Afterlife Quote by Philip Pullman
““When we were alive, they told us that when we died we'd go to heaven. And they said that heaven was a place of joy and glory and we would spend eternity in the company of saints and angels praising the Almighty, in a state of bliss. That's what they said. And that's what led some of us to give our lives, and others to spend years in solitary prayer, while all the joy of life was going to waste around us and we never knew. Because the land of the dead isn't a place of reward or a place of punishment, it is a place of nothing. The good come here as well as the wicked, and all of us languish in this gloom forever, with no hope of freedom, or joy, or sleep, or rest, or peace. But now this child has come offering us a way out and I'm going to follow her. Even if it means oblivion, friends, I'll welcome it, because it won't be nothing. We'll be alive again in a thousand blades of grass, and a million leaves; we'll be falling in the raindrops and blowing in the fresh breeze; we'll be glistening in the dew under the stars and the moon out there in the physical world, which is our true home and always was.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: His Dark Materials, 1995
Life is fleeting; after death there is emptiness, but hope lies in embracing the physical world’s simple joys.
In simple terms: Life ends, but nature offers renewal.
Find meaning in present, natural experiences.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- grief coping
- environmental appreciation
- spiritual awakening
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What simple natural moments bring you peace?
- How do you confront the idea of nothingness?
May ignore cultural afterlife beliefs.