--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I am dead let the earth be dissolved…" description: "\"When I am dead let the earth be dissolved in fire.\" — Suetonius" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/suetonius-25582_dissolved_when-i-am-dead-let-the-earth-be-dissolve_2713797.jpg" --- # When I am dead let the earth be dissolved in fire. ![“When I am dead let the earth be dissolved in fire.” quote by Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/suetonius-25582_dissolved_when-i-am-dead-let-the-earth-be-dissolve_2713797.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/suetonius-25582_dissolved_when-i-am-dead-let-the-earth-be-dissolve_2713797.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/suetonius-25582_dissolved_when-i-am-dead-let-the-earth-be-dissolve_2713797.jpg) > “When I am dead let the earth be dissolved in fire.” [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker wishes that after death, the Earth itself be consumed by fire, expressing a desire for total destruction or renewal. **In simple terms:** Desire for the world to be destroyed after death. Key Takeaway Consider the impact of your legacy. Themes destruction renewal legacy mortality Mood dark reflective Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - funeral rites - philosophical debates - environmental catastrophes Key Concepts nihilism apocalypse transformation Questions to Reflect On - What does this wish reveal about your view of existence? - Is total destruction ever a solution? A Different Perspective Fire may not be a feasible end for the planet. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dissolved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissolved/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [“To the dead. Let’s think of them always, but not join them too soon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/to-the-dead-let-s-think-of-them-always-but-not-join-them-too-soon/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [Since we have to speak well of the dead, let's knock them while they're alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-french-sloan/since-we-have-to-speak-well-of-the-dead-let-s-knock-them-while-they/) [John French Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-french-sloan/) > [“Let the earth and the sea each have its own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/let-the-earth-and-the-sea-each-have-its-own/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“For the land's sake, Sarah Gale, let the earth turn on its axis, and don't be forever tryin' to stop it. There ain't but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-a-nash/for-the-land-s-sake-sarah-gale-let-the-earth-turn-on-its-axis-and-don/) Harriet A. Nash > [The earth will solve its problems, and possibly our own, if we will let the earth function in its own ways. We need only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/the-earth-will-solve-its-problems-and-possibly-our-own-if-we-will-let/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) > [Let's do our part for Earth Day by continuing to only impact the outside world via email, Facebook, and Twitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-s-do-our-part-for-earth-day-by-continuing-to-only-impact-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think everyone should have a personal mission to leave the Earth a better place for them having lived in it and let Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-think-everyone-should-have-a-personal-mission-to-leave-the-earth-a/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“I say let all the earth be alive and overwhelmingly so. Let the sky be pressed to bursting with wings, beaks, pumping hearts, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-timberlake/i-say-let-all-the-earth-be-alive-and-overwhelmingly-so-let-the-sky-be/) [Amy Timberlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-timberlake/) > [“We have big plans. Oh yes. We're fumbling in the dark, but at least we're in motion. Everyone is working now; Julie and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/we-have-big-plans-oh-yes-we-re-fumbling-in-the-dark-but-at-least-we/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [“I had never wanted permanence before, not really, or I had wanted my freedom more; I had accepted that passionate feeling faded, all my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-had-never-wanted-permanence-before-not-really-or-i-had-wanted-my/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [The foolish man conceives the idea of 'self.' The wise man sees there is no ground on which to build the idea of 'self;'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddha/the-foolish-man-conceives-the-idea-of-self-the-wise-man-sees-there-is/) [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddha/) > [“he was solid. he was there as i dissolved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/he-was-solid-he-was-there-as-i-dissolved/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [As marriage and the family institution constitute the foundation and chief cornerstone of civil society, it is of the greatest moment that the marriage-tie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-bradley/as-marriage-and-the-family-institution-constitute-the-foundation-and/) [Joseph P. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-bradley/) > [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-destruction-the-slow-movement-of/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [“The one whose ego has dissolved, he can please anyone in this world, and he can deal with everyone, with equanimity .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/the-one-whose-ego-has-dissolved-he-can-please-anyone-in-this-world/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) ## More by Suetonius > [ Punishment \[by Nero\] was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/punishment-by-nero-was-inflicted-on-the-christians-a-class-of-men/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [Alea iacta est (The die is cast)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/alea-iacta-est-the-die-is-cast/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [ He \[Caesar Augustus\] found a city built of brick; he left it built of marble. \[Lat., Urbem lateritiam accepit, mamoream relinquit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/he-caesar-augustus-found-a-city-built-of-brick-he-left-it-built-of/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [If you did not know at age five that the gods are made up beings and the myths made up stories, you are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/if-you-did-not-know-at-age-five-that-the-gods-are-made-up-beings-and/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [General Quotations about Evenings Let us add this one more night to our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/general-quotations-about-evenings-let-us-add-this-one-more-night-to/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [Suetonius, in holding up a mirror to those Caesars of diverting legend, reflects not only them but ourselves: half-tamed creatures, whose great moral task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/suetonius-in-holding-up-a-mirror-to-those-caesars-of-diverting-legend/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [“Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/nothing-is-more-unpredictable-than-the-mob-nothing-more-obscure-than/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [The