--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wonder if everyone who faces death…" description: "\"I wonder if everyone who faces death hurts like this. It's as though for the first time I realize how much just being alive makes my body ache. But I d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/shannon-hale-827_ache_i-wonder-if-everyone-who-faces-death-hur_1954838.png" --- # I wonder if everyone who faces death hurts like this. It's… ![“I wonder if everyone who faces death hurts like this. It's as though for the first time I realize how much just being alive makes my body ache. But I don't want that ache to stop.” quote by Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/shannon-hale-827_ache_i-wonder-if-everyone-who-faces-death-hur_1954838.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/shannon-hale-827_ache_i-wonder-if-everyone-who-faces-death-hur_1954838.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/shannon-hale-827_ache_i-wonder-if-everyone-who-faces-death-hur_1954838.png) > “I wonder if everyone who faces death hurts like this. It's as though for the first time I realize how much just being alive makes my body ache. But I don't want that ache to stop.” [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing mortality intensifies the appreciation of life, turning existence into a painful yet cherished awareness. **In simple terms:** Death makes life feel both painful and precious. Key Takeaway Cherish life despite its ache. Themes mortality appreciation existence Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Health crisis - grief counseling - mindfulness practice Key Concepts Existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does the ache teach you? - How can you transform pain into gratitude? A Different Perspective The ache may become overwhelming. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [Girls like you can't understand," Julia said, and it was true. Ellie had been popular. She didn't know that some hurts were like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/girls-like-you-can-t-understand-julia-said-and-it-was-true-ellie-had/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [“As soon as I started walking, my head throbbed with an ache that spread to my whole body. What was a full-body ache called—a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/as-soon-as-i-started-walking-my-head-throbbed-with-an-ache-that/) [Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/) > [Love is inconvenient, it feels like death, it hurts, it involves suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-inconvenient-it-feels-like-death-it-hurts-it-involves/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It hurts when you lose a friend to death, it hurts even more when you lose a friend still living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cj-tulli/it-hurts-when-you-lose-a-friend-to-death-it-hurts-even-more-when-you/) CJ Tulli > [“We're not made to say goodbye. God didn't make us that way. We're eternal beings meant to live with him and those we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynette-eason/we-re-not-made-to-say-goodbye-god-didn-t-make-us-that-way-we-re/) [Lynette Eason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynette-eason/) > [“A broken heart hurts like hell, I know, but it’s better than being so empty you’ve got nothing to cry about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-levy/a-broken-heart-hurts-like-hell-i-know-but-it-s-better-than-being-so/) [Marc Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-levy/) > [“Some kinds of hurt almost feel good, you know? Familiar. Like an ugly couch in your parents' house with the springs all bare where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/some-kinds-of-hurt-almost-feel-good-you-know-familiar-like-an-ugly/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [It hurts to see her like this...knowing she deserves better. No guy is worth your tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-hurts-to-see-her-like-this-knowing-she-deserves-better-no-guy-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“…turning your ankle hurts like hell, even if you're a superhero.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/turning-your-ankle-hurts-like-hell-even-if-you-re-a-superhero/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Oh, my God, are you okay? (Syd) You ever nick yourself while shaving? (Steele) Yeah. (Syd) You know the burn you get that hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/oh-my-god-are-you-okay-syd-you-ever-nick-yourself-while-shaving/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Your heart literally hurts when it's breaking. You can feel it, every beat another ache, and nothing you can do will stop it, either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-mcghee/your-heart-literally-hurts-when-it-s-breaking-you-can-feel-it-every/) [Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-mcghee/) > [Don't ever write a novel unless it hurts like a hot turd coming out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/don-t-ever-write-a-novel-unless-it-hurts-like-a-hot-turd-coming-out/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [You were never suppose to mean this much to me. I was never suppose to fall so hard. but you know what? I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prettylilvampire/you-were-never-suppose-to-mean-this-much-to-me-i-was-never-suppose-to/) Prettylilvampire > [“I think it’s just a gash. Hurts like bloody hell, though. Remind me…to never try to rescue you again.” “I can’t believe the timing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-heath/i-think-it-s-just-a-gash-hurts-like-bloody-hell-though-remind-me-to/) [Lorraine Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-heath/) > [Sometimes it is not what we despise that most hurts us; it is what we like and admire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-it-is-not-what-we-despise-that-most-hurts-us-it-is-what-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Shannon Hale > [“Well, write me into the list of Those Who Don’t Mind a Bit,” said Cupid, eyeing his perfectly toned arms and chest. “My, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/well-write-me-into-the-list-of-those-who-don-t-mind-a-bit-said-cupid/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“Sometimes instinct isn't fancy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/sometimes-instinct-isn-t-fancy/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Enna leaned back her head and laughed at the sky. 'Of course he wasn't! Who could kill Razo?