---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mankind ought to end its existence of its…"
description: "\"Mankind ought to end its existence of its own will.\" — Peter Wessel Zapffe"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_ends_mankind-ought-to-end-its-existence-of-it_1650004.jpg"
---

#  Mankind ought to end its existence of its own will.

![“Mankind ought to end its existence of its own will.” quote by Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_ends_mankind-ought-to-end-its-existence-of-it_1650004.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_ends_mankind-ought-to-end-its-existence-of-it_1650004.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_ends_mankind-ought-to-end-its-existence-of-it_1650004.jpg)

> “Mankind ought to end its existence of its own will.”

[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.

Humanity may choose self‑destruction out of existential despair and the absurdity of existence.

**In simple terms:** We might end ourselves voluntarily.

Key Takeaway

Consider the ethical limits of self‑termination.

Themes

existentialism absurdity ethics

Mood

somber reflective

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- environmental crisis
- political upheaval
- personal depression
- philosophical debate

Key Concepts

nihilism meaninglessness voluntary extinction

Questions to Reflect On

- Do we truly have the power to end humanity?
- What alternatives exist to confronting absurdity?

A Different Perspective

The quote assumes a collective will, ignoring individual agency and hope.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[End Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-existence-643245/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Mankind Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind-ought-390499/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/)

## Related quotes

> [For earthly princes lay aside their power when they rise up against God, and are unworthy to be reckoned among the number of mankind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-earthly-princes-lay-aside-their-power-when-they-rise-up-against/)

[John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/)

> [You ought to love all mankind; nay, every individual of mankind. You ought not to love the individuals of your domestic circles less, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/you-ought-to-love-all-mankind-nay-every-individual-of-mankind-you/)

[Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/)

> [To philosopher and historian the madness and imbecile wickedness of mankind ought to appear ordinary events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/to-philosopher-and-historian-the-madness-and-imbecile-wickedness-of/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [You ought to love all mankind; nay, every individual of mankind. You ought not to love the individuals of your domestic circles less, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/you-ought-to-love-all-mankind-nay-every-individual-of-mankind-you-2/)

[Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/)

> [“Mankind ought constantly to be striving to produce Great Men --this and nothing else is its duty”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/mankind-ought-constantly-to-be-striving-to-produce-great-men-this-and/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“If I had had the power to prevent my own birth I should certainly never have consented to accept existence under such ridiculous conditions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/if-i-had-had-the-power-to-prevent-my-own-birth-i-should-certainly/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [We can imagine our bodies being destroyed, our brains ceasing to function, our bones turning to dust, but it is harder - some would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/we-can-imagine-our-bodies-being-destroyed-our-brains-ceasing-to/)

[Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/)

> [Of course, the accumulation of wealth cannot be justified as the chief end of existence,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/of-course-the-accumulation-of-wealth-cannot-be-justified-as-the-chief/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [You’ve thrown down the gauntlet. You’ve brought my wrath down upon your house. Now, to prove that I exist I must kill you. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/you-ve-thrown-down-the-gauntlet-you-ve-brought-my-wrath-down-upon/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [Dead may seem to be the end of everything but it can never be an end to the existence of truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/dead-may-seem-to-be-the-end-of-everything-but-it-can-never-be-an-end/)

[Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/)

> [To take, for example, my own death: what I consider most likely to be true is that death will be the complete and utter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-magee/to-take-for-example-my-own-death-what-i-consider-most-likely-to-be/)

[Bryan Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-magee/)

> [Birth is not a beginning; death is not an end. There is existence without limitation; there is continuity without a starting point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/birth-is-not-a-beginning-death-is-not-an-end-there-is-existence/)

[Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/)

> [The symmetry and organization of history teaches us that mankind, during its existence and development, genuinely was and became an individual, a person. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/the-symmetry-and-organization-of-history-teaches-us-that-mankind/)

[Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/)

> [For all its terrible faults, in one sense America is still the last, best hope of mankind, because it spells out so vividly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-mount/for-all-its-terrible-faults-in-one-sense-america-is-still-the-last/)

[Ferdinand Mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-mount/)

> [In 1966 Rolf Edberg wrote "This is mankind's home", "in the narrow borderland between the deathly heat beneath our feet and the coldness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-wallstrom/in-1966-rolf-edberg-wrote-this-is-mankind-s-home-in-the-narrow/)

[Margot Wallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-wallstrom/)

## 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 Ends quotes

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/)

[Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/)

> [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/)

[Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/)

[Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/)

> [it is the brevity of life which makes it tolerable; its experiences have value because they have an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/it-is-the-brevity-of-life-which-makes-it-tolerable-its-experiences/)

[Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/)

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [Believe to the end, even if all men went astray and you were left the only one faithful; bring your offering even then and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/believe-to-the-end-even-if-all-men-went-astray-and-you-were-left-the/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/)

[Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

[Browse all 20,790 Ends quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Mankind ought to end its existence of its own will.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Wessel Zapffe"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/mankind-ought-to-end-its-existence-of-its-own-will/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ends"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/mankind-ought-to-end-its-existence-of-its-own-will/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_ends_mankind-ought-to-end-its-existence-of-it_1650004.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_ends_mankind-ought-to-end-its-existence-of-it_1650004.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/peter-wessel-zapffe-13517_ends_mankind-ought-to-end-its-existence-of-it_1650004.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Mankind ought to end its existence of its own will.” — 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": "Mankind ought to end its existence...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/mankind-ought-to-end-its-existence-of-its-own-will/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/mankind-ought-to-end-its-existence-of-its-own-will/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
