--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Its a funny thing Alice, dying is just…" description: "\"Its a funny thing Alice, dying is just the way I composed it in Tod und Verklärung.\" — Richard Strauss" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/richard-strauss-26560_composed_its-a-funny-thing-alice-dying-is-just-th_2956981.jpg" --- # Its a funny thing Alice, dying is just the way I composed… ![“Its a funny thing Alice, dying is just the way I composed it in Tod und Verklärung.” quote by Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/richard-strauss-26560_composed_its-a-funny-thing-alice-dying-is-just-th_2956981.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/richard-strauss-26560_composed_its-a-funny-thing-alice-dying-is-just-th_2956981.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/richard-strauss-26560_composed_its-a-funny-thing-alice-dying-is-just-th_2956981.jpg) > “Its a funny thing Alice, dying is just the way I composed it in Tod und Verklärung.” [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The line reflects on death as an artistic composition, blending humor with existential contemplation. **In simple terms:** Death is portrayed as a creative act. Key Takeaway Reflect on life's artistic narrative. Themes death art existentialism Mood melancholic thoughtful Type literary musical When to use this quote - theatrical productions - literary analysis - personal reflection Key Concepts musical storytelling philosophical humor life cycles Questions to Reflect On - How does art shape our view of death? - What humor reveals about fear? A Different Perspective May trivialize mortality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alice Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alice-dying-4484290/) [Composed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composed/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Dying Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying-just-284672/) [Funny things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-things/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Thing Alice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-alice-4355007/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“It dawned on him that the loneliness of marriage, the thing Alice had so feared, starts out of love itself, which can never deliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-humphreys/it-dawned-on-him-that-the-loneliness-of-marriage-the-thing-alice-had/) [Josephine Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-humphreys/) > [And it's obvious that you're dying, dying Just living proof that the camera's lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/and-it-s-obvious-that-you-re-dying-dying-just-living-proof-that-the/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience/) > [Somthings got to give now cause I'm dying just to know your name and I need u here with me now cause youve got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/somthings-got-to-give-now-cause-i-m-dying-just-to-know-your-name-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't know why you don't live it up all the time when's dying's just around the corner, but you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/i-don-t-know-why-you-don-t-live-it-up-all-the-time-when-s-dying-s/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [I wont stop till I find you even if that means nealry dying just so I can be right there with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-johnson/i-wont-stop-till-i-find-you-even-if-that-means-nealry-dying-just-so-i/) [Natalya Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-johnson/) > [I am dying not just to attempt to end the barbarity of H-blocks or to gain the rightful recognition of political prisoners, but primarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-sands/i-am-dying-not-just-to-attempt-to-end-the-barbarity-of-h-blocks-or-to/) [Bobby Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-sands/) > [I know what every colored woman in this country is doing... Dying. Just like me. But the difference is they dying like a stump.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/i-know-what-every-colored-woman-in-this-country-is-doing-dying-just/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Let me tell you something about hypochondria: It's a pernicious, undermining little demon. It won't kill you, but it will sap the color from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/let-me-tell-you-something-about-hypochondria-it-s-a-pernicious/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Dying was just an extended version of Ash Wednesday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/dying-was-just-an-extended-version-of-ash-wednesday/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Can I tell you something? It wasn't so bad. Not so bad at all right then, me scowling at the dirt, James in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-mccracken/can-i-tell-you-something-it-wasn-t-so-bad-not-so-bad-at-all-right/) [Elizabeth McCracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-mccracken/) > [We're always one breath away from something, living or dying, sometimes it just can't be helped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-gudenkauf/we-re-always-one-breath-away-from-something-living-or-dying-sometimes/) [Heather Gudenkauf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-gudenkauf/) > [How do I keep dying just for you? You're a dirty word my mother washed my mouth for using. It's funny how we complicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manchester-orchestra/how-do-i-keep-dying-just-for-you-you-re-a-dirty-word-my-mother-washed/) [Manchester Orchestra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manchester-orchestra/) > [We all just realized that I am terminally ill and I'm dying and I would just prefer to die with less pain and less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-maynard/we-all-just-realized-that-i-am-terminally-ill-and-i-m-dying-and-i/) [Brittany Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-maynard/) > [“Saw a show on Discovery Channel that talked about how energy and matter can't be destroyed. It can only change and that got me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-jones/saw-a-show-on-discovery-channel-that-talked-about-how-energy-and/) [Joshua Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-jones/) > [Don't let someone have the satisfaction of seeing you upset. Smile for all you know, someone is dying just to see you happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga/don-t-let-someone-have-the-satisfaction-of-seeing-you-upset-smile-for/) [Olga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga/) ## More by Richard Strauss > [I want to be able to depict in music a glass of beer so accurately that every listener can tell whether it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/i-want-to-be-able-to-depict-in-music-a-glass-of-beer-so-accurately/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [Never look at the trombones, you'll just encourage them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/never-look-at-the-trombones-you-ll-just-encourage-them/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [Never look at the brass - it only encourages them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/never-look-at-the-brass-it-only-encourages-them/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but the most difficult to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/the-human-voice-is-the-most-beautiful-instrument-of-all-but-the-most/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [The aria, after all, is the soul of opera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/the-aria-after-all-is-the-soul-of-opera/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [don't perspire while conducting - only the audience should get warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/don-t-perspire-while-conducting-only-the-audience-should-get-warm/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [Must one become seventy years old to recognize that one's greatest strength lies in creating musical kitsch?