--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whatever thought grips the mind at the…" description: "\"Whatever thought grips the mind at the time of death is the one which will propel it and decide for it the nature of its future birth. Thus if one want..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/stephen-mitchell-16811_after-death_whatever-thought-grips-the-mind-at-the-t_1986447.png" --- # Whatever thought grips the mind at the time of death is… ![“Whatever thought grips the mind at the time of death is the one which will propel it and decide for it the nature of its future birth. Thus if one wants to attain god after death, one has to think of him steadfastly... This is not as simple as it sounds, for at the time of death the mind…” quote by Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/stephen-mitchell-16811_after-death_whatever-thought-grips-the-mind-at-the-t_1986447.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/stephen-mitchell-16811_after-death_whatever-thought-grips-the-mind-at-the-t_1986447.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/stephen-mitchell-16811_after-death_whatever-thought-grips-the-mind-at-the-t_1986447.png) > “Whatever thought grips the mind at the time of death is the one which will propel it and decide for it the nature of its future birth. Thus if one wants to attain god after death, one has to think of him steadfastly... This is not as simple as it sounds, for at the time of death the mind automatically flies to the thought of an object (i.e. money, love) which has possessed it during its sojourn in the world. Thus one must think of god constantly.” [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 final thought at death shapes the soul's next incarnation; focusing on the divine ensures a blessed rebirth. **In simple terms:** Death thoughts determine future rebirth; think of God to secure a good afterlife. Key Takeaway Cultivate constant divine focus. Themes spirituality afterlife mindfulness Mood contemplative hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - deathbed reflections - daily meditation - ritual prayer - ethical living Key Concepts karma reincarnation intentionality Questions to Reflect On - How can you train your mind to recall the divine in everyday life? - What practices help override habitual worldly thoughts? A Different Perspective If one cannot maintain constant divine thought, worldly attachments may dominate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [After death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after-death/) [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [To fear death is nothing other than to think oneself wise when one is not. For it is to think one knows what one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/to-fear-death-is-nothing-other-than-to-think-oneself-wise-when-one-is-2/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Do I think there's life after death? No, I think my books are my life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/do-i-think-there-s-life-after-death-no-i-think-my-books-are-my-life/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [“There are two paths to attain God: one is direct worship and the other is indirect worship. In the path of indirect worship, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/there-are-two-paths-to-attain-god-one-is-direct-worship-and-the-other/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“The Supreme cult does not bear any relationship with the ordinary course of life. The physical body, after attainment of the Supreme Cult will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jibankrishna/the-supreme-cult-does-not-bear-any-relationship-with-the-ordinary/) Jibankrishna > [Those who wish to attain God and progress in religious devotion, should particularly guard themselves against the snares of lust and wealth. Otherwise they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/those-who-wish-to-attain-god-and-progress-in-religious-devotion/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [“It is not solely or chiefly in virtue of the divine image that man effectively resembles God, but in virtue of his consciousness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etienne-gilson/it-is-not-solely-or-chiefly-in-virtue-of-the-divine-image-that-man/) [Étienne Gilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etienne-gilson/) > [“For it was only via the idea of God that we were able to develop all our ideas about a unified self, reason, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cupitt/for-it-was-only-via-the-idea-of-god-that-we-were-able-to-develop-all/) [Don Cupitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cupitt/) > [The truth is that you cannot attain God if you have even a trace of desire. Subtle is the way of dharma. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/the-truth-is-that-you-cannot-attain-god-if-you-have-even-a-trace-of/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [Your sole purpose in life is to attain God-realization. All else is useless and worthless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivananda/your-sole-purpose-in-life-is-to-attain-god-realization-all-else-is/) [Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivananda/) > [“One has to 'do' for worldly happiness, for material happiness. However, one does not have to 'do' anything for liberation (moksha) or to attain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/one-has-to-do-for-worldly-happiness-for-material-happiness-however/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“A mind can be lost without its owner's death. A mind that no longer questions only fulfills the rudimentary aspects of its function.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hanagarne/a-mind-can-be-lost-without-its-owner-s-death-a-mind-that-no-longer/) [Josh Hanagarne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hanagarne/) > [Meditation means keeping one mind. You must understand - what is life? What is death? If you keep one mind, there is no life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seung-sahn/meditation-means-keeping-one-mind-you-must-understand-what-is-life/) [Seung Sahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seung-sahn/) > [Death in my mind isn't a finality. There's a continuum: It's like at night, you go to sleep and in the daytime you wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/death-in-my-mind-isn-t-a-finality-there-s-a-continuum-it-s-like-at/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [Whole idea is really intriguing to me. If you took snapshots of ourselves throughout the day, the way that our mind is twisting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/whole-idea-is-really-intriguing-to-me-if-you-took-snapshots-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) ## 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. 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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/) > [What people love about life is its miraculous beauty; what they hate about death is the loss and decay around it. Yet losing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/what-people-love-about-life-is-its-miraculous-beauty-what-they-hate/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) [Explore all 38 Stephen Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) ## More After death quotes > [The world of imagination is the world of eternity. It is the divine bosom into which we shall all go after death of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-world-of-imagination-is-the-world-of-eternity-it-is-the-divine/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [After death there is nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/after-death-there-is-nothing/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [For days after death hair and fingernails continue to grow, but phone calls taper off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/for-days-after-death-hair-and-fingernails-continue-to-grow-but-phone/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) Empress Dowager Cixi > [You're a religious man, ... You believe in God and life after death. I also believe. When we come to the other world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/you-re-a-religious-man-you-believe-in-god-and-life-after-death-i-also/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [And after death something new begins, over which all the powers of the world of death can have no more control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/and-after-death-something-new-begins-over-which-all-the-powers-of-the/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [If the Soul sees, after death , what passes on this earth , and watches over the welfare of those it loves, then must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/if-the-soul-sees-after-death-what-passes-on-this-earth-and-watches/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [When we see the many grave-stones which have fallen in, which have been defaced by the footsteps of the congregation, which lie buried under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/when-we-see-the-many-grave-stones-which-have-fallen-in-which-have/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [It is for all men that come into the world once to die; and after death the judgment! And since death is a debt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rumbold/it-is-for-all-men-that-come-into-the-world-once-to-die-and-after/) [Richard Rumbold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rumbold/) > [What we should be after death, we have to attain in life, i.e. holiness and bliss. Here on earth the Kingdom of God begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paracelsus/what-we-should-be-after-death-we-have-to-attain-in-life-i-e-holiness/) [Paracelsus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paracelsus/) > [(After death.) So few people who come across, possess awareness of any kind. All they bring along with them are worthless values. All they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-matheson/after-death-so-few-people-who-come-across-possess-awareness-of-any/) [Richard Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-matheson/) > [I think I have fairly heard and fairly weighed the evidence on both sides, and I remain an utter disbeliever in almost all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-russel-wallace/i-think-i-have-fairly-heard-and-fairly-weighed-the-evidence-on-both/) [Alfred Russel Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-russel-wallace/) > [I want people to emphasize life before death as opposed to life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-want-people-to-emphasize-life-before-death-as-opposed-to-life-after/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I thought of the priest who'd told me that many religions hold that it is easier to be closely connected to people we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-thought-of-the-priest-who-d-told-me-that-many-religions-hold-that/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“And a soul would run by a living being, touch them softly on the shoulder or cheek, and continue on its way to heaven.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/and-a-soul-would-run-by-a-living-being-touch-them-softly-on-the/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) [Browse all 303 After death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after-death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whatever thought grips the mind at the time of death is the one which will propel it and decide for it the nature of its future birth. 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