--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The dead do not hurt you; only the living…" description: "\"The dead do not hurt you; only the living do.\" — Tess Gerritsen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/tess-gerritsen-3102_dead_the-dead-do-not-hurt-you-only-the-living_1918616.png" --- # The dead do not hurt you; only the living do. ![“The dead do not hurt you; only the living do.” quote by Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/tess-gerritsen-3102_dead_the-dead-do-not-hurt-you-only-the-living_1918616.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/tess-gerritsen-3102_dead_the-dead-do-not-hurt-you-only-the-living_1918616.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/tess-gerritsen-3102_dead_the-dead-do-not-hurt-you-only-the-living_1918616.png) > “The dead do not hurt you; only the living do.” [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pain comes from living relationships, not from death itself. **In simple terms:** Living hurts more than death. Key Takeaway Guard against emotional harm. Themes grief relationships psychology Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - mental health counseling Key Concepts emotional pain loss survival Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect yourself from harmful living ties? - Can loss ever be a teacher? A Different Perspective Pain can also inspire growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead/) [Dead Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-hurt-2932087/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Hurt Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt-living-1586684/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living/) ## Related quotes > [“The dead can't hurt you, they're dead. Living things can hurt you, living people can hurt you but the dead can't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-dead-can-t-hurt-you-they-re-dead-living-things-can-hurt-you/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“No funny business. I’ll scream and dead or not it will hurt your ears”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-fletcher/no-funny-business-i-ll-scream-and-dead-or-not-it-will-hurt-your-ears/) [Penelope Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-fletcher/) > [I’ve got your back. Nothing alive will ever hurt you if I have breath in me. And nothing dead will hurt you if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/i-ve-got-your-back-nothing-alive-will-ever-hurt-you-if-i-have-breath/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“There was always something worth staying alive for, despite how much it hurt to keep living”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-laszlo/there-was-always-something-worth-staying-alive-for-despite-how-much/) [Jeremy Laszlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-laszlo/) > [So hard to breathe this air that we call love. Ain't nothing worse than the hurt we receive from love. When you get hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirty-money/so-hard-to-breathe-this-air-that-we-call-love-ain-t-nothing-worse/) [Dirty Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirty-money/) > [“How living hurt. Living was an open wound.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/how-living-hurt-living-was-an-open-wound/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [You can't live your life constantly being afraid of getting hurt. That's not what living is all about. Take the chance. It may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-live-your-life-constantly-being-afraid-of-getting-hurt-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whoever say the truth doesn't hurt, is living in a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlet-koop/whoever-say-the-truth-doesn-t-hurt-is-living-in-a-lie/) [Scarlet Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlet-koop/) > [“I came here to tell you that I’M READY. I’M ALL IN, if you’ll have me, because if you won’t, I’m going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/codi-gary/i-came-here-to-tell-you-that-i-m-ready-i-m-all-in-if-you-ll-have-me/) [Codi Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/codi-gary/) > [Why you should love and in the end you be hurt? Living on love is always accompanied by tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/why-you-should-love-and-in-the-end-you-be-hurt-living-on-love-is/) [Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/) > [After twelve years of living in Hawaii, I'd gotten a serious case of 'rock fever.' I just couldn't live on an island any longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/after-twelve-years-of-living-in-hawaii-i-d-gotten-a-serious-case-of/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“The life-loving, smart, good-hearted dead don't want forty days of mourning or say, "After me the deluge!" Leaving behind some helpful things - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naz-m-hikmet/the-life-loving-smart-good-hearted-dead-don-t-want-forty-days-of/) [Nâzım Hikmet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naz-m-hikmet/) > [“Good thing I'm aging, otherwise I'd be dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-monnar/good-thing-i-m-aging-otherwise-i-d-be-dead/) [Ana Monnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-monnar/) > [“The life of the dead is set in the memory of the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-life-of-the-dead-is-set-in-the-memory-of-the-living/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“I do not worship a DEAD and buried Christ at Calvary. I worship a ressurected and LIVING Christ in Heaven! Jesus Christ is alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/i-do-not-worship-a-dead-and-buried-christ-at-calvary-i-worship-a/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) ## More by Tess Gerritsen > [There is honor between bitches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/there-is-honor-between-bitches/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Had she always been so insulated from human contact, like a bloom encased in frost?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/had-she-always-been-so-insulated-from-human-contact-like-a-bloom/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Fans are always asking me where I get my ideas from. The answer is that I'm very curious, and I get inspiration from everywhere.