--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You could pray all you want that you have…" description: "\"You could pray all you want that you have a massive stroke while you're working and die, but possibly that won't happen, and you'll be in this bed, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/roz-chast-22729_bed_you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-hav_546382.jpg" --- # You could pray all you want that you have a massive stroke… ![“You could pray all you want that you have a massive stroke while you're working and die, but possibly that won't happen, and you'll be in this bed, and somebody's going to have to clean you up.” quote by Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/roz-chast-22729_bed_you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-hav_546382.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/roz-chast-22729_bed_you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-hav_546382.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/roz-chast-22729_bed_you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-hav_546382.jpg) > “You could pray all you want that you have a massive stroke while you're working and die, but possibly that won't happen, and you'll be in this bed, and somebody's going to have to clean you up.” [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A darkly humorous take on mortality, suggesting that despite fears, death may not occur as imagined, and others will handle the aftermath. **In simple terms:** Death might not happen as feared, but someone will still care for you. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and appreciate present care. Themes mortality humor anxiety caregiving Mood reflective wry empathetic Type philosophical social When to use this quote - hospital stays - end‑of‑life planning - friendship Key Concepts existential dread social support acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How does humor help cope with fear of death? - What responsibilities do we have to those facing illness? A Different Perspective The joke may trivialize serious health concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Praying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praying/) ## Related quotes > [A massive stroke may kill you instantly, while a series of mini-strokes may disable and kill you over several years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/a-massive-stroke-may-kill-you-instantly-while-a-series-of-mini/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [I’m not going to bed after all. Somebody around here hath murdered sleep. Good for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-going-to-bed-after-all-somebody-around-here-hath-murdered/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He had a massive stroke. He died with his tie on. Do you think that could be our generation's equivalent of that old saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-had-a-massive-stroke-he-died-with-his-tie-on-do-you-think-that/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“How’s that, Motella.” “Ooh, like wondering how it must be, getting into bed with somebody, who has another person’s name? tattooed on his body?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/how-s-that-motella-ooh-like-wondering-how-it-must-be-getting-into-bed/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [Then it crosses my mind, ‘But I’m a very busy woman! I don’t have time for a stroke!’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-bolte-taylor/then-it-crosses-my-mind-but-i-m-a-very-busy-woman-i-don-t-have-time/) [Jill Bolte Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-bolte-taylor/) > [Only at the end of the last stroke of paint, you can begin to wonder what needs to be done next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-beal/only-at-the-end-of-the-last-stroke-of-paint-you-can-begin-to-wonder/) [Stephen Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-beal/) > [I feel vulnerable because my mind - because of the stroke, my mind doesn't focus. And then I feel vulnerable because I don't understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/i-feel-vulnerable-because-my-mind-because-of-the-stroke-my-mind-doesn/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I have had hundreds and hundreds of stroke cases. My methods cured them--when they were so stiff they were almost dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-schulze/i-have-had-hundreds-and-hundreds-of-stroke-cases-my-methods-cured/) [Richard M. Schulze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-schulze/) > [Writing nonfiction is more like sculpture, a matter of shaping the research into the finished thing. Novels are like paintings, specifically watercolors. Every stroke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/writing-nonfiction-is-more-like-sculpture-a-matter-of-shaping-the/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [One stroke fells not an oke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/one-stroke-fells-not-an-oke/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Last year I had a stroke. It left me in bad shape. I had to teach myself how to walk and talk all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-clark/last-year-i-had-a-stroke-it-left-me-in-bad-shape-i-had-to-teach/) [Dick Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-clark/) > [I've never once heard my mom complain about her stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-vonn/i-ve-never-once-heard-my-mom-complain-about-her-stroke/) [Lindsey Vonn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-vonn/) > [The Stroke Association has produced leaflets that set out clearly the health risks associated with stroke that African-Caribbean people face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linford-christie/the-stroke-association-has-produced-leaflets-that-set-out-clearly-the/) [Linford Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linford-christie/) > [There's a lot of evidence that fruits and vegetables are beneficial for reducing the risk of stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-willett/there-s-a-lot-of-evidence-that-fruits-and-vegetables-are-beneficial/) [Walter Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-willett/) > [My dad died of a stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/my-dad-died-of-a-stroke/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) ## More by Roz Chast > [I think maybe to survive, I mean to just get through the day - I'm not saying that everything is hilariously funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/i-think-maybe-to-survive-i-mean-to-just-get-through-the-day-i-m-not/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [“Manhattan is a narrow island surrounded by various miscellaneous items.