--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man is nothing but breath and shadow." description: "\"A man is nothing but breath and shadow.\" — Sophocles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/sophocles-370_breath_a-man-is-nothing-but-breath-and-shadow-1_1266992.png" --- # A man is nothing but breath and shadow. ![“A man is nothing but breath and shadow.” quote by Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/sophocles-370_breath_a-man-is-nothing-but-breath-and-shadow-1_1266992.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/sophocles-370_breath_a-man-is-nothing-but-breath-and-shadow-1_1266992.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/sophocles-370_breath_a-man-is-nothing-but-breath-and-shadow-1_1266992.png) > “A man is nothing but breath and shadow.” [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflects on human mortality, emphasizing our fleeting, intangible nature. **In simple terms:** Life is brief and insubstantial. Key Takeaway Live meaningfully despite impermanence. Themes mortality philosophy existence Mood reflective somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - life planning - grief counseling - philosophical study - artistic expression - spiritual practice Key Concepts ancient Greek tragedy human condition Questions to Reflect On - How do you find purpose in a transient life? - What rituals give you a sense of continuity? A Different Perspective May inspire nihilism if misread. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath/) [Breath Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath-shadow-3264696/) [Breaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaths/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Man Breath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-breath-2979798/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) ## Related quotes > [Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah/cease-ye-from-man-whose-breath-is-in-his-nostrils/) [Isaiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah/) > [A human being is only breath and shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-human-being-is-only-breath-and-shadow/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah/stop-trusting-in-man-who-has-but-a-breath-in-his-nostrils/) [Isaiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah/) > [Where is the soul? . . . I refuse to believe anything of that kind without proof. The idea that, as soon as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/where-is-the-soul-i-refuse-to-believe-anything-of-that-kind-without/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“But if you wish, you can imagine that the Shadow does wait for your return and that it does remember everything that has gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/but-if-you-wish-you-can-imagine-that-the-shadow-does-wait-for-your/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [“What comes in when daylight leaves is a kind of certainty: that beneath the skin there is a secret, some mystery both black and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/what-comes-in-when-daylight-leaves-is-a-kind-of-certainty-that/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Oxygen always stays around man, but man sometime breath without thinking about that. Oxygen never ignore man; It is the man who ignore oxygen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chhenghak-yang/oxygen-always-stays-around-man-but-man-sometime-breath-without/) [Chhenghak Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chhenghak-yang/) > [Did God make man in a breath of holy fire, or did he crawl on up out of the muck and mire?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/did-god-make-man-in-a-breath-of-holy-fire-or-did-he-crawl-on-up-out/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [A nation without a religion - that is like a man without breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/a-nation-without-a-religion-that-is-like-a-man-without-breath/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [Herein is not only a great vanity, but a great contempt of God's good gifts, that the sweetness of man's breath, being a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/herein-is-not-only-a-great-vanity-but-a-great-contempt-of-god-s-good/) [King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/) > [All the gold in the world cannot buy a dying man one more breath--so what does that make today worth?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/all-the-gold-in-the-world-cannot-buy-a-dying-man-one-more-breath-so/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [“I wasn't even sure I wanted a man in my life again; by that time I'd exhausted the notion that the answer to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wasn-t-even-sure-i-wanted-a-man-in-my-life-again-by-that-time-i-d/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Tic Tacs are the maracas of breath mints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/tic-tacs-are-the-maracas-of-breath-mints/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Poetry should be vital--either stirring our blood by its divine movements or snatching our breath by its divine perfection. To do both is supreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/poetry-should-be-vital-either-stirring-our-blood-by-its-divine/) [Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) ## More by Sophocles > [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/) > [God's dice always have a lucky roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/god-s-dice-always-have-a-lucky-roll/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A fool cannot be an actor, though an actor may act a fool's part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fool-cannot-be-an-actor-though-an-actor-may-act-a-fool-s-part/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/go-then-if-you-must-but-remember-no-matter-how-foolish-your-deeds/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Man's worst ill is stubbornness of heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/man-s-worst-ill-is-stubbornness-of-heart/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A lie never lives to be old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-lie-never-lives-to-be-old/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [How dangerous can false reasoning prove!