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/must-one-become-seventy-years-old-to-recognize-that-one-s-greatest/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [He'd be better off shoveling snow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/he-d-be-better-off-shoveling-snow/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [On conducting: If you can just barely hear the French horns on stage, the balance is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/on-conducting-if-you-can-just-barely-hear-the-french-horns-on-stage/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [I shall never be converted, and I shall remain true to my old religion of the classics until my life's end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/i-shall-never-be-converted-and-i-shall-remain-true-to-my-old-religion/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [Never let the horns and woodwinds out of your sight; if you can hear them at all, they are too loud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/never-let-the-horns-and-woodwinds-out-of-your-sight-if-you-can-hear/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [Ideas, like young wine, should be put in storage and taken up again only after they have been allowed to ferment and to ripen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/ideas-like-young-wine-should-be-put-in-storage-and-taken-up-again/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [“Never look encouragingly at the brass, except with a brief glance to give an important cue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/never-look-encouragingly-at-the-brass-except-with-a-brief-glance-to/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [I may not be a first-rate composer, but I am a first-class second-rate composer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/i-may-not-be-a-first-rate-composer-but-i-am-a-first-class-second-rate/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) > [Never look at the trombones. You'll only encourage them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/never-look-at-the-trombones-you-ll-only-encourage-them/) [Richard Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) [Explore all 21 Richard Strauss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/) ## More Composed quotes > [I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/i-believe-so-but-at-first-he-must-know-he-must-know-in-which-spirit/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [I must say I've always composed music from the point of view of the performers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-piston/i-must-say-i-ve-always-composed-music-from-the-point-of-view-of-the/) [Walter Piston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-piston/) > [“because human lives are composed in precisely such a fashion. They are composed like music”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kundera-milan/because-human-lives-are-composed-in-precisely-such-a-fashion-they-are/) [Kundera Milan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kundera-milan/) > [Clearly, 9/11 would have to be some of the best work that I've done because I was working without a template, and that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-banfield/clearly-9-11-would-have-to-be-some-of-the-best-work-that-i-ve-done/) [Ashleigh Banfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-banfield/) > [Has a world composed of "us" and "not us" been invaded at last?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bisco-hatori/has-a-world-composed-of-us-and-not-us-been-invaded-at-last/) [Bisco Hatori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bisco-hatori/) > [It is with a company as it is with a punch, everything depends upon the ingredients of which it in composed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/it-is-with-a-company-as-it-is-with-a-punch-everything-depends-upon/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [When I met Zaeden, I bonded well with him he had an instrumental piece ready so we worked on it, composed, and added lyrics.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankit-tiwari/when-i-met-zaeden-i-bonded-well-with-him-he-had-an-instrumental-piece/) [Ankit Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankit-tiwari/) > [I'm calm and composed, and I don't expect a lot from anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naga-chaitanya/i-m-calm-and-composed-and-i-don-t-expect-a-lot-from-anyone/) [Naga Chaitanya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naga-chaitanya/) > [When I composed, I heard my music played by the orchestra within days of completion of the score. No master at a conservatory, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-previn/when-i-composed-i-heard-my-music-played-by-the-orchestra-within-days/) [Andre Previn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-previn/) > [“Forever is composed of nows. Das 'Für immer' besteht aus vielen 'jetzt'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/forever-is-composed-of-nows-das-f-r-immer-besteht-aus-vielen-jetzt/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [I have composed music for many city-based movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-antony/i-have-composed-music-for-many-city-based-movies/) [Vijay Antony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-antony/) > [If one wants to go on living, one must evolve. Before, when we composed, we would start by a series of music themes. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-leigh/if-one-wants-to-go-on-living-one-must-evolve-before-when-we-composed/) [Mitch Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-leigh/) > [“I guess we're all composed of a lot of mistakes; we just have to figure out how to take our mistakes and make something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-martin-beckner/i-guess-we-re-all-composed-of-a-lot-of-mistakes-we-just-have-to/) [K. Martin Beckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-martin-beckner/) > [Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by rule. Nevertheless one had better know the rules, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-like-music-it-must-be-composed-by-ear-feeling-and-instinct/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I just... my childhood seems, when I look back, to be largely composed of reading, lying on the bed. I mean, my mother was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/i-just-my-childhood-seems-when-i-look-back-to-be-largely-composed-of/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) [Browse all 99 Composed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Its a funny thing Alice, dying is just the way I composed it in Tod und Verklärung.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Strauss" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/its-a-funny-thing-alice-dying-is-just-the-way-i-composed-it-in-tod/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Composed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/its-a-funny-thing-alice-dying-is-just-the-way-i-composed-it-in-tod/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/richard-strauss-26560_composed_its-a-funny-thing-alice-dying-is-just-th_2956981.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/richard-strauss-26560_composed_its-a-funny-thing-alice-dying-is-just-th_2956981.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/richard-strauss-26560_composed_its-a-funny-thing-alice-dying-is-just-th_2956981.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Its a funny thing Alice, dying is just the way I composed it in Tod und Verklärung.” — Richard Strauss", "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": "Richard Strauss", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-strauss/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Its a funny thing Alice, dying...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/its-a-funny-thing-alice-dying-is-just-the-way-i-composed-it-in-tod/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-strauss/its-a-funny-thing-alice-dying-is-just-the-way-i-composed-it-in-tod/#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 } } ] } ```