---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What people love about life is its…"
description: "\"What people love about life is its miraculous beauty; what they hate about death is the loss and decay around it. Yet losing is not losing, and decay t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/stephen-mitchell-16811_beauty_what-people-love-about-life-is-its-mirac_1208120.jpg"
---

#  What people love about life is its miraculous beauty; what…

![“What people love about life is its miraculous beauty; what they hate about death is the loss and decay around it. Yet losing is not losing, and decay turns into beauty, as beauty turns back into decay. We are breathed in, breathed out. Therefore all you need is to understand the one breath that…” quote by Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/stephen-mitchell-16811_beauty_what-people-love-about-life-is-its-mirac_1208120.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/stephen-mitchell-16811_beauty_what-people-love-about-life-is-its-mirac_1208120.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/stephen-mitchell-16811_beauty_what-people-love-about-life-is-its-mirac_1208120.jpg)

> “What people love about life is its miraculous beauty; what they hate about death is the loss and decay around it. Yet losing is not losing, and decay turns into beauty, as beauty turns back into decay. We are breathed in, breathed out. Therefore all you need is to understand the one breath that makes up the world.”

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote reflects on life's beauty and death's decay as interconnected cycles, emphasizing the singular breath that unites existence.

**In simple terms:** Life and death are linked; breath connects all.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the unity of existence.

Themes

life death interconnectedness philosophy

Mood

contemplative poetic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- meditation
- nature walks
- philosophical discussion
- artistic expression

Key Concepts

cyclical nature impermanence mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you experience the breath of life?
- What does decay mean to you?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex existential concepts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Breaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaths/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Miraculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miraculous/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“Meditation is to understand that one breath, which connects all beings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/meditation-is-to-understand-that-one-breath-which-connects-all-beings/)

[Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/)

> [LIFE asked DEATH Life: Death, why do people love me, but hate you? Death: because you are a beautiful LIE, and I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-heart/life-asked-death-life-death-why-do-people-love-me-but-hate-you-death/)

Jessica Heart

> [Hataz hate us to death nd I no coz these hataz show it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big/hataz-hate-us-to-death-nd-i-no-coz-these-hataz-show-it/)

Big

> [Life asked death,why do people love me but hate you?? The death replied:Because you are a beautiful lie and I'm a painful truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-asked-death-why-do-people-love-me-but-hate-you-the-death-replied/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“There’s very little distance between love and hate, and often death obliterates the distance between the two entirely. They fuse into a paralyzing turmoil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/there-s-very-little-distance-between-love-and-hate-and-often-death/)

[J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/)

> [Life asked death why do people love me but hate you? Death responded because you are a beautiful lie and I am the painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-asked-death-why-do-people-love-me-but-hate-you-death-responded-2/)

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

> [Life asked to Death: Why people love me and hate you? . . . Death replied: Because you are a Beautiful Lie and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron/life-asked-to-death-why-people-love-me-and-hate-you-death-replied/)

[AaRon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron/)

> [When one has got to make correct entries, one comes to hate those savages--hate them to the death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/when-one-has-got-to-make-correct-entries-one-comes-to-hate-those/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [“My emotional range is limited. I can’t do grief, but rage is my friend. For instance, I hate death by sickness. It is nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-zafra/my-emotional-range-is-limited-i-can-t-do-grief-but-rage-is-my-friend/)

[Jessica Zafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-zafra/)

> [Life asked Death: Why do people love me, but hate you? Death responded: You are a beautiful lie, I am a painful truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-asked-death-why-do-people-love-me-but-hate-you-death-responded/)

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

> [I hate life, I hate death and everything in between just doesn't interest me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rapier/i-hate-life-i-hate-death-and-everything-in-between-just-doesn-t/)

Chris Rapier

> [LIFE ask death why do people love me but hate you? DEATH replied because you are a BEAUTIFUL LIE and I am a PAINFUL…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jahz-amandy/life-ask-death-why-do-people-love-me-but-hate-you-death-replied/)

[Jahz Amandy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jahz-amandy/)

> [And how do I know that the hate of death is not like a man who has lost his home when young and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-how-do-i-know-that-the-hate-of-death-is-not-like-a-man-who-has/)

