---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once a person had realized death, if they…"
description: "\"“Once a person had realized death, if they could turn aside from pain they immediately turned toward wonder and Sa. It took both steps, Wintrow knew th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/robin-hobb-489_death_once-a-person-had-realized-death-if-they_246564.jpg"
---

#  Once a person had realized death, if they could turn aside…

![“Once a person had realized death, if they could turn aside from pain they immediately turned toward wonder and Sa. It took both steps, Wintrow knew that. If a person had not accepted death as a reality, the touch could be refused. Some accepted death and the touch, but could not let go of their…” quote by Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/robin-hobb-489_death_once-a-person-had-realized-death-if-they_246564.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/robin-hobb-489_death_once-a-person-had-realized-death-if-they_246564.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/robin-hobb-489_death_once-a-person-had-realized-death-if-they_246564.jpg)

> ““Once a person had realized death, if they could turn aside from pain they immediately turned toward wonder and Sa. It took both steps, Wintrow knew that. If a person had not accepted death as a reality, the touch could be refused. Some accepted death and the touch, but could not let go of their pain. They clung to it as a final vestige of life.””

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

## About This Quote

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

Confronting mortality frees us from pain, allowing wonder and acceptance of life's impermanence.

**In simple terms:** Accepting death opens wonder.

Key Takeaway

Embrace mortality to release pain.

Themes

mortality acceptance wonder pain life transformation

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- end‑of‑life care
- personal crisis
- spiritual retreats

Key Concepts

existentialism stoicism spiritual growth

Questions to Reflect On

- Can you find wonder when faced with death?
- How does pain shape your view of life?

A Different Perspective

Some may find acceptance impossible, remaining trapped in suffering.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

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

## Related quotes

> [“Human beings are stuck in a Midas-like predicament: we can't directly experience the true texture of reality because everything we touch turns to matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-herbert/human-beings-are-stuck-in-a-midas-like-predicament-we-can-t-directly/)

Nick Herbert

> [The more I pay attention to what's going on inside, the more I realize that how I feel, and how I react to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/the-more-i-pay-attention-to-what-s-going-on-inside-the-more-i-realize/)

[Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/)

> [“Alive and one. We are one, and while we love, death will never touch us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/alive-and-one-we-are-one-and-while-we-love-death-will-never-touch-us/)

[Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/)

> [After my father's death, nothing could touch me any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/after-my-father-s-death-nothing-could-touch-me-any-more/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [How terrible it is to love something that death can touch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vampire-queen/how-terrible-it-is-to-love-something-that-death-can-touch/)

Vampire Queen

> [“It's a fearful thing to love what death can touch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-morse/it-s-a-fearful-thing-to-love-what-death-can-touch/)

Eleanor Morse

> [“I never realized Death was so fleet of foot.' 'The fleetest. Always dancing in the shadows.' 'Always waiting for his next partner?' 'Dancing through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mallory/i-never-realized-death-was-so-fleet-of-foot-the-fleetest-always/)

[Anne Mallory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mallory/)

> [“And I realized that a death in the family wasn’t permanent—that a new life could replace an old life, and that the world moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-pinkerton/and-i-realized-that-a-death-in-the-family-wasn-t-permanent-that-a-new/)

Caleb Pinkerton

> [I never realized that death could occur but I ain't a quitter. -Willie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duck-dynasty/i-never-realized-that-death-could-occur-but-i-ain-t-a-quitter-willie/)

[Duck Dynasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duck-dynasty/)

> [and realized that death was not only a permanent probability, as he had always believed, but an immediate reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/and-realized-that-death-was-not-only-a-permanent-probability-as-he/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [You think, eventually, that nothing can disturb you and that your nerves are impregnable. Yet, looking down at that familiar face, I realized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-ness/you-think-eventually-that-nothing-can-disturb-you-and-that-your/)

