---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Death is simply a break in our linear…"
description: "\"Death is simply a break in our linear stream of consciousness.\" — Robert Lanza"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/robert-lanza-14245_break_death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-st_2923683.png"
---

#  Death is simply a break in our linear stream of…

![“Death is simply a break in our linear stream of consciousness.” quote by Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/robert-lanza-14245_break_death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-st_2923683.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/robert-lanza-14245_break_death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-st_2923683.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/robert-lanza-14245_break_death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-st_2923683.png)

> “Death is simply a break in our linear stream of consciousness.”

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Death interrupts our continuous conscious experience, suggesting consciousness may not be linear.

**In simple terms:** Death pauses consciousness.

Key Takeaway

Accept consciousness as non‑linear.

Themes

death consciousness philosophy life continuity

Mood

contemplative curious reflective

Type

philosophical existential

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- spiritual practice
- philosophical debate
- creative writing

Key Concepts

mind‑body problem temporal perception existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this view affect your life choices?
- What does continuity mean to you?

A Different Perspective

Interpretations of consciousness vary across cultures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Break Linear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-linear-4272650/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-simply-617702/) [Linear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/linear/) [Stream Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stream-consciousness-327261/) [Stream of consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stream-of-consciousness/) [Streams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streams/)

## Related quotes

> [Consciousness... does not appear to itself chopped up in bits. Such words as 'chain' or 'train' do not describe it fitly as it presents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/consciousness-does-not-appear-to-itself-chopped-up-in-bits-such-words/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [When I edit the poems - and I do edit, which some people don't mean when they use the term "stream of consciousness" -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zucker/when-i-edit-the-poems-and-i-do-edit-which-some-people-don-t-mean-when/)

[Rachel Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zucker/)

> [My thoughts went round and round and it occurred to me that if I ever wrote a novel it would be of the 'stream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/my-thoughts-went-round-and-round-and-it-occurred-to-me-that-if-i-ever/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [I work a lot with sounds based on stream of consciousness. I like the way it sounds, then I turn it into something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-van-etten/i-work-a-lot-with-sounds-based-on-stream-of-consciousness-i-like-the/)

[Sharon Van Etten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-van-etten/)

> [Life is a continual flow of events, streaming in from the universal stream of consciousness in such a way that it exactly matches our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/life-is-a-continual-flow-of-events-streaming-in-from-the-universal/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [“Our minds are truly the one place where no one else can follow us. Even if we try, if we constantly express every thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-h-aceves/our-minds-are-truly-the-one-place-where-no-one-else-can-follow-us/)

[Aaron H. Aceves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-h-aceves/)

> [I basically just write stream of consciousness to a certain extent. I let the song kind of go where it wants to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-holter/i-basically-just-write-stream-of-consciousness-to-a-certain-extent-i/)

[Julia Holter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-holter/)

> [When I write, I usually follow my most inner voice, sometimes called stream of consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidija-dimkovska/when-i-write-i-usually-follow-my-most-inner-voice-sometimes-called/)

[Lidija Dimkovska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidija-dimkovska/)

> [“Within your mind, there are hardly any lines at all. All its contents flow into each other, sensations becoming thoughts, feelings, desires, actions, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/within-your-mind-there-are-hardly-any-lines-at-all-all-its-contents/)

[Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/)

> [When people use that stream of consciousness, it's kind of just a term they use for anything that looks slightly different on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/when-people-use-that-stream-of-consciousness-it-s-kind-of-just-a-term/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [For the most part I write very stream of consciousness. I basically need to be recording an entire writing session because it's almost like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/for-the-most-part-i-write-very-stream-of-consciousness-i-basically/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [“When you’re a cork in someone else’s stream of consciousness, all you can do is spin and bob in the eddies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/when-you-re-a-cork-in-someone-else-s-stream-of-consciousness-all-you/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Be like a tree standing planted by a dead river bed, until you transform into the confidence of your own stream of consciousness flowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-tyrone-jones/be-like-a-tree-standing-planted-by-a-dead-river-bed-until-you/)

[Curtis Tyrone Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-tyrone-jones/)

