--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've lived through such terrible times…" description: "\"“I've lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. But you see them living anyway. When they're more spirit than..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/tony-kushner-2204_death_i-ve-lived-through-such-terrible-times-a_222699.jpg" --- # I've lived through such terrible times and there are… ![“I've lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. But you see them living anyway. When they're more spirit than body, more sores than skin, when they're burned and in agony, when flies lay eggs in the corners of the eyes of their children - they live. Death…” quote by Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/tony-kushner-2204_death_i-ve-lived-through-such-terrible-times-a_222699.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/tony-kushner-2204_death_i-ve-lived-through-such-terrible-times-a_222699.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/tony-kushner-2204_death_i-ve-lived-through-such-terrible-times-a_222699.jpg) > ““I've lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. But you see them living anyway. When they're more spirit than body, more sores than skin, when they're burned and in agony, when flies lay eggs in the corners of the eyes of their children - they live. Death usually has to take life away. I don't know if that's just the animal. I don't know if it's not braver to die, but I recognize the habit; the addiction to being alive. So we live past hope. If I can find hope anywhere, that's it, that's the best I can do. It's so much not enough. It's so inadequate. But still bless me anyway. I want more life.”” [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) ## 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 reflects on enduring suffering, the will to live despite horror, and finding hope in small moments. **In simple terms:** Even in terrible suffering, we cling to life and hope. Key Takeaway Seek hope, however small, and keep living. Themes suffering hope resilience Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - war zones - personal trauma - health crises - daily hardships Key Concepts existentialism human spirit addiction to life Questions to Reflect On - What gives you hope in darkness? - How can you nurture life‑affirming habits? A Different Perspective Hope may feel insufficient against overwhelming pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I would not live over my hours past ... not unto Cicero's ground because I have lived them well, but for fear I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/i-would-not-live-over-my-hours-past-not-unto-cicero-s-ground-because/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [“Fear, is a horrible place to live in, and much worse die in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/fear-is-a-horrible-place-to-live-in-and-much-worse-die-in/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [In the world I live in, 'not worse' is nearly as good as 'better'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/in-the-world-i-live-in-not-worse-is-nearly-as-good-as-better/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I choose to live until death, not spend the time dying until death occurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/i-choose-to-live-until-death-not-spend-the-time-dying-until-death/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [Be dead in life, and you will not live in death. Let your soul die strenuously, and not live in weakness. Not only those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/be-dead-in-life-and-you-will-not-live-in-death-let-your-soul-die/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [We must all die. There's nothing terrible about death. But to live on after death, a soul, earthbound, a vampire--you don't wish any such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-endore/we-must-all-die-there-s-nothing-terrible-about-death-but-to-live-on/) Guy Endore > [If you know how to live, even death is good news](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/if-you-know-how-to-live-even-death-is-good-news/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [“Do not die before your death Do live even after your death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaarthekeyan/do-not-die-before-your-death-do-live-even-after-your-death/) Kaarthekeyan > [But how to know the falsity of death? How can we know there is no death? Until we know that, our fear of death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/but-how-to-know-the-falsity-of-death-how-can-we-know-there-is-no/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“live a death, die a death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aporva-kala/live-a-death-die-a-death/) [Aporva Kala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aporva-kala/) > [“Everything else you can live around, but not death. Death you have to live through.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamila-shamsie/everything-else-you-can-live-around-but-not-death-death-you-have-to/) [Kamila Shamsie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamila-shamsie/) > [“Now I see that if one doesn’t know how to die, one can hardly know how to live—because death is a part of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/now-i-see-that-if-one-doesn-t-know-how-to-die-one-can-hardly-know-how/) [Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [Let's learn to live! Then there is no death, save the transition, when desired. Many live who have never died as yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/let-s-learn-to-live-then-there-is-no-death-save-the-transition-when/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [“One does not live without death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-ty/one-does-not-live-without-death/) Dj Ty > [Deep down, noone really believes they have right to live. But this death sentence generally stays tucked away, hidden beneath the difficulty of living.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldyna-threesya/deep-down-noone-really-believes-they-have-right-to-live-but-this/) [Aldyna Threesya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldyna-threesya/) ## More by Tony Kushner > [My whole life has conspired to bring me to this place, and I can’t despise my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-whole-life-has-conspired-to-bring-me-to-this-place-and-i-can-t/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The big influence on me was Robert Altman, who, especially in 'Nashville,' transformed my sense of dramatic structure and showed how you could handle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-big-influence-on-me-was-robert-altman-who-especially-in-nashville/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“Fabulous. If you possess it, you don’t need to ask what it is. When you attempt to delineate it, you move away from it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/fabulous-if-you-possess-it-you-don-t-need-to-ask-what-it-is-when-you/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [People are more easily manipulated when they don't have information. If you ensure that kids grow up without basic reading skills, math skills, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/people-are-more-easily-manipulated-when-they-don-t-have-information/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The white cracker who wrote the National Anthem knew what he was doing. 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I actually think that people are never stuck, there’s no such thing as writers block, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-never-really-feel-that-i-m-stuck-i-actually-think-that-people-are/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The act of thinking and interpreting is so central to Judaism that it makes more sense that we've become people like Woody Allen -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-act-of-thinking-and-interpreting-is-so-central-to-judaism-that-it/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Respect the delicate ecology of your delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/respect-the-delicate-ecology-of-your-delusions/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The general consensus among historians, among the ones who can handle the fact that 'Lincoln' is, in fact, historical fiction, is that we demonstrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-general-consensus-among-historians-among-the-ones-who-can-handle/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [When really writing I'm not a good friend. Because writing disorganizes the social self, you become atomized. It scrambles you, sometimes to the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/when-really-writing-i-m-not-a-good-friend-because-writing/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [My back went out and I gained 40 pounds while sweating over 'Perestroika.' It was incredibly hard, the hardest thing I had to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-back-went-out-and-i-gained-40-pounds-while-sweating-over/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Film is like tech starts on the first day of filming and it never stops. There's never a moment when the audience comes in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/film-is-like-tech-starts-on-the-first-day-of-filming-and-it-never/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [You'll find, my friend, that what you love will take you places you never dreamed you'd go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/you-ll-find-my-friend-that-what-you-love-will-take-you-places-you/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) [Explore all 179 Tony Kushner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [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/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I've lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. But you see them living anyway. When they're more spirit than body, more sores than skin, when they're burned and in agony, when flies lay eggs in the corners of the eyes of their children - they live. Death usually has to take life away. I don't know if that's just the animal. I don't know if it's not braver to die, but I recognize the habit; the addiction to being alive. So we live past hope. If I can find hope anywhere, that's it, that's the best I can do. It's so much not enough. It's so inadequate. But still bless me anyway. 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