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

> [Life asked death: y do people love me and hate u so much? Death replies: because ur a beautiful lie and Im the painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-asked-death-y-do-people-love-me-and-hate-u-so-much-death-replies/)

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

> [Live a life hate death love wonen care for them fuck them when they need starved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youngmoney2/live-a-life-hate-death-love-wonen-care-for-them-fuck-them-when-they/)

[Youngmoney2](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/youngmoney2/)

## More by Stephen Mitchell

> [ \[Jesus\] teaches that just as the sun gives light to both wicked and good, and the rain brings nourishment to righteous and unrighteous, God's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/jesus-teaches-that-just-as-the-sun-gives-light-to-both-wicked-and/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/true-mastery-can-be-gained-by-letting-things-go-their-own-way/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [Education is no longer thought of as a preparation for adult life, but as a continuing process of growth and development from birth until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/education-is-no-longer-thought-of-as-a-preparation-for-adult-life-but/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [“The Master is not trapped in opposites. His this is also a that. He sees that life becomes death and death becomes life, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/the-master-is-not-trapped-in-opposites-his-this-is-also-a-that-he/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [What is the gospel according to Jesus? Simply this: that the love we all long for in our innermost heart is already present, beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/what-is-the-gospel-according-to-jesus-simply-this-that-the-love-we/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [“I am speechless: what can I answer? I put hand on my mouth. I have said too much already; now I will speak no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/i-am-speechless-what-can-i-answer-i-put-hand-on-my-mouth-i-have-said/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [When speech comes from a quiet heart, it has the strength of the orchid, and the fragrance of rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/when-speech-comes-from-a-quiet-heart-it-has-the-strength-of-the/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [“Hmm,' said the King. 'I must write that down in my book of aphorisms. I don't know if it is deep, but it sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/hmm-said-the-king-i-must-write-that-down-in-my-book-of-aphorisms-i/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [There are two kinds of women: those who marry princes and those who marry frogs. The frogs never become princes, but it is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/there-are-two-kinds-of-women-those-who-marry-princes-and-those-who/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [“The river rises, flows over its banks and carries us all away, like mayflies floating downstream: they stare at the sun, then all at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/the-river-rises-flows-over-its-banks-and-carries-us-all-away-like/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [What may appear to be proud ungrateful and headstrong fron the outside may from the inside express an unshakable integrity of character. Pride, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/what-may-appear-to-be-proud-ungrateful-and-headstrong-fron-the/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [“The Frog was the only one who could retrieve the golden ball because he was the only one who could descend into the well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/the-frog-was-the-only-one-who-could-retrieve-the-golden-ball-because/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [“The master competes with no one so, no one can compete with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/the-master-competes-with-no-one-so-no-one-can-compete-with-her/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [Creativity, not normality, has become the paradigm of mental health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/creativity-not-normality-has-become-the-paradigm-of-mental-health/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

> [“all streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. humility gives it its power. if you want to govern the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/all-streams-flow-to-the-sea-because-it-is-lower-than-they-are-2/)

[Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

[Explore all 38 Stephen Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/)

## More Beauty quotes

> [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/)

[Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/)

[Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/)

Tumblr

> [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/)

[Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/)

[Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What people love about life is its miraculous beauty; what they hate about death is the loss and decay around it. Yet losing is not losing, and decay turns into beauty, as beauty turns back into decay. We are breathed in, breathed out. Therefore all you need is to understand the one breath that makes up the world.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Mitchell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/what-people-love-about-life-is-its-miraculous-beauty-what-they-hate/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beauty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/what-people-love-about-life-is-its-miraculous-beauty-what-they-hate/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/stephen-mitchell-16811_beauty_what-people-love-about-life-is-its-mirac_1208120.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/stephen-mitchell-16811_beauty_what-people-love-about-life-is-its-mirac_1208120.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1f/stephen-mitchell-16811_beauty_what-people-love-about-life-is-its-mirac_1208120.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What people love about life is its miraculous beauty; what they hate about death is the loss and decay…” — Stephen Mitchell",
                "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": "Stephen Mitchell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What people love about life is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/what-people-love-about-life-is-its-miraculous-beauty-what-they-hate/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/what-people-love-about-life-is-its-miraculous-beauty-what-they-hate/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
