--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Death is, in some ways, unacceptable…" description: "\"Death is, in some ways, unacceptable. It's just an astonishing fact of our being here that we die; but I think worse than that is if we live long enoug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/sam-harris-457_astonishing_death-is-in-some-ways-unacceptable-it-s_1543764.jpg" --- # Death is, in some ways, unacceptable. It's just an… ![“Death is, in some ways, unacceptable. It's just an astonishing fact of our being here that we die; but I think worse than that is if we live long enough, we lose everyone we love in this world. I mean people die and disappear, and we're left with this stark mystery: just the sheer not knowing of…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/sam-harris-457_astonishing_death-is-in-some-ways-unacceptable-it-s_1543764.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/sam-harris-457_astonishing_death-is-in-some-ways-unacceptable-it-s_1543764.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/sam-harris-457_astonishing_death-is-in-some-ways-unacceptable-it-s_1543764.jpg) > “Death is, in some ways, unacceptable. It's just an astonishing fact of our being here that we die; but I think worse than that is if we live long enough, we lose everyone we love in this world. I mean people die and disappear, and we're left with this stark mystery: just the sheer not knowing of what happened to them.” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Death is an inevitable mystery that can feel terrifying, especially as we outlive loved ones, leaving us with profound uncertainty about their fate. **In simple terms:** Death is inevitable and leaves us uncertain about loved ones. Key Takeaway Find meaning beyond mortality. Themes mortality loss uncertainty existential grief meaning Mood somber reflective hopeful Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - bereavement - long‑term caregiving - philosophical reflection - support groups Key Concepts existentialism psychology spirituality acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with the unknown after loss? - What gives you hope beyond death? A Different Perspective Acceptance may be difficult for those deeply attached. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astonishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Die Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-disappear-937309/) [Die Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-think-467929/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappear/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Mean people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean-people/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Not knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-knowing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-die/) [Sheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheer/) [Starks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starks/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [This world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-world/) [Unacceptable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unacceptable/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/most-people-would-rather-die-than-think-in-fact-they-do-so/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Some people would rather die than think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/some-people-would-rather-die-than-think/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Most people would rather die than think and many of them do!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/most-people-would-rather-die-than-think-and-many-of-them-do/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [If you were not born in this world, there would be no need to die. To be born in this world is to die,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/if-you-were-not-born-in-this-world-there-would-be-no-need-to-die-to/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Kings should disdain to die, and only disappear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-de-quincey/kings-should-disdain-to-die-and-only-disappear/) [Thomas de Quincey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-de-quincey/) > [We all die and disappear, but that's because the mechanism of the world itself is built on destruction and loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/we-all-die-and-disappear-but-that-s-because-the-mechanism-of-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I think that's what we're all most terrified about: that we'll just die and disappear and we'll leave no trace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/i-think-that-s-what-we-re-all-most-terrified-about-that-we-ll-just/) [Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/) > [When you die, others who think they know you, will concoct things about you... Better pick up a pen and write it yourself, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sholom-aleichem/when-you-die-others-who-think-they-know-you-will-concoct-things-about/) [Sholom Aleichem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sholom-aleichem/) > [I don't think we die. I think our bodies leave, but we can never die. That which is never born, can never die. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/i-don-t-think-we-die-i-think-our-bodies-leave-but-we-can-never-die/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“It doesn't feel that way to me. I think... Well, I think that maybe... you're dying to be human." There was almost a smile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/it-doesn-t-feel-that-way-to-me-i-think-well-i-think-that-maybe-you-re/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [We were born and we die. In between, I think we try to live as best we can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-kurylenko/we-were-born-and-we-die-in-between-i-think-we-try-to-live-as-best-we/) [Olga Kurylenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-kurylenko/) > [Some men die for lack of love…some die because of it. Think about it." - Daemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bishop/some-men-die-for-lack-of-love-some-die-because-of-it-think-about-it/) [Anne Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bishop/) > [From the moment you are born, you could die. I think as an artist it is important to meditate on that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/from-the-moment-you-are-born-you-could-die-i-think-as-an-artist-it-is/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [“When you love someone as much as that, you don't believe they can die. You think your love protects them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ir-ne-n-mirovsky/when-you-love-someone-as-much-as-that-you-don-t-believe-they-can-die/) [Irène Némirovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ir-ne-n-mirovsky/) > [“She says that on the day you stop believing in love you may as will lie down and die. I think she may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-benton-frank/she-says-that-on-the-day-you-stop-believing-in-love-you-may-as-will/) [Dorothea Benton Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-benton-frank/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Your principal concern appears to be that the Creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked. This prudery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-principal-concern-appears-to-be-that-the-creator-of-the-universe/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. Whatever wisdom can be found in their pages is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-manuals-for-contemplative-understanding-the-bible-and-the-koran/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“If your golf instructor were to insist that you shave your head, sleep no more than four hours each night, renounce sex, and subsist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/if-your-golf-instructor-were-to-insist-that-you-shave-your-head-sleep/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The fact that one can lose one's sense of self in an ocean of tranquility does not mean that one's consciousness is immaterial or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-fact-that-one-can-lose-one-s-sense-of-self-in-an-ocean-of/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. Otherwise, we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/muslim-moderates-wherever-they-are-must-be-given-every-tool-necessary/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The idea that any one of our religions represents the infallible word of the One True God requires an encyclopedic ignorance of history, mythology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-idea-that-any-one-of-our-religions-represents-the-infallible-word/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“What could possibly cause billions of human beings to reconsider their religious beliefs? And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More Astonishing quotes > [It's astonishing what you learn and feel and see along the way. That's why a reporter's job, as you know, is such a joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/it-s-astonishing-what-you-learn-and-feel-and-see-along-the-way-that-s/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [A man may perform astonishing feats and comprehend a vast amount of knowledge, and yet have no understanding of himself. But suffering directs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-man-may-perform-astonishing-feats-and-comprehend-a-vast-amount-of/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [A first novel of astonishing force, craft and beauty, The Headmaster's Wager conjures up a dizzyingly evocative wartime Saigon in the story of Percival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-y-k-lee-2/a-first-novel-of-astonishing-force-craft-and-beauty-the-headmaster-s/) [Janice Y. K. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-y-k-lee-2/) > [“What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-no-idea-how-anything-was-going/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [It was astonishing when at one point, I got the idea of how to make artifical clouds with a collaborator, we had pictures made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/it-was-astonishing-when-at-one-point-i-got-the-idea-of-how-to-make/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old is new to us and so rich and astonishing that we never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/although-there-may-be-nothing-new-under-the-sun-what-is-old-is-new-to/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [The astonishing thing for me is that I had a career before politics and I never thought about my colour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-gyimah/the-astonishing-thing-for-me-is-that-i-had-a-career-before-politics/) [Sam Gyimah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-gyimah/) > [“There is no denying it; one must admit that there is something astonishing about Christianity. 'It is because you were born in it,' they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-is-no-denying-it-one-must-admit-that-there-is-something/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [It's Twitter's combination of simplicity and complexity that is astonishing in the same way that minimalist sculpture was inspiring and enlightening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-goldsmith/it-s-twitter-s-combination-of-simplicity-and-complexity-that-is/) [Kenneth Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-goldsmith/) > [All that we don't know is astonishing. Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/all-that-we-don-t-know-is-astonishing-even-more-astonishing-is-what/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Still more astonishing is that world of rigorous fantasy which we call mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/still-more-astonishing-is-that-world-of-rigorous-fantasy-which-we/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [“No one ever said aloud any of the kinds of things he was so constantly thinking, because no one in the parish, not Alice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/no-one-ever-said-aloud-any-of-the-kinds-of-things-he-was-so/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) > [If you worry less about what people think of you, you can pick up an astonishing amount of information about them. You no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-worry-less-about-what-people-think-of-you-you-can-pick-up-an/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [The Bureau of Justice reports that one in three black male babies born this century will go to jail or prison - that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-bureau-of-justice-reports-that-one-in-three-black-male-babies/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) [Browse all 410 Astonishing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Death is, in some ways, unacceptable. It's just an astonishing fact of our being here that we die; but I think worse than that is if we live long enough, we lose everyone we love in this world. I mean people die and disappear, and we're left with this stark mystery: just the sheer not knowing of what happened to them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sam Harris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/death-is-in-some-ways-unacceptable-it-s-just-an-astonishing-fact-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astonishing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/death-is-in-some-ways-unacceptable-it-s-just-an-astonishing-fact-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/sam-harris-457_astonishing_death-is-in-some-ways-unacceptable-it-s_1543764.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/sam-harris-457_astonishing_death-is-in-some-ways-unacceptable-it-s_1543764.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/sam-harris-457_astonishing_death-is-in-some-ways-unacceptable-it-s_1543764.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Death is, in some ways, unacceptable. It's just an astonishing fact of our being here that we die; but I…” — Sam Harris", "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": "Sam Harris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Death is, in some ways, unacceptable....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/death-is-in-some-ways-unacceptable-it-s-just-an-astonishing-fact-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/death-is-in-some-ways-unacceptable-it-s-just-an-astonishing-fact-of/#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 } } ] } ```