---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have not often seen much dignity in the…"
description: "\"I have not often seen much dignity in the process by which we die.\" — Sherwin B. Nuland"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_death-with-dignity_i-have-not-often-seen-much-dignity-in-th_3032736.png"
---

#  I have not often seen much dignity in the process by which…

![“I have not often seen much dignity in the process by which we die.” quote by Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_death-with-dignity_i-have-not-often-seen-much-dignity-in-th_3032736.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_death-with-dignity_i-have-not-often-seen-much-dignity-in-th_3032736.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_death-with-dignity_i-have-not-often-seen-much-dignity-in-th_3032736.png)

> “I have not often seen much dignity in the process by which we die.”

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

## About This Quote

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

The process of dying often lacks dignity, highlighting the need for compassionate end‑of‑life care.

**In simple terms:** Dying can feel undignified, requiring compassionate care.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for humane, respectful death practices.

Themes

mortality ethics compassion

Mood

somber hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- hospice care
- palliative policy
- family discussions
- legal frameworks

Key Concepts

philosophy medicine

Questions to Reflect On

- How can dignity be restored in dying?
- What role does cultural belief play?

A Different Perspective

Some view death as a natural, dignified transition.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death with dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-with-dignity/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Dignity Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity-process-4529979/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Process Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process-die-4962067/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Seen Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seen-dignity-4710431/)

## Related quotes

> [The belief in the probability of death with dignity is our, and society’s, attempt to deal with the reality of what is all too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/the-belief-in-the-probability-of-death-with-dignity-is-our-and/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [I have not seen much dignity in the process by which we die. The quest to achieve true dignity fails when our bodies fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/i-have-not-seen-much-dignity-in-the-process-by-which-we-die-the-quest/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> ['Death with dignity' is our society's expression of the universal yearning to achieve a graceful triumph over the stark and often repugnant finality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/death-with-dignity-is-our-society-s-expression-of-the-universal/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [To each person, their own way of death - with dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/to-each-person-their-own-way-of-death-with-dignity/)

[Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/)

> [“Anyone seen my dignity? I could use that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyone-seen-my-dignity-i-could-use-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm just trying to figure out the right balance between making fans feel good and also maintaining some dignity for myself in the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/i-m-just-trying-to-figure-out-the-right-balance-between-making-fans/)

[Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/)

> [We have entered an Orwellian era in which entitlement replaces responsibility, coercion is described as compassion, compulsory redistribution is called sharing, race quotas substitute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-j-forstmann/we-have-entered-an-orwellian-era-in-which-entitlement-replaces/)

[Theodore J. Forstmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-j-forstmann/)

> [Death with dignity is better than life with humiliation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-with-dignity-is-better-than-life-with-humiliation/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Imam Hussein Ibn Ali al-Shaheed said: Death with dignity is better than life with humility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imam-hussein-ibn-ali-al-shaheed-said-death-with-dignity-is-better/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“If the push towards life sustaining technology were balanced with options for comfort care in both medical school training and the healthcare culture, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-j-shultz/if-the-push-towards-life-sustaining-technology-were-balanced-with/)

[Lisa J. Shultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-j-shultz/)

> [Enjoy life. Have fun. Be kind. Have worth. Have friends. Be honest. Laugh. Die with dignity. Make the most of it. It's all we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/enjoy-life-have-fun-be-kind-have-worth-have-friends-be-honest-laugh/)

[Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/)

> [I said last year, and I still believe there are the votes in the House to pass Death with Dignity legislation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shap-smith/i-said-last-year-and-i-still-believe-there-are-the-votes-in-the-house/)

[Shap Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shap-smith/)

> [If I cannot give consent to my own death, whose body is this? Who owns my life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-rodriguez/if-i-cannot-give-consent-to-my-own-death-whose-body-is-this-who-owns/)

[Sue Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-rodriguez/)

> [“To transport this way along bouncy mountain roads is not the way to die. Every woman deserves the simple dignity of dying in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/to-transport-this-way-along-bouncy-mountain-roads-is-not-the-way-to/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [I won't live to see the death-with-dignity movement reach critical mass, but I call on you to carry it forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-maynard/i-won-t-live-to-see-the-death-with-dignity-movement-reach-critical/)

[Brittany Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-maynard/)