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/manhattan-is-a-narrow-island-surrounded-by-various-miscellaneous-items/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [Grime is not like messiness or some fingerprints on a cabinet; it takes a long time to accumulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/grime-is-not-like-messiness-or-some-fingerprints-on-a-cabinet-it/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [Childhood - that was not my favorite time in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/childhood-that-was-not-my-favorite-time-in-my-life/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [As I would soon learn myself, cleaning up what a parent leaves behind stirs up dust, both literal and metaphorical. It dredges up memories.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/as-i-would-soon-learn-myself-cleaning-up-what-a-parent-leaves-behind/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [Even under the best of circumstances - in twenty-first century America at least - caring for elderly parents ain't no place for sissies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/even-under-the-best-of-circumstances-in-twenty-first-century-america/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [I used to love to draw things that made me laugh or made friends laugh. When I was 13 or 14, I started thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/i-used-to-love-to-draw-things-that-made-me-laugh-or-made-friends/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [I gave up on ever trying to get 'my way.' I barely knew it existed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/i-gave-up-on-ever-trying-to-get-my-way-i-barely-knew-it-existed/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [I love seeing original cartoons. You get to see the artist's corrections, like erasures or Wite-Out or patches, and you get to see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/i-love-seeing-original-cartoons-you-get-to-see-the-artist-s/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [Theres something about most phobias where theres a tiny, tiny corner where you think this really actually could happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/theres-something-about-most-phobias-where-theres-a-tiny-tiny-corner/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [The fact that cartoons are reproduced doesn't mean anything to me as far as whether they are "real art" or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/the-fact-that-cartoons-are-reproduced-doesn-t-mean-anything-to-me-as/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [“Never put bananas in the refrigerator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/never-put-bananas-in-the-refrigerator/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [My parents were extremely reluctant. When my father was clearly dying, my mother refused to acknowledge it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/my-parents-were-extremely-reluctant-when-my-father-was-clearly-dying/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [I like being able to go grocery shopping and not feel that Im fighting a thousand people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/i-like-being-able-to-go-grocery-shopping-and-not-feel-that-im/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [I cannot stand superheroes. I do not understand any of its appeal. It has just bored me to death since I was a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/i-cannot-stand-superheroes-i-do-not-understand-any-of-its-appeal-it/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) [Explore all 27 Roz Chast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) ## More Bed quotes > [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [Your idea of fidelity is not having more than one man in bed at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/your-idea-of-fidelity-is-not-having-more-than-one-man-in-bed-at-the/) [Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/) > [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [I have to meditate before I go to bed, always. I have to let the day go and let the eternal in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bellamy-young/i-have-to-meditate-before-i-go-to-bed-always-i-have-to-let-the-day-go/) [Bellamy Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bellamy-young/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/) [Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/) > [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [I always wanted to be a movie star. I thought it meant being famous and having breakfast in bed. I didn't know you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-allyson/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-movie-star-i-thought-it-meant-being-famous/) [June Allyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-allyson/) Browse all 4,159 Bed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You could pray all you want that you have a massive stroke while you're working and die, but possibly that won't happen, and you'll be in this bed, and somebody's going to have to clean you up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roz Chast" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-have-a-massive-stroke-while-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-have-a-massive-stroke-while-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/roz-chast-22729_bed_you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-hav_546382.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/roz-chast-22729_bed_you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-hav_546382.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/roz-chast-22729_bed_you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-hav_546382.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You could pray all you want that you have a massive stroke while you're working and die, but possibly that…” — Roz Chast", "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": "Roz Chast", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You could pray all you want...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-have-a-massive-stroke-while-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-have-a-massive-stroke-while-you/#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 } } ] } ```