--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All the things you need in the death…" description: "\"All the things you need in the death transition, you need now in the life transition, because life is a transition, it is a between state. Therefore, e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/robert-thurman-9409_attention_all-the-things-you-need-in-the-death-tra_1504946.jpg" --- # All the things you need in the death transition, you need… ![“All the things you need in the death transition, you need now in the life transition, because life is a transition, it is a between state. Therefore, every night when you fall asleep, it's like you die. And every time you do, you should be using the process of falling asleep as giving up your…” quote by Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/robert-thurman-9409_attention_all-the-things-you-need-in-the-death-tra_1504946.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/robert-thurman-9409_attention_all-the-things-you-need-in-the-death-tra_1504946.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/robert-thurman-9409_attention_all-the-things-you-need-in-the-death-tra_1504946.jpg) > “All the things you need in the death transition, you need now in the life transition, because life is a transition, it is a between state. Therefore, every night when you fall asleep, it's like you die. And every time you do, you should be using the process of falling asleep as giving up your attention to sense objects, your discursive ruminating thoughts and so on. You should use that as a process of giving up and giving yourself completely to the universe and becoming completely obliterated.” [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that dying and living are similar transitions, and that sleep is a miniature death where we let go of thoughts and merge with the universe. **In simple terms:** Sleep is a small death where we release thoughts and connect with the whole. Key Takeaway Use sleep to practice surrender and mindfulness. Themes mindfulness death transition spirituality Mood calm reflective Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - nighttime routine - pre‑sleep meditation - stress relief - spiritual practice Key Concepts non‑attachment impermanence meditation Questions to Reflect On - How can you use bedtime to let go of mental chatter? - What does “becoming obliterated” mean to you? A Different Perspective It may be difficult to truly quiet the mind; some may find the metaphor unsettling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Every night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-night/) [Falling asleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-asleep/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Transition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-transition/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Transition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transition/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [There is no Death,/What seems so is transition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-corelli/there-is-no-death-what-seems-so-is-transition/) [Marie Corelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-corelli/) > [“What is death? Either a transition or an end. I am not afraid of coming to an end, this being the same as never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/what-is-death-either-a-transition-or-an-end-i-am-not-afraid-of-coming/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [There is no death! What seems so is transition; this life of mortal breath is but a suburb of the life elysian, whose portal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/there-is-no-death-what-seems-so-is-transition-this-life-of-mortal/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“Life is a transition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/life-is-a-transition/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Change is situational. Transition, on the other hand, is psychological. It is not those events, but rather the inner reorientation or self-redefinition that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bridges/change-is-situational-transition-on-the-other-hand-is-psychological/) [William Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bridges/) > [Nothing is secure but life, transition, the energizing spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/nothing-is-secure-but-life-transition-the-energizing-spirit/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Some people in Hollywood think of me as a model for dramatic midlife transitions: suburban housewife to Emmy-winning actress. But I never plotted a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-joosten/some-people-in-hollywood-think-of-me-as-a-model-for-dramatic-midlife/) [Kathryn Joosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-joosten/) > [If we can understand that death is not the end but is really a transition into the next life, the great part of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/if-we-can-understand-that-death-is-not-the-end-but-is-really-a/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [I went through a huge transition in my life where everything and everyone I knew and trusted didn't turn out to be that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-marie-presley/i-went-through-a-huge-transition-in-my-life-where-everything-and/) [Lisa Marie Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-marie-presley/) > [I'm 64 years old and, yeah, I went through a transition in my life last year, with the death of my son, that woke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-paladino/i-m-64-years-old-and-yeah-i-went-through-a-transition-in-my-life-last/) [Carl Paladino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-paladino/) > [A person's life from infancy to old age is nothing else than an advance from the world towards heaven, the last stage of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-swedenborg/a-person-s-life-from-infancy-to-old-age-is-nothing-else-than-an/) [Emanuel Swedenborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-swedenborg/) > [“He imagined that in his estate of eternal night he might somehow have already halved the distance to death. That the transition for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-imagined-that-in-his-estate-of-eternal-night-he-might-somehow-have/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“THERE IS NO DEATH! WHAT SEEMS SO IS TRANSITION; THIS LIFE OF MORTAL BREATH IS BUT A SUBURB OF THE LIFE ELYSIAN, WHOSE PORTAL…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-kelly/there-is-no-death-what-seems-so-is-transition-this-life-of-mortal-2/) [Eugene