--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once I believed I would live forever…" description: "\"“Once I believed I would live forever. Death never entered my mind. Then one day, death surprised me!”\" — Vaddey Ratner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/vaddey-ratner-19688_death_once-i-believed-i-would-live-forever-dea_2166154.jpg" --- # Once I believed I would live forever. Death never entered… ![“Once I believed I would live forever. Death never entered my mind. Then one day, death surprised me!” quote by Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/vaddey-ratner-19688_death_once-i-believed-i-would-live-forever-dea_2166154.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/vaddey-ratner-19688_death_once-i-believed-i-would-live-forever-dea_2166154.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/vaddey-ratner-19688_death_once-i-believed-i-would-live-forever-dea_2166154.jpg) > ““Once I believed I would live forever. Death never entered my mind. Then one day, death surprised me!”” [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A realization that mortality is inevitable shatters a previous belief in immortality. **In simple terms:** Realizing death changes one’s outlook on life. Key Takeaway Embrace life’s fragility and live fully. Themes mortality awakening existential reflection Mood thoughtful somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - health diagnosis - spiritual awakening - creative work Key Concepts impermanence human vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - What does the awareness of death inspire in you? - How does this shift affect your priorities? A Different Perspective Denial of death can hinder personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Live forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-forever/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“I'd never understood why anyone would want to live forever. It had always seemed to me that death lent life a certain poignancy, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-d-never-understood-why-anyone-would-want-to-live-forever-it-had/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“He stood there unsteady in the cold, mumbling syllables which almost resolved into her name, as though he could recall, and summon back, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/he-stood-there-unsteady-in-the-cold-mumbling-syllables-which-almost/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“The morning after my mother’s death, I was surprised to see the sunrise. From behind the curtain of my bedroom window I was surprised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-campion-conway/the-morning-after-my-mother-s-death-i-was-surprised-to-see-the/) James Campion Conway > [In the end, it wasn't death that surprised her but the stubbornness of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/in-the-end-it-wasn-t-death-that-surprised-her-but-the-stubbornness-of/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“It was a terrible thing when death first entered the world, and even now when it's the way of nature, it's terrible beyond words.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/it-was-a-terrible-thing-when-death-first-entered-the-world-and-even/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Death is forever. Death is nothing. But to save a life, that’s everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/death-is-forever-death-is-nothing-but-to-save-a-life-that-s-everything/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Life is forever. Death is only a temporary abridgment. It is just a state of transition where you will move from one world into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/life-is-forever-death-is-only-a-temporary-abridgment-it-is-just-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“The only thing in life that's forever is death. You can change your mind about everything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/the-only-thing-in-life-that-s-forever-is-death-you-can-change-your/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [Someone's death can haunt you forever,someone's death can be a relief... but the death of someone you love may be one of the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nafha/someone-s-death-can-haunt-you-forever-someone-s-death-can-be-a-relief/) [Nafha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nafha/) > [“People may have to die, but morbidity will live forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/people-may-have-to-die-but-morbidity-will-live-forever/) [Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/) > [We exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-lawson/we-exist-temporarily-through-what-we-take-but-we-live-forever-through/) Douglas A. Lawson > [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“And in your smile, I will live forever”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/and-in-your-smile-i-will-live-forever/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“Once Louis Wu had sworn to live forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-niven/once-louis-wu-had-sworn-to-live-forever/) [Larry Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-niven/) > [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) ## More by Vaddey Ratner > [“Always somewhere there was light, and, though transient, it flashed all the more brilliantly because of the surrounding dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/always-somewhere-there-was-light-and-though-transient-it-flashed-all/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“Life is like that." papa turned once again to the Mekong. "Everything is connected, and sometimes we, like little fishes, are awept up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/life-is-like-that-papa-turned-once-again-to-the-mekong-everything-is/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“The United States bombed Indochina with three times the tonnage of bombs used in all of World War II; Cambodia alone was hit with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/the-united-states-bombed-indochina-with-three-times-the-tonnage-of/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“Turn your tongue seven times before speaking. This way you'll have time to think if you ought to say the things you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/turn-your-tongue-seven-times-before-speaking-this-way-you-ll-have/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“If you pay close enough attention, Raami, you'll realize that a single leaf can contain myriad lives imitating our own, and you'll know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/if-you-pay-close-enough-attention-raami-you-ll-realize-that-a-single/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“Lightning struck, the sky roared, and the night cried a giant's tears, thunderous and inconsolable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/lightning-struck-the-sky-roared-and-the-night-cried-a-giant-s-tears/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“He often lookes like this - like he wanted to escape but knew he couldn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/he-often-lookes-like-this-like-he-wanted-to-escape-but-knew-he-couldn/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“Knowing comes from learning, finding from seeking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/knowing-comes-from-learning-finding-from-seeking/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“When you love a flower", he said, as if wishing to explain his altered experience, "and suddenly she is gone, everything vanishes with her.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/when-you-love-a-flower-he-said-as-if-wishing-to-explain-his-altered/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“She loved her daughter so much that she'd give the child whatever the girl desired. One night while they were playing in the garden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/she-loved-her-daughter-so-much-that-she-d-give-the-child-whatever-the/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“Perhaps it's natural for a father, for every parent, to see in his child all that's unspoiled and good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/perhaps-it-s-natural-for-a-father-for-every-parent-to-see-in-his/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“He supposes in this way he's learned to pray not as one might to the gods but as one does by simply pausing every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/he-supposes-in-this-way-he-s-learned-to-pray-not-as-one-might-to-the/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“Your grief will fade…It's hard to believe this now, my friend…but it will wither and, like a flower, leave behind always a seed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/your-grief-will-fade-it-s-hard-to-believe-this-now-my-friend-but-it/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“If the river brought us here," I ventured tentatively, "then when it reverses course, it'll carry us back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/if-the-river-brought-us-here-i-ventured-tentatively-then-when-it/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) > [“Absence is worse than death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/absence-is-worse-than-death/) [Vaddey Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) [Explore all 31 Vaddey Ratner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/) ## 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": "“Once I believed I would live forever. Death never entered my mind. Then one day, death surprised me!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vaddey Ratner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/once-i-believed-i-would-live-forever-death-never-entered-my-mind-then/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/once-i-believed-i-would-live-forever-death-never-entered-my-mind-then/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/vaddey-ratner-19688_death_once-i-believed-i-would-live-forever-dea_2166154.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/vaddey-ratner-19688_death_once-i-believed-i-would-live-forever-dea_2166154.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/vaddey-ratner-19688_death_once-i-believed-i-would-live-forever-dea_2166154.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Once I believed I would live forever. Death never entered my mind. Then one day, death surprised me!” — Vaddey Ratner", "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": "Vaddey Ratner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaddey-ratner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Once I believed I would live...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/once-i-believed-i-would-live-forever-death-never-entered-my-mind-then/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaddey-ratner/once-i-believed-i-would-live-forever-death-never-entered-my-mind-then/#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 } } ] } ```