--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Those who have never had a father can at…" description: "\"Those who have never had a father can at any rate never know the sweets of losing one. To most men the death of his father is a new lease of life.\" — S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/samuel-butler-823_death_those-who-have-never-had-a-father-can-at_1501805.jpg" --- # Those who have never had a father can at any rate never… ![“Those who have never had a father can at any rate never know the sweets of losing one. To most men the death of his father is a new lease of life.” quote by Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/samuel-butler-823_death_those-who-have-never-had-a-father-can-at_1501805.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/samuel-butler-823_death_those-who-have-never-had-a-father-can-at_1501805.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/samuel-butler-823_death_those-who-have-never-had-a-father-can-at_1501805.jpg) > “Those who have never had a father can at any rate never know the sweets of losing one. To most men the death of his father is a new lease of life.” [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Those without a father never experience the profound loss that follows, while many men feel renewed after a father’s death. **In simple terms:** Losing a father is a unique grief; some feel relief. Key Takeaway Recognize and process complex emotions around loss. Themes grief loss renewal Mood somber thoughtful Type psychological reflective When to use this quote - bereavement counseling - family discussions - personal reflection Key Concepts family dynamics psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile mixed feelings about a father’s death? - What supports help you process loss? A Different Perspective Some may deny or suppress grief, hindering healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [Old men go to Death, Death comes to Young men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/old-men-go-to-death-death-comes-to-young-men/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Good men but see death, the wicked taste it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/good-men-but-see-death-the-wicked-taste-it/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [The men on death row had been told the world would be better without them. I tried to say that this may not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ray-hinton/the-men-on-death-row-had-been-told-the-world-would-be-better-without/) [Anthony Ray Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ray-hinton/) > [Life levels all men. Death reveals the eminent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/life-levels-all-men-death-reveals-the-eminent/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Old men go to death; but death comes to young men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/old-men-go-to-death-but-death-comes-to-young-men/) Proverb > [Amazing how men cry over the death of a body but dont cry over the death of the heart while the death of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/amazing-how-men-cry-over-the-death-of-a-body-but-dont-cry-over-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men after death ... are understood worse than men of the moment, but heard better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/men-after-death-are-understood-worse-than-men-of-the-moment-but-heard/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [One of the fathers saith . . . that old men go to death, and death comes to young men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/one-of-the-fathers-saith-that-old-men-go-to-death-and-death-comes-to/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [A son could bear complacently the death of his father while the loss of his inheritance might drive him to despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/a-son-could-bear-complacently-the-death-of-his-father-while-the-loss/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [My father, at the death of his father, was but six years of age; and he grew up, literally without education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/my-father-at-the-death-of-his-father-was-but-six-years-of-age-and-he/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Death of the Father would deprive literature of many of its pleasures. If there is no longer a Father, why tell stories? Doesn't every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/death-of-the-father-would-deprive-literature-of-many-of-its-pleasures/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [“Death is the father of all fears. He is as inevitable as he is inescapable. Accept the fact that he will come for you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navessa-allen/death-is-the-father-of-all-fears-he-is-as-inevitable-as-he-is/) [Navessa Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navessa-allen/) > [Since the death of my father four years ago, our lives have become difficult, and I must help my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/since-the-death-of-my-father-four-years-ago-our-lives-have-become/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [I do think the Welsh have a special enthusiasm for death. My father's always going to funerals of people he doesn't know very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-jones/i-do-think-the-welsh-have-a-special-enthusiasm-for-death-my-father-s/) [Ruth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-jones/) > [If Death is your father, you don't ever have to worry about what part of his body the disease will strike next. If Death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/if-death-is-your-father-you-don-t-ever-have-to-worry-about-what-part/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) ## More by Samuel Butler > [Is life worth living? This is a question for an embryo not for a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/is-life-worth-living-this-is-a-question-for-an-embryo-not-for-a-man/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [I am the enfant terrible of literature and science. If I cannot, and I know I cannot, get the literary and scientific bigwigs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/i-am-the-enfant-terrible-of-literature-and-science-if-i-cannot-and-i/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [If you follow reason far enough it always leads to conclusions that are contrary to reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/if-you-follow-reason-far-enough-it-always-leads-to-conclusions-that/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [All animals, except man, know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/all-animals-except-man-know-that-the-principal-business-of-life-is-to/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [The advantage of doing one's praising for oneself is that one can lay it on so thick and exactly in the right places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/the-advantage-of-doing-one-s-praising-for-oneself-is-that-one-can-lay/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [Spare the rod and spoil the child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/spare-the-rod-and-spoil-the-child/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [Opinions have vested interests just as men have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/opinions-have-vested-interests-just-as-men-have/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [“we must judge men not so much by what they, as by what they make us feel that they have it in them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/we-must-judge-men-not-so-much-by-what-they-as-by-what-they-make-us/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [If I die prematurely I shall be saved from being bored to death at my own success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/if-i-die-prematurely-i-shall-be-saved-from-being-bored-to-death-at-my/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [Vaccination is the medical sacrament corresponding to baptism. Whether it is or is not more efficacious I do not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/vaccination-is-the-medical-sacrament-corresponding-to-baptism-whether/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [“Having, then, once introduced an element of inconsistency into his system, he was far too consistent not to be inconsistent consistently, and he lapsed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/having-then-once-introduced-an-element-of-inconsistency-into-his/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [Brigands demand your money or your life; women require both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/brigands-demand-your-money-or-your-life-women-require-both/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [A man who lets himself be bored is even more contemptible than the bore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/a-man-who-lets-himself-be-bored-is-even-more-contemptible-than-the/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [It is not sufficiently considered in the hour of exultation, that all human excellence is comparative; that no man performs much but in proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/it-is-not-sufficiently-considered-in-the-hour-of-exultation-that-all/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [“The oldest books are still only just out to those who have not read them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/the-oldest-books-are-still-only-just-out-to-those-who-have-not-read/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) [Explore all 355 Samuel Butler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) ## 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": "Those who have never had a father can at any rate never know the sweets of losing one. To most men the death of his father is a new lease of life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Butler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/those-who-have-never-had-a-father-can-at-any-rate-never-know-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/those-who-have-never-had-a-father-can-at-any-rate-never-know-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/samuel-butler-823_death_those-who-have-never-had-a-father-can-at_1501805.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/samuel-butler-823_death_those-who-have-never-had-a-father-can-at_1501805.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/samuel-butler-823_death_those-who-have-never-had-a-father-can-at_1501805.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Those who have never had a father can at any rate never know the sweets of losing one. To most men the death…” — Samuel Butler", "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": "Samuel Butler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Those who have never had a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/those-who-have-never-had-a-father-can-at-any-rate-never-know-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/those-who-have-never-had-a-father-can-at-any-rate-never-know-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 } } ] } ```