O'Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-kelly/) > [Death is but a transition from this life to another existence where there is no more pain and anguish. All the bitterness and disagreements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/death-is-but-a-transition-from-this-life-to-another-existence-where/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“It’s those very setbacks, detours, trials, and life transitions that become steppingstones on the path to your brilliant destination. All the while, your intuition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-arcuri/it-s-those-very-setbacks-detours-trials-and-life-transitions-that/) [Dana Arcuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-arcuri/) ## More by Robert Thurman > [Whether or not enlightenment is a plausible goal for us is a vital question for our lives. If it is possible for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/whether-or-not-enlightenment-is-a-plausible-goal-for-us-is-a-vital/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [You're more responsible ethically for being there with your interconnection to the world, but the you now is an always changing one, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/you-re-more-responsible-ethically-for-being-there-with-your/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [However, because of your interconnectedness with all things, other beings still have a problem, and when you realize that you have no absolute self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/however-because-of-your-interconnectedness-with-all-things-other/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [If you love your enemy, that means you want your enemy to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/if-you-love-your-enemy-that-means-you-want-your-enemy-to-be-happy/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [In Buddhist ideology, the conventional self is that which is constructed in a way by the use of the pronoun, and when you realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/in-buddhist-ideology-the-conventional-self-is-that-which-is/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [To become enlightened is not just to slip into some disconnected euphoria, an oceanic feeling of mystic oneness apart from ordinary reality. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/to-become-enlightened-is-not-just-to-slip-into-some-disconnected/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [I think about the trends at the moment in the planet and how it looks for my grandchildren. I don't panic over it, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/i-think-about-the-trends-at-the-moment-in-the-planet-and-how-it-looks/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [To finish building the free society dreamed of by Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson, we must draw upon the resources of the enlightened imagination, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/to-finish-building-the-free-society-dreamed-of-by-washington-franklin/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [Hate poisons your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/hate-poisons-your-life/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [A possession can't make you happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/a-possession-can-t-make-you-happy/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [People in Tibet have an expression. When you reach a certain degree of venerableness and age, and people ask, "How are you?," there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/people-in-tibet-have-an-expression-when-you-reach-a-certain-degree-of/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [“Anger spoils relationships where there should be great reciprocity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/anger-spoils-relationships-where-there-should-be-great-reciprocity/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [It isn't the meaning of love where you somehow desire that one or you want them or want them to love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/it-isn-t-the-meaning-of-love-where-you-somehow-desire-that-one-or-you/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the greatest teachers of our time. He reaches from the heights of insight down to the deepest places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/thich-nhat-hanh-is-one-of-the-greatest-teachers-of-our-time-he/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [I'd like to say is that we shouldn't have an idea that the goal of spiritual practice is to annihilate ones ego, that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/i-d-like-to-say-is-that-we-shouldn-t-have-an-idea-that-the-goal-of/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) [Explore all 73 Robert Thurman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All the things you need in the death transition, you need now in the life transition, because life is a transition, it is a between state. Therefore, every night when you fall asleep, it's like you die. And every time you do, you should be using the process of falling asleep as giving up your attention to sense objects, your discursive ruminating thoughts and so on. You should use that as a process of giving up and giving yourself completely to the universe and becoming completely obliterated.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Thurman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/all-the-things-you-need-in-the-death-transition-you-need-now-in-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/all-the-things-you-need-in-the-death-transition-you-need-now-in-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/robert-thurman-9409_attention_all-the-things-you-need-in-the-death-tra_1504946.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/robert-thurman-9409_attention_all-the-things-you-need-in-the-death-tra_1504946.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/robert-thurman-9409_attention_all-the-things-you-need-in-the-death-tra_1504946.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All the things you need in the death transition, you need now in the life transition, because life is a…” — Robert Thurman", "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 Thurman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All the things you need in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/all-the-things-you-need-in-the-death-transition-you-need-now-in-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/all-the-things-you-need-in-the-death-transition-you-need-now-in-the/#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 } } ] } ```