## More by Sherwin B. Nuland

> [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [A realistic expectation also demands our acceptance that one's allotted time on earth must be limited to an allowance consistent with the continuity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/a-realistic-expectation-also-demands-our-acceptance-that-one-s/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [There is, to be sure, sometimes only a small difference between being alert to possible danger and allowing oneself to become terrified to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/there-is-to-be-sure-sometimes-only-a-small-difference-between-being/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [By the time of my ninth birthday, I had become a bit of a socialist, as I am said by conservative colleagues to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/by-the-time-of-my-ninth-birthday-i-had-become-a-bit-of-a-socialist-as/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> ['Death with dignity' is our society's expression of the universal yearning to achieve a graceful triumph over the stark and often repugnant finality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/death-with-dignity-is-our-society-s-expression-of-the-universal/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [“Leonardo, with his profound knowledge of art, commenced various undertakings, many of which he never completed, because it appeared to him that the hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/leonardo-with-his-profound-knowledge-of-art-commenced-various/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [Do you know what the world will be saved by? I'll tell you. It'll be saved by the human spirit. And by the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/do-you-know-what-the-world-will-be-saved-by-i-ll-tell-you-it-ll-be/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [It's unnatural to believe death usually has a beauty and a concordance and is usually a coming together of your life's work. It leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/it-s-unnatural-to-believe-death-usually-has-a-beauty-and-a/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [Death is the surcease that comes when the exhausting battle has been lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/death-is-the-surcease-that-comes-when-the-exhausting-battle-has-been/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [There are resurrection themes in every society that has ever been studied, and it is because not just only do we fantasize about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/there-are-resurrection-themes-in-every-society-that-has-ever-been/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [Every hope of successive generations of scholars that order might be constructed from the chaotic mess of medical nomenclature has been frustrated. Even diseases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/every-hope-of-successive-generations-of-scholars-that-order-might-be/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [The more personal you are willing to be and the more intimate you are willing to be about the details of your own life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/the-more-personal-you-are-willing-to-be-and-the-more-intimate-you-are/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [“We die so that the world may continue to live. We have been given the miracle of life because trillions upon trillions of living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/we-die-so-that-the-world-may-continue-to-live-we-have-been-given-the/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [For aging is an art. The years between its first intimations and the time of the ultimate letting go of all earthly things can-if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/for-aging-is-an-art-the-years-between-its-first-intimations-and-the/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [Cancer cells are fixed at an age where they are still too young to have learned the rules of the society in which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/cancer-cells-are-fixed-at-an-age-where-they-are-still-too-young-to/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

[Explore all 66 Sherwin B. Nuland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

## More Death with dignity quotes

> [To each person, their own way of death - with dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/to-each-person-their-own-way-of-death-with-dignity/)

[Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/)

> ['Death with dignity' is our society's expression of the universal yearning to achieve a graceful triumph over the stark and often repugnant finality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/death-with-dignity-is-our-society-s-expression-of-the-universal/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [We have entered an Orwellian era in which entitlement replaces responsibility, coercion is described as compassion, compulsory redistribution is called sharing, race quotas substitute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-j-forstmann/we-have-entered-an-orwellian-era-in-which-entitlement-replaces/)

[Theodore J. Forstmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-j-forstmann/)

> [“To transport this way along bouncy mountain roads is not the way to die. Every woman deserves the simple dignity of dying in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/to-transport-this-way-along-bouncy-mountain-roads-is-not-the-way-to/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [If I cannot give consent to my own death, whose body is this? Who owns my life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-rodriguez/if-i-cannot-give-consent-to-my-own-death-whose-body-is-this-who-owns/)

[Sue Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-rodriguez/)

> [I won't live to see the death-with-dignity movement reach critical mass, but I call on you to carry it forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-maynard/i-won-t-live-to-see-the-death-with-dignity-movement-reach-critical/)

[Brittany Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-maynard/)

> [I said last year, and I still believe there are the votes in the House to pass Death with Dignity legislation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shap-smith/i-said-last-year-and-i-still-believe-there-are-the-votes-in-the-house/)

[Shap Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shap-smith/)

> [Enjoy life. Have fun. Be kind. Have worth. Have friends. Be honest. Laugh. Die with dignity. Make the most of it. It's all we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/enjoy-life-have-fun-be-kind-have-worth-have-friends-be-honest-laugh/)

[Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/)

> [“If the push towards life sustaining technology were balanced with options for comfort care in both medical school training and the healthcare culture, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-j-shultz/if-the-push-towards-life-sustaining-technology-were-balanced-with/)

[Lisa J. Shultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-j-shultz/)

> [“Imam Hussein Ibn Ali al-Shaheed said: Death with dignity is better than life with humility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imam-hussein-ibn-ali-al-shaheed-said-death-with-dignity-is-better/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Death with dignity is better than life with humiliation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-with-dignity-is-better-than-life-with-humiliation/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Child of shadows, once born of flesh Un-winged, amidst fear and agony ‘Fraid of the lurking and yet to come Oblivious, to the code…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubair-ahsan/child-of-shadows-once-born-of-flesh-un-winged-amidst-fear-and-agony/)

[Zubair Ahsan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubair-ahsan/)

> [There are few men who know how to go to their deaths with dignity, and often they are not those whom one would expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/there-are-few-men-who-know-how-to-go-to-their-deaths-with-dignity-and/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [“Every woman deserves the simple dignity of dying in a bed with clean sheets and an electric light at hand.' -spoken by Sara, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/every-woman-deserves-the-simple-dignity-of-dying-in-a-bed-with-clean/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [The belief in the probability of death with dignity is our, and society’s, attempt to deal with the reality of what is all too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/the-belief-in-the-probability-of-death-with-dignity-is-our-and/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

[Browse all 18 Death with dignity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-with-dignity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I have not often seen much dignity in the process by which we die.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sherwin B. Nuland"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/i-have-not-often-seen-much-dignity-in-the-process-by-which-we-die/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death with dignity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/i-have-not-often-seen-much-dignity-in-the-process-by-which-we-die/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_death-with-dignity_i-have-not-often-seen-much-dignity-in-th_3032736.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_death-with-dignity_i-have-not-often-seen-much-dignity-in-th_3032736.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_death-with-dignity_i-have-not-often-seen-much-dignity-in-th_3032736.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have not often seen much dignity in the process by which we die.” — Sherwin B. Nuland",
                "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": "Sherwin B. Nuland",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I have not often seen much...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/i-have-not-often-seen-much-dignity-in-the-process-by-which-we-die/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/i-have-not-often-seen-much-dignity-in-the-process-by-which-we-die/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```