fox changes his skin but not his habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/the-fox-changes-his-skin-but-not-his-habits/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [“The titles of his books are recorded as follows: The Twelve Caesars; Royal Biographies; Lives of Famous Whores; Roman Manners and Customs; The Roman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/the-titles-of-his-books-are-recorded-as-follows-the-twelve-caesars/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [“On reflecting at dinner that he had done nothing to help anybody all day, he uttered these memorable and praiseworthy words: "Friends, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/on-reflecting-at-dinner-that-he-had-done-nothing-to-help-anybody-all/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [At a banquet Caligula was suddenly seized with a fit of helpless laughter. The consuls reclining next to him asked if they might share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/at-a-banquet-caligula-was-suddenly-seized-with-a-fit-of-helpless/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [These things by reason of our friendship I have not hesitated glo to communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/these-things-by-reason-of-our-friendship-i-have-not-hesitated-glo-to/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [Hail, Caesar, those who are about to die salute thee. -](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/hail-caesar-those-who-are-about-to-die-salute-thee/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [Again, during a sacrifice, the augur Spurinna warned Caesar that the danger threatening him would not come later than the Ides of March.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/again-during-a-sacrifice-the-augur-spurinna-warned-caesar-that-the/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [“So much for the Emperor; the rest of this history must deal with the Monster. —IV:22”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/so-much-for-the-emperor-the-rest-of-this-history-must-deal-with-the/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) [Explore all 23 Suetonius quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) ## More Dissolved quotes > [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-destruction-the-slow-movement-of/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [As marriage and the family institution constitute the foundation and chief cornerstone of civil society, it is of the greatest moment that the marriage-tie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-bradley/as-marriage-and-the-family-institution-constitute-the-foundation-and/) [Joseph P. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-bradley/) > [“he was solid. he was there as i dissolved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/he-was-solid-he-was-there-as-i-dissolved/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The foolish man conceives the idea of 'self.' The wise man sees there is no ground on which to build the idea of 'self;'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddha/the-foolish-man-conceives-the-idea-of-self-the-wise-man-sees-there-is/) [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddha/) > [“The one whose ego has dissolved, he can please anyone in this world, and he can deal with everyone, with equanimity .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/the-one-whose-ego-has-dissolved-he-can-please-anyone-in-this-world/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“I had never wanted permanence before, not really, or I had wanted my freedom more; I had accepted that passionate feeling faded, all my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-had-never-wanted-permanence-before-not-really-or-i-had-wanted-my/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [Consequences don’t just go away. They aren’t suddenly dissolved just because forgiveness has been desired or given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracie-peterson/consequences-don-t-just-go-away-they-aren-t-suddenly-dissolved-just/) [Tracie Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracie-peterson/) > [That is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/that-is-happiness-to-be-dissolved-into-something-complete-and-great/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“the sky’s sediment had sunk to a place where all the woe of the words ‘I am’ dissolved into blue peace. He said it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-sky-s-sediment-had-sunk-to-a-place-where-all-the-woe-of-the-words/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [By the time a partnership dissolves, it has dissolved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/by-the-time-a-partnership-dissolves-it-has-dissolved/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [When moms stayed home, it was easier just to let the kids play around the house. But as women entered the workplace and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/when-moms-stayed-home-it-was-easier-just-to-let-the-kids-play-around/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [“...There is not anything which returns to nothing, but all things return dissolved into their elements. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/there-is-not-anything-which-returns-to-nothing-but-all-things-return/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [Therefore there is not anything which returns to nothing, but all things return dissolved into their elements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/therefore-there-is-not-anything-which-returns-to-nothing-but-all/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [The love of her life dissolved into dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/the-love-of-her-life-dissolved-into-dreams/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [“We are forbidden from the U-turn, The road behind has already dissolved...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galina/we-are-forbidden-from-the-u-turn-the-road-behind-has-already-dissolved/) Galina [Browse all 23 Dissolved quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissolved/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I am dead let the earth be dissolved in fire.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Suetonius" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/when-i-am-dead-let-the-earth-be-dissolved-in-fire/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dissolved" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/when-i-am-dead-let-the-earth-be-dissolved-in-fire/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/suetonius-25582_dissolved_when-i-am-dead-let-the-earth-be-dissolve_2713797.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/suetonius-25582_dissolved_when-i-am-dead-let-the-earth-be-dissolve_2713797.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/suetonius-25582_dissolved_when-i-am-dead-let-the-earth-be-dissolve_2713797.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I am dead let the earth be dissolved in fire.” — Suetonius", "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": "Suetonius", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I am dead let the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/when-i-am-dead-let-the-earth-be-dissolved-in-fire/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/when-i-am-dead-let-the-earth-be-dissolved-in-fire/#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 } } ] } ```