> [“Our brain continuously processes inputs and generates outputs while our stream of consciousness is more like an after-the-fact commentary29.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erman-misirlisoy/our-brain-continuously-processes-inputs-and-generates-outputs-while/)

[Erman Misirlisoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erman-misirlisoy/)

> [Once I learned how to talk, personally, by myself to any number of people, which means do radio without talking to anyone in particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/once-i-learned-how-to-talk-personally-by-myself-to-any-number-of/)

[Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/)

## More by Robert Lanza

> [Perhaps, if science is clever enough to see, it will realize that religion may not be too far off with its concrete imagery; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/perhaps-if-science-is-clever-enough-to-see-it-will-realize-that/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [So someday in the near future hopefully rather than having a foot or a leg amputated we'll just give you an injection of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/so-someday-in-the-near-future-hopefully-rather-than-having-a-foot-or/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [The universe bursts into existence from life, not the other way around as we have been taught. For each life there is a universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/the-universe-bursts-into-existence-from-life-not-the-other-way-around/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [For example, if the big bang had been one-part-in-a billion more powerful, it would have rushed out too fast for the galaxies to form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/for-example-if-the-big-bang-had-been-one-part-in-a-billion-more/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [Any universe that could have preceded consciousness only existed in a probability state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/any-universe-that-could-have-preceded-consciousness-only-existed-in-a/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [I think the answer of course is that space and time are not these hard external objects. Again we're, scientists have been building from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/i-think-the-answer-of-course-is-that-space-and-time-are-not-these/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [I think it's science and physics are just starting to learn from all these experiments. These experiments have been carried out hundreds and hundreds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/i-think-it-s-science-and-physics-are-just-starting-to-learn-from-all/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [We're living through a paradigm shift. People are going to look back at us and say, 'They used to cut people's legs off.' Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/we-re-living-through-a-paradigm-shift-people-are-going-to-look-back/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [Nothing has existence unless you, I, or some living creature perceives it, and how it is perceived further influences that reality. Even time itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/nothing-has-existence-unless-you-i-or-some-living-creature-perceives/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [“By striving to see through the veil of our ordinary perceptions, we can come closer to understanding our profound relationship to all created things—all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/by-striving-to-see-through-the-veil-of-our-ordinary-perceptions-we/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [That's absolutely correct and in addition to that life just isn't an accident of the laws of physics. There's a long list of experiments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/that-s-absolutely-correct-and-in-addition-to-that-life-just-isn-t-an/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [The farther we peer into space, the more we realize that the nature of the universe cannot be understood fully by inspecting spiral galaxies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/the-farther-we-peer-into-space-the-more-we-realize-that-the-nature-of/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [As children we were bombarded by competing answers. Church says one thing, school another. Now as adults it's no surprise that if we discuss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/as-children-we-were-bombarded-by-competing-answers-church-says-one/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [Today's preoccupation with physical theories of everything takes a wrong turn from the purpose of science - to question all things relentlessly. Modern physics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/today-s-preoccupation-with-physical-theories-of-everything-takes-a/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [We have failed to protect science against speculative extensions of nature, continuing to assign physical and mathematical properties to hypothetical entities beyond what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/we-have-failed-to-protect-science-against-speculative-extensions-of/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

[Explore all 47 Robert Lanza quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

## More Break quotes

> [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/)

[Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/)

> [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/)

[Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/)

> [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/)

[Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/)

> [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/)

[Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/)

> [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/)

[Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/)

> [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/)

[Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/)

> [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/)

[Peter Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dunne/)

> [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/)

[Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/)

[Browse all 8,188 Break quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Death is simply a break in our linear stream of consciousness.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Lanza"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-stream-of-consciousness/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Break"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-stream-of-consciousness/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/robert-lanza-14245_break_death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-st_2923683.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/robert-lanza-14245_break_death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-st_2923683.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/robert-lanza-14245_break_death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-st_2923683.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Death is simply a break in our linear stream of consciousness.” — Robert Lanza",
                "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": "Robert Lanza",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Death is simply a break in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-stream-of-consciousness/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/death-is-simply-a-break-in-our-linear-stream-of-consciousness/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