Eliot Ness

> [“No: that fear had been inside him for many years, it had lived with him, it had been another shadow cast over his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-many-years-it-had-lived-with-him/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“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/)

> [For the love of country they accepted death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/for-the-love-of-country-they-accepted-death/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [He hasn't accepted his death. He is already fighting hard to stay alive. Which also means that kind Peeta Mellark, the boy who gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/he-hasn-t-accepted-his-death-he-is-already-fighting-hard-to-stay/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

## More by Robin Hobb

> [Boredom is vastly underrated. Boredom means that nothing is trying to kill you every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/boredom-is-vastly-underrated-boredom-means-that-nothing-is-trying-to/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“But that is not true for all folk. Some folk are meant to argue with fate. And win.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/but-that-is-not-true-for-all-folk-some-folk-are-meant-to-argue-with/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“I tried to leave you alone, Fitz. To find what peace you could, even if it excluded me from your life.” Ten years ago,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/i-tried-to-leave-you-alone-fitz-to-find-what-peace-you-could-even-if/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“Do you think you're taking Etta out of here?" "Yes," Kennit called over his shoulder up the sairs. "What about all these dead men?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/do-you-think-you-re-taking-etta-out-of-here-yes-kennit-called-over/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“A way out is a way in. Then,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/a-way-out-is-a-way-in-then/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“Die in your dreams, wake up insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/die-in-your-dreams-wake-up-insane/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“I felt a familiar squeezing in what I thought must be my heart. I had heard of being "heartbroken" or "heavy-hearted" but I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/i-felt-a-familiar-squeezing-in-what-i-thought-must-be-my-heart-i-had/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“They spoke of a dream of a child who bore the heart of a wolf.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/they-spoke-of-a-dream-of-a-child-who-bore-the-heart-of-a-wolf/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“We all perish in our last attempt to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/we-all-perish-in-our-last-attempt-to-live/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“There is always power in holding a secret.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/there-is-always-power-in-holding-a-secret/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“... finally realizing that life was to be lived, rather than hoarded against an unseen tomorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/finally-realizing-that-life-was-to-be-lived-rather-than-hoarded/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“Why, I suddenly wondered, had I wasted all those hours I could have spent with her? Why hadn’t I gone with them, to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/why-i-suddenly-wondered-had-i-wasted-all-those-hours-i-could-have/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“I think I made a better boy than I do a man, I admitted ruefully to the wolf. Why not wait until you've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/i-think-i-made-a-better-boy-than-i-do-a-man-i-admitted-ruefully-to/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“So, with all the wide world to choose from, you didn't choose at all. You simply stopped wandering one day”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/so-with-all-the-wide-world-to-choose-from-you-didn-t-choose-at-all/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [“I don't think I can stand it much longer,” he warned her. “Something will have to give way. And I fear it will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/i-don-t-think-i-can-stand-it-much-longer-he-warned-her-something-will/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

[Explore all 500 Robin Hobb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

## 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": "“Once a person had realized death, if they could turn aside from pain they immediately turned toward wonder and Sa. It took both steps, Wintrow knew that. If a person had not accepted death as a reality, the touch could be refused. Some accepted death and the touch, but could not let go of their pain. They clung to it as a final vestige of life.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robin Hobb"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/once-a-person-had-realized-death-if-they-could-turn-aside-from-pain/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/once-a-person-had-realized-death-if-they-could-turn-aside-from-pain/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/robin-hobb-489_death_once-a-person-had-realized-death-if-they_246564.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/robin-hobb-489_death_once-a-person-had-realized-death-if-they_246564.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/robin-hobb-489_death_once-a-person-had-realized-death-if-they_246564.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Once a person had realized death, if they could turn aside from pain they immediately turned toward wonder…” — Robin Hobb",
                "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": "Robin Hobb",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Once a person had realized death,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/once-a-person-had-realized-death-if-they-could-turn-aside-from-pain/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/once-a-person-had-realized-death-if-they-could-turn-aside-from-pain/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