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/enna-leaned-back-her-head-and-laughed-at-the-sky-of-course-he-wasn-t/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“Um… I guess that’s that,” said Cerise. “That?” said Maddie. “That is never that. This is that. Or else that is this. And this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/um-i-guess-that-s-that-said-cerise-that-said-maddie-that-is-never/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [The book smelled dusty and old but also carried a sweet tang, a hint of something inviting. She opened to the first page and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/the-book-smelled-dusty-and-old-but-also-carried-a-sweet-tang-a-hint/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Geric," she called. He turned back around. "What kind of flowers were they?" "I don't rightly know," he said. He made faltering gestures with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/geric-she-called-he-turned-back-around-what-kind-of-flowers-were-they/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [How I keep trying to force our story into a fairy tale, but from the beginning, it's been more like a nursery rhyme." "Bizarre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/how-i-keep-trying-to-force-our-story-into-a-fairy-tale-but-from-the/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“He wildly combed his hair with his fingers. “I can’t bear to be out there with you right now, all those indifferent people watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/he-wildly-combed-his-hair-with-his-fingers-i-can-t-bear-to-be-out/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [But, how do you know if an ending is truly good for the characters unless you've traveled with them through every page?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/but-how-do-you-know-if-an-ending-is-truly-good-for-the-characters/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“Sometimes it seems my identity’s a matter of opinion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/sometimes-it-seems-my-identity-s-a-matter-of-opinion/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [The snow was too light to stay, the ground too warm to keep it. And the strange spring snow fell only in that golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/the-snow-was-too-light-to-stay-the-ground-too-warm-to-keep-it-and-the/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Even the jerks earn some of our affection. We can be glad they're gone and yet still mourn the good parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/even-the-jerks-earn-some-of-our-affection-we-can-be-glad-they-re-gone/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Smell is the voice of the soul...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/smell-is-the-voice-of-the-soul/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“It was my jewelry!” Briar shouted after his father because he’d forgotten to ask what was stolen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/it-was-my-jewelry-briar-shouted-after-his-father-because-he-d/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Oh, but I like my geese. Like cats, they can't be told what to do, and like dogs, they're loyal, and like people, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/oh-but-i-like-my-geese-like-cats-they-can-t-be-told-what-to-do-and/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) [Explore all 358 Shannon Hale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) ## More Ache quotes > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [When we went into the ocean, I watched his body as he dove into the waves, and it gave me a feeling in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/when-we-went-into-the-ocean-i-watched-his-body-as-he-dove-into-the/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-lives-with-the-stress-of-an-overwhelmed-schedule-will/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-was-not-wounded-in-any-part-of-my-body-but-i-had-never-experienced/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [as we acquire new aches and new pains, our health care is, of necessity, being supplied by internists, cardiologists, dermatologists, podiatrists, urologists, periodontists, gynecologists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/as-we-acquire-new-aches-and-new-pains-our-health-care-is-of-necessity/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [Jamie enjoyed solitude, but loneliness was a constant ache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-sheldon/jamie-enjoyed-solitude-but-loneliness-was-a-constant-ache/) [Sidney Sheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-sheldon/) > [Some men make money not for the sake of living, but ache In the blindness of greed and live just for their fortune's sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/some-men-make-money-not-for-the-sake-of-living-but-ache-in-the/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Staring at her face, she began to fancy her outer layer had begun to melt away while she wasn't paying attention, and something --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/staring-at-her-face-she-began-to-fancy-her-outer-layer-had-begun-to/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [O thou beautiful And unimaginable ether! and Ye multiplying masses of increased And still increasing lights! what are ye? what Is this blue wilderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/o-thou-beautiful-and-unimaginable-ether-and-ye-multiplying-masses-of/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [An emotion is a thought, yes, an idea, but it is also a sensation, an ache in your body. Desire, love, hate, fear, repulsion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/an-emotion-is-a-thought-yes-an-idea-but-it-is-also-a-sensation-an/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [He that sleeps feels not the tooth-ache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/he-that-sleeps-feels-not-the-tooth-ache/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I will live this day as if it is my last. …I will waste not a moment mourning yesterday’s misfortunes, Yesterday’s defeats, yesterday’s aches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-will-live-this-day-as-if-it-is-my-last-i-will-waste-not-a-moment/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) Browse all 489 Ache quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wonder if everyone who faces death hurts like this. It's as though for the first time I realize how much just being alive makes my body ache. But I don't want that ache to stop.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shannon Hale" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/i-wonder-if-everyone-who-faces-death-hurts-like-this-it-s-as-though/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ache" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/i-wonder-if-everyone-who-faces-death-hurts-like-this-it-s-as-though/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/shannon-hale-827_ache_i-wonder-if-everyone-who-faces-death-hur_1954838.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/shannon-hale-827_ache_i-wonder-if-everyone-who-faces-death-hur_1954838.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/shannon-hale-827_ache_i-wonder-if-everyone-who-faces-death-hur_1954838.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wonder if everyone who faces death hurts like this. It's as though for the first time I realize how much…” — Shannon Hale", "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": "Shannon Hale", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I wonder if everyone who faces...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/i-wonder-if-everyone-who-faces-death-hurts-like-this-it-s-as-though/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/i-wonder-if-everyone-who-faces-death-hurts-like-this-it-s-as-though/#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 } } ] } ```