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/fans-are-always-asking-me-where-i-get-my-ideas-from-the-answer-is/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [After twelve years of living in Hawaii, I'd gotten a serious case of 'rock fever.' I just couldn't live on an island any longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/after-twelve-years-of-living-in-hawaii-i-d-gotten-a-serious-case-of/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [The best heroes in the world are the reluctant ones. Courage isn't fearlessness - it's acting in the face of fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/the-best-heroes-in-the-world-are-the-reluctant-ones-courage-isn-t/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“If you don't love him, if you don't even care about him, then seeing him now shouldn't be all that painful. Should it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/if-you-don-t-love-him-if-you-don-t-even-care-about-him-then-seeing/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“My name is Mila, and this is my journey. There are so many places where I could begin the story. I could start in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/my-name-is-mila-and-this-is-my-journey-there-are-so-many-places-where/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Now we sit and wait,” the woman said, and she settled into a chair, the gun on her lap. “What are we waiting for?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/now-we-sit-and-wait-the-woman-said-and-she-settled-into-a-chair-the/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [The Christmas tree, twinkling with lights, had a mountain of gifts piled up beneath it, like offerings to the great god of excess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/the-christmas-tree-twinkling-with-lights-had-a-mountain-of-gifts/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Because I never plan anything out ahead of time, I'm always in the process of learning about my characters. Without a biographical sketch to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/because-i-never-plan-anything-out-ahead-of-time-i-m-always-in-the/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [When you're a fifty-year-old woman, no one really bothers to look at you anymore, much less value your opinion. It's hard on the old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/when-you-re-a-fifty-year-old-woman-no-one-really-bothers-to-look-at/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Mom and I often talked about the trip we'd someday take together to the 'city of eternal spring' where she was born. In Kunming,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/mom-and-i-often-talked-about-the-trip-we-d-someday-take-together-to/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“But human anatomy and human endurance are variable. While the much younger nun had succumbed to her injuries, Ursula's heart kept beating, her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/but-human-anatomy-and-human-endurance-are-variable-while-the-much/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Where we go depends on what we know, and what we know depends on where we go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/where-we-go-depends-on-what-we-know-and-what-we-know-depends-on-where/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Some people make choices hoping for the best; Korsak had made a choice simply to avoid the worst.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/some-people-make-choices-hoping-for-the-best-korsak-had-made-a-choice/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) [Explore all 134 Tess Gerritsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) ## More Dead quotes > [I'm going to stay on stage until I drop dead. Then I'm going to have myself stuffed, like Trigger, and I'm going to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-m-going-to-stay-on-stage-until-i-drop-dead-then-i-m-going-to-have/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [I can't be a legend yet. I'm not dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-can-t-be-a-legend-yet-i-m-not-dead/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [It's a really dark, emotionally wrenching world that we've created on 'The Walking Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/it-s-a-really-dark-emotionally-wrenching-world-that-we-ve-created-on/) [Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“I’m just–” She wanted to say “not in the mood,” but that was not only a cliché but a vast understatement. She was dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-mcintosh/i-m-just-she-wanted-to-say-not-in-the-mood-but-that-was-not-only-a/) [Will McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-mcintosh/) > [Library: A place where the dead lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/library-a-place-where-the-dead-lie/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [When we dead awaken ... we see that we have never lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/when-we-dead-awaken-we-see-that-we-have-never-lived/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [Rather be dead than cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/rather-be-dead-than-cool/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [He was obviously dead. But since he was a vampire that wasn't as hopless a thing as it might have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/he-was-obviously-dead-but-since-he-was-a-vampire-that-wasn-t-as/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I intend to do the Penn & Teller show until they pry my cheesy magic wand from my cold dead fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-intend-to-do-the-penn-teller-show-until-they-pry-my-cheesy-magic/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > ['Misery' left a lasting mark on me. When I die, it will be 'Kathy 'Misery' Bates Is Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/misery-left-a-lasting-mark-on-me-when-i-die-it-will-be-kathy-misery/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [The only good Indian is a dead Indian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-sherman/the-only-good-indian-is-a-dead-indian/) [William Tecumseh Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tecumseh-sherman/) [Browse all 3,376 Dead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The dead do not hurt you; only the living do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tess Gerritsen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/the-dead-do-not-hurt-you-only-the-living-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dead" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/the-dead-do-not-hurt-you-only-the-living-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/tess-gerritsen-3102_dead_the-dead-do-not-hurt-you-only-the-living_1918616.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/tess-gerritsen-3102_dead_the-dead-do-not-hurt-you-only-the-living_1918616.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/tess-gerritsen-3102_dead_the-dead-do-not-hurt-you-only-the-living_1918616.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The dead do not hurt you; only the living do.” — Tess Gerritsen", "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": "Tess Gerritsen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The dead do not hurt you;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/the-dead-do-not-hurt-you-only-the-living-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/the-dead-do-not-hurt-you-only-the-living-do/#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 } } ] } ```