---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Death is acceptable only if it represents…"
description: "\"Death is acceptable only if it represents the physically necessary passage toward a union, the condition of a metamorphosis.\" — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_death_death-is-acceptable-only-if-it-represent_3010229.jpg"
---

#  Death is acceptable only if it represents the physically…

![“Death is acceptable only if it represents the physically necessary passage toward a union, the condition of a metamorphosis.” quote by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_death_death-is-acceptable-only-if-it-represent_3010229.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_death_death-is-acceptable-only-if-it-represent_3010229.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_death_death-is-acceptable-only-if-it-represent_3010229.jpg)

> “Death is acceptable only if it represents the physically necessary passage toward a union, the condition of a metamorphosis.”

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

## 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 permissible when it serves as a necessary step toward a transformative union and metamorphosis.

**In simple terms:** Death can be a necessary transition.

Key Takeaway

Accept death as part of growth.

Themes

spirituality life cycle transformation union metamorphosis

Mood

contemplative hopeful

Type

philosophical spiritual

When to use this quote

- end‑of‑life care
- personal growth
- creative rebirth
- scientific research on aging

Key Concepts

existentialism process philosophy evolutionary theology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this view influence grief?
- What constitutes a “necessary” death?

A Different Perspective

Not all deaths are meaningful; context matters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Metamorphosis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metamorphosis/)

## Related quotes

> [“For the average civilized person to whom, as to Patrick Henry, even death is acceptable in the absence of liberty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-mangahas/for-the-average-civilized-person-to-whom-as-to-patrick-henry-even/)

Federico Mangahas

> [Politics in the United States consists of the struggle between those whose change has been arrested by success or failure, on one side, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/politics-in-the-united-states-consists-of-the-struggle-between-those/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [The younger and healthier a woman is and the more her new and glossy body seems destined for eternal freshness, the less useful is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-younger-and-healthier-a-woman-is-and-the-more-her-new-and-glossy/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“But sometimes, when you have to change, the metamorphosis is so profound, that the old you can’t look the new you in the eyes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-larsen/but-sometimes-when-you-have-to-change-the-metamorphosis-is-so/)

[K. Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-larsen/)

> [What the philosopher is seeking is not truth, but rather the metamorphosis of the world into man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-the-philosopher-is-seeking-is-not-truth-but-rather-the/)

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

> [When anger is not trampling roughshod through our nervous system, it is sitting sullenly in some unspecified internal organ. "She's got a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris/when-anger-is-not-trampling-roughshod-through-our-nervous-system-it/)

[Carol Tavris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris/)

> [The speed with which modern society has adapted to accommodate the world's vast spectrum of gender and sexual identities may be the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/the-speed-with-which-modern-society-has-adapted-to-accommodate-the/)

[Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/)

> [“Witnessing the moonrise each month, a person cannot resist noting a modest sense of optimism tugging at his or her enclosed capsule of bodily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/witnessing-the-moonrise-each-month-a-person-cannot-resist-noting-a/)

[Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/)

> [For lovers, touch is metamorphosis. All the parts of their bodies seem to change, and they seem to become something different and better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/for-lovers-touch-is-metamorphosis-all-the-parts-of-their-bodies-seem/)

[John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/)

> [Autumn is the very soul of metamorphosis, a time when the world is poised at the door of winter - which is the door…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/autumn-is-the-very-soul-of-metamorphosis-a-time-when-the-world-is/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [It is almost banal to say so yet it needs to be stressed continually: all is creation, all is change, all is flux, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/it-is-almost-banal-to-say-so-yet-it-needs-to-be-stressed-continually/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [Most animals are like the unfortunate Gregor Samsa after metamorphosis. They are Kafka-creatures, organisms with rich thoughts and emotions but no system for translating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-hauser/most-animals-are-like-the-unfortunate-gregor-samsa-after/)

Marc Hauser

> [You've got to be like a butterfly and have a metamorphosis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-markkula/you-ve-got-to-be-like-a-butterfly-and-have-a-metamorphosis/)

[Mike Markkula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-markkula/)

> [“Svako živi iza rešetaka koje nosi sa sobom. Zato se sada tako mnogo piše o životinjama. To je izraz čežnje za slobodnim, prirodnim životom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-janouch/svako-ivi-iza-re-etaka-koje-nosi-sa-sobom-zato-se-sada-tako-mnogo-pi/)

Gustav Janouch

> [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

## More by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

> [Long before the awakening of thought on earth, manifestations of cosmic energy must have been produced which have no parallel today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/long-before-the-awakening-of-thought-on-earth-manifestations-of/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [The longer I live, the more I feel that true repose consists in 'renouncing' one's own self, by which I mean making up one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/the-longer-i-live-the-more-i-feel-that-true-repose-consists-in/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [Today, something is happening to the whole structure of human consciousness. A fresh kind of life is starting. Driven by the forces of love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/today-something-is-happening-to-the-whole-structure-of-human/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [“We, mankind, contain the possibilities of the earth's immense future, and can realise more and more of them on condition that we increase our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/we-mankind-contain-the-possibilities-of-the-earth-s-immense-future/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [I think that man has a fundamental obligation to extract from himself and from the earth all that it can give; and this obligation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/i-think-that-man-has-a-fundamental-obligation-to-extract-from-himself/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [At the age when other children, I imagine, experience their first 'feeling' for a person, or for art, or for religion, I was affectionate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/at-the-age-when-other-children-i-imagine-experience-their-first/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [The most empowering relationships are those in which each partner lifts the other to a higher possession of their own being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/the-most-empowering-relationships-are-those-in-which-each-partner/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/we-are-not-human-beings-having-a-spiritual-experience-we-are/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [“In the shadow of death may we not look back to the past, but seek in utter darkness the dawn of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/in-the-shadow-of-death-may-we-not-look-back-to-the-past-but-seek-in/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [The stars are laboratories in which the evolution of matter proceeds in the direction of large molecules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/the-stars-are-laboratories-in-which-the-evolution-of-matter-proceeds/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [It is not our heads or our bodies which we must bring together, but our hearts. . . . Humanity. . . is building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/it-is-not-our-heads-or-our-bodies-which-we-must-bring-together-but/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [Each elect soul ... possesses God directly and finds in that unique possession the fulfillment of his own individuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/each-elect-soul-possesses-god-directly-and-finds-in-that-unique/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [You have told me, O God, to believe in hell. But you have forbidden me to think...of any man as damned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/you-have-told-me-o-god-to-believe-in-hell-but-you-have-forbidden-me/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [In the final analysis, the questions of why bad things happen to good people transmutes itself into some very different questions, no longer asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/in-the-final-analysis-the-questions-of-why-bad-things-happen-to-good/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [When humans truly discover the power of love, it will prove more important than the harnessing of fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/when-humans-truly-discover-the-power-of-love-it-will-prove-more/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

[Explore all 253 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

## 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 is acceptable only if it represents the physically necessary passage toward a union, the condition of a metamorphosis.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pierre Teilhard de Chardin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/death-is-acceptable-only-if-it-represents-the-physically-necessary/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/death-is-acceptable-only-if-it-represents-the-physically-necessary/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_death_death-is-acceptable-only-if-it-represent_3010229.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_death_death-is-acceptable-only-if-it-represent_3010229.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin-134_death_death-is-acceptable-only-if-it-represent_3010229.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Death is acceptable only if it represents the physically necessary passage toward a union, the condition of…” — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin",
                "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": "Pierre Teilhard de Chardin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Death is acceptable only if it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/death-is-acceptable-only-if-it-represents-the-physically-necessary/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/death-is-acceptable-only-if-it-represents-the-physically-necessary/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
