--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was not so much that I longed for…" description: "\"“It was not so much that I longed for death as that I didn't long for life.”\" — Quentin Crisp" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/quentin-crisp-1163_death_it-was-not-so-much-that-i-longed-for-dea_2256803.png" --- # It was not so much that I longed for death as that I… ![“It was not so much that I longed for death as that I didn't long for life.” quote by Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/quentin-crisp-1163_death_it-was-not-so-much-that-i-longed-for-dea_2256803.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/quentin-crisp-1163_death_it-was-not-so-much-that-i-longed-for-dea_2256803.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/quentin-crisp-1163_death_it-was-not-so-much-that-i-longed-for-dea_2256803.png) > ““It was not so much that I longed for death as that I didn't long for life.”” [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He prefers not longing for life over death, suggesting a neutral stance toward existence. **In simple terms:** He is indifferent to both life and death. Key Takeaway Accept existence without clinging to either extreme. Themes existence neutrality philosophy Mood contemplative serene Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - daily decisions - mortality contemplation - mental health - spiritual practice Key Concepts nihilism stoicism existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does a neutral view of life mean to you? - How can you find meaning without strong attachment? A Different Perspective Such neutrality may lead to apathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-didn-922119/) [Didn Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-long-2559346/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Longed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longed/) [Longed Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longed-death-1591134/) ## Related quotes > [I cannot remember the time when I have not longed for death. ... for years and years I used to watch for death as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/i-cannot-remember-the-time-when-i-have-not-longed-for-death-for-years/) [Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/) > [No life that breathes with human breath has ever truly longed for death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/no-life-that-breathes-with-human-breath-has-ever-truly-longed-for/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [“To think that I have wasted years of my life, that I have longed for death, that the greatest love that I have ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/to-think-that-i-have-wasted-years-of-my-life-that-i-have-longed-for/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“This compulsion to an activity without respite, without variety, without result was so cruel that one day, noticing a swelling over his stomach, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/this-compulsion-to-an-activity-without-respite-without-variety/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Still not dead,” she said. She had greeted him with these words each time she woke during the past few days. At first the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/still-not-dead-she-said-she-had-greeted-him-with-these-words-each/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [In my lowest moments, when I genuinely longed for death, I knew that Jesus would walk with me through that valley as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-white/in-my-lowest-moments-when-i-genuinely-longed-for-death-i-knew-that/) [Mel White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-white/) > [Whatever crazy sorrow saith, No life that breathes with human breath Has ever truly longed for death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/whatever-crazy-sorrow-saith-no-life-that-breathes-with-human-breath/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [The Jungle Bush Beaters didn't last too long as a group, but we had a pretty good time while we did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levon-helm/the-jungle-bush-beaters-didn-t-last-too-long-as-a-group-but-we-had-a/) [Levon Helm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levon-helm/) > [But after the time there I'd had it with fashion again, so I left to go to architecture school in a summer course at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sprouse/but-after-the-time-there-i-d-had-it-with-fashion-again-so-i-left-to/) [Stephen Sprouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sprouse/) > [“Their truce didn't last for long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-sumner/their-truce-didn-t-last-for-long/) [Tracy Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-sumner/) > [Once publishers got interested in it, it was a year in developing, and it was launched, I think, in 1960. But Willie Lumpkin didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-decarlo/once-publishers-got-interested-in-it-it-was-a-year-in-developing-and/) [Dan DeCarlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-decarlo/) > [Terrible, it was terrible. Even today and it's been several months now you just bring it up and I tear up a little bit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/terrible-it-was-terrible-even-today-and-it-s-been-several-months-now/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [It didn't take me long to go from financial stability to fearing homelessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/it-didn-t-take-me-long-to-go-from-financial-stability-to-fearing/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [This world can only give me reminders of what I don't have, can never have, didn't have for long enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/this-world-can-only-give-me-reminders-of-what-i-don-t-have-can-never/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [It also didn't take me long to decide that Tri-Cities wasn't for me, and that I wasn't going to go there to play basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/it-also-didn-t-take-me-long-to-decide-that-tri-cities-wasn-t-for-me/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) ## More by Quentin Crisp > [You can behave as badly as you like in America. Nobody notices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/you-can-behave-as-badly-as-you-like-in-america-nobody-notices/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/never-keep-up-with-the-joneses-drag-them-down-to-your-level/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [“Masturbation is not only an expression of self-regard: it is also the natural emotional outlet of those who, before anything has reared its ugly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/masturbation-is-not-only-an-expression-of-self-regard-it-is-also-the/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [I am the last of Britain's stately homos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/i-am-the-last-of-britain-s-stately-homos/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [My mother protected me from the world and my father threatened me with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/my-mother-protected-me-from-the-world-and-my-father-threatened-me/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Nothing more rapidly inclines a person to go into a monastery than reading a book on etiquette. There are so many trivial ways in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/nothing-more-rapidly-inclines-a-person-to-go-into-a-monastery-than/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Vice is its own reward. It is virtue which, if it is to be marketed with consumer appeal, must carry Green Shield stamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/vice-is-its-own-reward-it-is-virtue-which-if-it-is-to-be-marketed/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Most men when they make up their faces, the makeup stands forward, and their faces are behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/most-men-when-they-make-up-their-faces-the-makeup-stands-forward-and/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Development of character consists solely in moving toward self-sufficiency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/development-of-character-consists-solely-in-moving-toward-self/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Women have decided to be people, which is a great mistake. Women were nicer than people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/women-have-decided-to-be-people-which-is-a-great-mistake-women-were/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Sex is the last refuge of the misreable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/sex-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-misreable/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [I was amazed to receive later a substantial sum for sitting in my room and talking about myself. If only I could get some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/i-was-amazed-to-receive-later-a-substantial-sum-for-sitting-in-my/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [If you live in America, you don't have to work. You can just drift along in the smiling and nodding racket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/if-you-live-in-america-you-don-t-have-to-work-you-can-just-drift/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [“I was from birth an object of mild ridicule because of my movements - especially the perpetual flutter of my hands - and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/i-was-from-birth-an-object-of-mild-ridicule-because-of-my-movements/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [If a man were to look over the fence on one side of his garden and observe that the neighbor on his left had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/if-a-man-were-to-look-over-the-fence-on-one-side-of-his-garden-and/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) [Explore all 279 Quentin Crisp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“It was not so much that I longed for death as that I didn't long for life.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Quentin Crisp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/it-was-not-so-much-that-i-longed-for-death-as-that-i-didn-t-long-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/it-was-not-so-much-that-i-longed-for-death-as-that-i-didn-t-long-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/quentin-crisp-1163_death_it-was-not-so-much-that-i-longed-for-dea_2256803.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/quentin-crisp-1163_death_it-was-not-so-much-that-i-longed-for-dea_2256803.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/quentin-crisp-1163_death_it-was-not-so-much-that-i-longed-for-dea_2256803.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was not so much that I longed for death as that I didn't long for life.” — Quentin Crisp", "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": "Quentin Crisp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was not so much that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/it-was-not-so-much-that-i-longed-for-death-as-that-i-didn-t-long-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/it-was-not-so-much-that-i-longed-for-death-as-that-i-didn-t-long-for/#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 } } ] } ```