end‑of‑life care
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

Philosophical naturalism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What fears arise when you consider mortality?
- How can this perspective change daily stress?

A Different Perspective

May not address deeper emotional needs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-death/) [Metaphysical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphysical/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peace of mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-of-mind/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/)

## Related quotes

> [Art alone makes life possible – this is how radically I should like to formulate it. I would say that without art man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-beuys/art-alone-makes-life-possible-this-is-how-radically-i-should-like-to/)

[Joseph Beuys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-beuys/)

> [Dickinson is my hero because she was a joker, because she would never explain, because as a poet she confronted pain, dread and death,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/dickinson-is-my-hero-because-she-was-a-joker-because-she-would-never/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [Death is a natural part of life. If you fear death then you will die young but if you embrace death and except the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/death-is-a-natural-part-of-life-if-you-fear-death-then-you-will-die/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [Death is not natural for a state as it is for a human being, for whom death is not only necessary, but frequently even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/death-is-not-natural-for-a-state-as-it-is-for-a-human-being-for-whom/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Society doesn't like to deal with death, but it is a natural part of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmon-killebrew/society-doesn-t-like-to-deal-with-death-but-it-is-a-natural-part-of/)

[Harmon Killebrew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmon-killebrew/)

> [Death is natural, and it happens early for some people. I acknowledge that, and in the next sentence, reject it, because it just sucks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-elvrum/death-is-natural-and-it-happens-early-for-some-people-i-acknowledge/)

[Phil Elvrum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-elvrum/)

> [Death is not a curse to be outwitted no matter the cost. Death is the natural pivot on which life turns, without which life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-church/death-is-not-a-curse-to-be-outwitted-no-matter-the-cost-death-is-the/)

[Forrest Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-church/)

> [“Death is as natural as life. It's part of the deal we made. Everything that gets born, dies. As long as we love each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/death-is-as-natural-as-life-it-s-part-of-the-deal-we-made-everything/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [In this world, man is a target of death, an easy prey to calamities, here every morsel and every draught is liable to choke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-ibn-abi-talib/in-this-world-man-is-a-target-of-death-an-easy-prey-to-calamities/)

[Ali ibn Abi Talib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-ibn-abi-talib/)

> [For a man who has done his natural duty, death is as natural as sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/for-a-man-who-has-done-his-natural-duty-death-is-as-natural-as-sleep/)

[George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/)

> [It’s not contagious, you know. Death is as natural as life. It’s part of the deal we made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-s-not-contagious-you-know-death-is-as-natural-as-life-it-s-part-of/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Old age and death are in the natural course of things. There is nothing a doctor can do about them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mus-soseki/old-age-and-death-are-in-the-natural-course-of-things-there-is/)

[Musō Soseki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mus-soseki/)

> [“Yet in its own way, death is the most natural thing of all”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/yet-in-its-own-way-death-is-the-most-natural-thing-of-all/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [ “To be more precise... death is \[contrary to\] God, and if death is natural, if it is the ultimate truth about life and about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-schmemann/to-be-more-precise-death-is-contrary-to-god-and-if-death-is-natural/)

[Alexander Schmemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-schmemann/)

> [Death is natural and necessary, but not just. It is a random force of nature; survival is equally accidental. Each loss is an occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-mcbryde-johnson/death-is-natural-and-necessary-but-not-just-it-is-a-random-force-of/)

Harriet McBryde Johnson

## More by Peter Wessel Zapffe

> [“Og er ikke klippen sin tilbedelse værd? Prøver den ikke hjerte og nyrer før den gir plas for de utvalgte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/og-er-ikke-klippen-sin-tilbedelse-v-rd-pr-ver-den-ikke-hjerte-og/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [Each new generation asks – What is the meaning of life? A more fertile way of putting the question would be – Why does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/each-new-generation-asks-what-is-the-meaning-of-life-a-more-fertile/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [“A coin is examined, and only after careful deliberation, given to a beggar, whereas a child is flung out into the cosmic brutality without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/a-coin-is-examined-and-only-after-careful-deliberation-given-to-a/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [“The dread of being stares us in the eye, and in a deadly gush we perceive how the minds are dangling in threads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/the-dread-of-being-stares-us-in-the-eye-and-in-a-deadly-gush-we/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [“But as he stands before imminent death, he grasps its nature also, and the cosmic import of the step to come. His creative imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/but-as-he-stands-before-imminent-death-he-grasps-its-nature-also-and/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [“Her er rummelig og bredt, her slår vi oss ned i en grushaug og spiser mat og drikker saft og ligger på ryggen med…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/her-er-rummelig-og-bredt-her-sl-r-vi-oss-ned-i-en-grushaug-og-spiser/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [When a human being takes his life in depression, this is a natural death of spiritual causes. The modern barbarity of 'saving' the suicidal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/when-a-human-being-takes-his-life-in-depression-this-is-a-natural/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [We come from an inconceivable nothingness. We stay a while in something which seems equally inconceivable, only to vanish again into the inconceivable nothingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/we-come-from-an-inconceivable-nothingness-we-stay-a-while-in/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [“Se i mig en 96 graders venn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/se-i-mig-en-96-graders-venn/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [“Life had overshot its target, blowing itself apart. A species had been armed too heavily – by spirit made almighty without, but equally a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/life-had-overshot-its-target-blowing-itself-apart-a-species-had-been/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [“Jeg ligger og kjender at jeg hader dette forbandede fjeld, fordi det har makt over mitt sind. Hvad vil du mig - at jeg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/jeg-ligger-og-kjender-at-jeg-hader-dette-forbandede-fjeld-fordi-det/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [To bear children into this world is like carrying wood to a burning house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/to-bear-children-into-this-world-is-like-carrying-wood-to-a-burning/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [“Aftenen endte med idyll. Håkon kaldte mig genial, og jeg svarte at han var en stor menneskekjender.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/aftenen-endte-med-idyll-h-kon-kaldte-mig-genial-og-jeg-svarte-at-han/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [Why does man need a meaning to life?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/why-does-man-need-a-meaning-to-life/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

> [“Vi samles på Fortroppens hjørne mot vest og ser over mot tinden. Fra blokken vi står på har Pan eller Jordånden eller Djævelen selv…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/vi-samles-p-fortroppens-hj-rne-mot-vest-og-ser-over-mot-tinden-fra/)

[Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

[Explore all 45 Peter Wessel Zapffe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/)

## 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": "If one regards life and death as natural processes, the metaphysical dread vanishes, and one obtains peace of mind.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Wessel Zapffe"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/if-one-regards-life-and-death-as-natural-processes-the-metaphysical/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/if-one-regards-life-and-death-as-natural-processes-the-metaphysical/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d49/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_death_if-one-regards-life-and-death-as-natural_2346482.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d49/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_death_if-one-regards-life-and-death-as-natural_2346482.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d49/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_death_if-one-regards-life-and-death-as-natural_2346482.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If one regards life and death as natural processes, the metaphysical dread vanishes, and one obtains peace…” — Peter Wessel Zapffe",
                "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": "Peter Wessel Zapffe",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If one regards life and death...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/if-one-regards-life-and-death-as-natural-processes-the-metaphysical/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/if-one-regards-life-and-death-as-natural-processes-the-metaphysical/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```