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/how-dangerous-can-false-reasoning-prove/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Why should man fear since chance is all in all for him, and he can clearly foreknow nothing? Best to live lightly, as one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/why-should-man-fear-since-chance-is-all-in-all-for-him-and-he-can/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“But life takes sudden twists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/but-life-takes-sudden-twists/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [When ice appears out of doors, and boys seize it up while it is solid, at first they experience new pleasures. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/when-ice-appears-out-of-doors-and-boys-seize-it-up-while-it-is-solid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [For God hates utterly the bray of bragging tongues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/for-god-hates-utterly-the-bray-of-bragging-tongues/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/i-have-nothing-but-contempt-for-the-kind-of-governor-who-is-afraid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“Not from Hades' black and universal lake can you lift him. Not by groaning, not by prayers. Yet you run yourself out in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/not-from-hades-black-and-universal-lake-can-you-lift-him-not-by/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A fearful man is always hearing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fearful-man-is-always-hearing-things/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [There is a point at which even justice does injury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/there-is-a-point-at-which-even-justice-does-injury/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) [Explore all 621 Sophocles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## More Breath quotes > [“The days may last forever, but the years pass by in a blink; the secret to survival is actually remembering to take a deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-smokler/the-days-may-last-forever-but-the-years-pass-by-in-a-blink-the-secret/) [Jill Smokler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-smokler/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [Take a deep breath. It,s just a bad day not a bad life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-a-deep-breath-it-s-just-a-bad-day-not-a-bad-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I stopped loving you today, But OMG..., Seeing your Body takes my breath away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becka-miller/i-stopped-loving-you-today-but-omg-seeing-your-body-takes-my-breath/) [Becka Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becka-miller/) > [So we must do our very best Whatever life may bring And look beyond the winter chill To smell the breath of spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-we-must-do-our-very-best-whatever-life-may-bring-and-look-beyond/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Poetry should be vital--either stirring our blood by its divine movements or snatching our breath by its divine perfection. To do both is supreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/poetry-should-be-vital-either-stirring-our-blood-by-its-divine/) [Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/) > [“The first step in awareness is to be watchful of your body. Slowly,slowly one becomes alert about each gesture,each movement. And as you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/the-first-step-in-awareness-is-to-be-watchful-of-your-body-slowly/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [Tic Tacs are the maracas of breath mints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/tic-tacs-are-the-maracas-of-breath-mints/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [“To control your life, control your mind. To control your mind, control your breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/to-control-your-life-control-your-mind-to-control-your-mind-control/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [“He’s sitting so close, I can feel his breath on my cheek. My stomach flip-flops again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-s-sitting-so-close-i-can-feel-his-breath-on-my-cheek-my-stomach/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“My heart is your heart," she whispers, and wow that takes my breath away, this line from my childhood that she always used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabel-pitcher/my-heart-is-your-heart-she-whispers-and-wow-that-takes-my-breath-away/) [Annabel Pitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabel-pitcher/) > [Good manners and bad breath will get you nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/good-manners-and-bad-breath-will-get-you-nowhere/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [“Being able to be myself was like being able to exhale for the first time after holding my breath for years. It’s only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/404-ink/being-able-to-be-myself-was-like-being-able-to-exhale-for-the-first/) [404 Ink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/404-ink/) [Browse all 1,839 Breath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A man is nothing but breath and shadow.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sophocles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-man-is-nothing-but-breath-and-shadow/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Breath" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-man-is-nothing-but-breath-and-shadow/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/sophocles-370_breath_a-man-is-nothing-but-breath-and-shadow-1_1266992.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/sophocles-370_breath_a-man-is-nothing-but-breath-and-shadow-1_1266992.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/sophocles-370_breath_a-man-is-nothing-but-breath-and-shadow-1_1266992.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man is nothing but breath and shadow.” — Sophocles", "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": "Sophocles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man is nothing but breath...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-man-is-nothing-but-breath-and-shadow/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-man-is-nothing-but-breath-and-shadow/#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 } } ] } ```