--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Death must simply become the discreet but…" description: "\"Death must simply become the discreet but dignified exit of a peaceful person from a helpful society that is not torn, not even overly upset by the ide..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/philippe-ari-s-47803_death_death-must-simply-become-the-discreet-bu_660920.png" --- # Death must simply become the discreet but dignified exit… ![“Death must simply become the discreet but dignified exit of a peaceful person from a helpful society that is not torn, not even overly upset by the idea of a biological transition without significance, without pain or suffering, and ultimately without fear.” quote by Philippe Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/philippe-ari-s-47803_death_death-must-simply-become-the-discreet-bu_660920.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/philippe-ari-s-47803_death_death-must-simply-become-the-discreet-bu_660920.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/philippe-ari-s-47803_death_death-must-simply-become-the-discreet-bu_660920.png) > “Death must simply become the discreet but dignified exit of a peaceful person from a helpful society that is not torn, not even overly upset by the idea of a biological transition without significance, without pain or suffering, and ultimately without fear.” [Philippe Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A dignified death is a calm, painless transition that does not disturb society or cause fear. **In simple terms:** Peaceful, painless death without fear. Key Takeaway Accept death as a natural, calm process. Themes death dignity society peace transition Mood somber reflective Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - end‑of‑life care - palliative care - grief counseling - ethical policy making Key Concepts Existentialism humanism bioethics Questions to Reflect On - How can we normalize discussions of death? - What support eases fear of dying? A Different Perspective Societal attitudes may still stigmatize death, causing distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear of death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-of-death/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Peaceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peaceful/) [Significance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/significance/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Transition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transition/) [Without pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without-pain/) ## Related quotes > [Death is simply a break in our linear stream of consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-stream-of-consciousness/) [Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/) > [“For those who die with honor, the touch of death is simply the unlocking of a door between this life and the next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-rodaughan/for-those-who-die-with-honor-the-touch-of-death-is-simply-the/) Graeme Rodaughan > [Death is simply a shedding of the physical body, like the butterfly coming out of a cocoon. . . . It's like putting away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/death-is-simply-a-shedding-of-the-physical-body-like-the-butterfly/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“Life without death simply isn't life, but death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-daniel/life-without-death-simply-isn-t-life-but-death/) Juliet Daniel > [Death is simply a change in perception. It is not an end to perception as a finite being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/death-is-simply-a-change-in-perception-it-is-not-an-end-to-perception/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Death is simply a shedding of the physical body like the butterfly shedding its cocoon. It is a transition to a higher state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/death-is-simply-a-shedding-of-the-physical-body-like-the-butterfly-2/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“They died,but not as lavish as their blood, Or thinking death itself was simply good; Their wishes neither were to live nor die, But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/they-died-but-not-as-lavish-as-their-blood-or-thinking-death-itself/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Choose to see death as simply removing a garment or moving from one room to another... it's merely a transition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/choose-to-see-death-as-simply-removing-a-garment-or-moving-from-one/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Death may simply be an alteration in consciousness, a transition for continued life in a nonmaterial form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/death-may-simply-be-an-alteration-in-consciousness-a-transition-for/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [“World peace can happen. One peaceful person at a time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etta-sawyerr/world-peace-can-happen-one-peaceful-person-at-a-time/) [Etta Sawyerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etta-sawyerr/) > [I myself am a very, very peaceful person. Throughout our history, from our own American revolution to the resistance against apartheid in South Africa,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-morello/i-myself-am-a-very-very-peaceful-person-throughout-our-history-from/) [Tom Morello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-morello/) > [I'm a peaceful person once work ethic is established. If people are around me and whatever I'm doing is efficient, then I'm extremely peaceful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/i-m-a-peaceful-person-once-work-ethic-is-established-if-people-are/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [A peacemaker does not mean a peaceful person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanza-del-vasto/a-peacemaker-does-not-mean-a-peaceful-person/) [Lanza del Vasto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanza-del-vasto/) > [The truly thankful person is a truly peaceful person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/the-truly-thankful-person-is-a-truly-peaceful-person/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“slowing down your responses and becoming a better listeners aids you in becoming a more peaceful person”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carlson/slowing-down-your-responses-and-becoming-a-better-listeners-aids-you/) [Richard Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carlson/) ## More by Philippe Aries > [“An Italian text from 1490 shows how spontaneous and natural was the clear recognition of imminent death, and how fundamentally alien to the miraculous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/an-italian-text-from-1490-shows-how-spontaneous-and-natural-was-the/) [Philippe Ariès](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/) > [The denial of death is openly acknowledged as a significant trait of our culture. The tears of the bereaved have become comparable to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/the-denial-of-death-is-openly-acknowledged-as-a-significant-trait-of/) [Philippe Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/) > [Until the end of the Middle Ages, and in many cases afterwards too, in order to obtain initiation in a trade of any sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/until-the-end-of-the-middle-ages-and-in-many-cases-afterwards-too-in/) [Philippe Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/) > [In 1600 the specialization of games and pastimes did not extend beyond infancy; after the age of three or four it decreased and disappeared.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/in-1600-the-specialization-of-games-and-pastimes-did-not-extend/) [Philippe Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/) > [The first typical adolescent of modern times was Wagner's Siegfried. : the music of Siegfried expressed for the first time that combination of (provisional)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/the-first-typical-adolescent-of-modern-times-was-wagner-s-siegfried/) [Philippe Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/) > [It is as if, to every period of history, there corresponded a privileged age and a particular division of human life: "youth" is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/it-is-as-if-to-every-period-of-history-there-corresponded-a/) [Philippe Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/) > [“These people no doubt became more common in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and judging from La Fontaine, those who tried to cheat death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/these-people-no-doubt-became-more-common-in-the-seventeenth-and/) [Philippe Ariès](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/) [Explore all 8 Philippe Aries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/) ## 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": "Death must simply become the discreet but dignified exit of a peaceful person from a helpful society that is not torn, not even overly upset by the idea of a biological transition without significance, without pain or suffering, and ultimately without fear.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philippe Aries" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/death-must-simply-become-the-discreet-but-dignified-exit-of-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/death-must-simply-become-the-discreet-but-dignified-exit-of-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/philippe-ari-s-47803_death_death-must-simply-become-the-discreet-bu_660920.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/philippe-ari-s-47803_death_death-must-simply-become-the-discreet-bu_660920.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/philippe-ari-s-47803_death_death-must-simply-become-the-discreet-bu_660920.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Death must simply become the discreet but dignified exit of a peaceful person from a helpful society that is…” — Philippe Aries", "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": "Philippe Aries", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Death must simply become the discreet...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/death-must-simply-become-the-discreet-but-dignified-exit-of-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/death-must-simply-become-the-discreet-but-dignified-exit-of-a/#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 } } ] } ```