---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Death was defiance. Death was an attempt…"
description: "\"“Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate; people feeling the impossibility of reaching the center which, mystically, evaded them; close..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/virginia-woolf-49_death_death-was-defiance-death-was-an-attempt_584805.jpg"
---

#  Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate…

![“Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate; people feeling the impossibility of reaching the center which, mystically, evaded them; closeness drew apart; rapture faded, one was alone. There was an embrace in death.” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/virginia-woolf-49_death_death-was-defiance-death-was-an-attempt_584805.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/virginia-woolf-49_death_death-was-defiance-death-was-an-attempt_584805.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/virginia-woolf-49_death_death-was-defiance-death-was-an-attempt_584805.jpg)

> ““Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate; people feeling the impossibility of reaching the center which, mystically, evaded them; closeness drew apart; rapture faded, one was alone. There was an embrace in death.””

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote portrays death as a profound, paradoxical act of defiance and communication, highlighting isolation and the elusive search for unity.

**In simple terms:** Death is both a rebellion and a lonely attempt to connect.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the depth of solitude in loss.

Themes

death defiance communication isolation loneliness

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- grieving
- artistic creation
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology literary modernism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does confronting death change your view of life?
- Can isolation be transformed into connection?

A Different Perspective

Death may be romanticized, overlooking its pain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Defiance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-defiance-4799504/) [Defiance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defiance/) [Defiance Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defiance-death-3069434/) [Embrace Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embrace-death-580182/)

## Related quotes

> [A thing there was that mattered; a thing, wreathed about with chatter, defaced, obscured in her own life, let drop every day in corruption,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-thing-there-was-that-mattered-a-thing-wreathed-about-with-chatter/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“There was an embrace in death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/there-was-an-embrace-in-death/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“No man can survive the path of knowledge if he is not prepared to embrace death. Death is a warrior’s best advisor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-un-mares/no-man-can-survive-the-path-of-knowledge-if-he-is-not-prepared-to/)

[Théun Mares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-un-mares/)

> [“To the degree that we deny the gift of life, we embrace death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-maltz/to-the-degree-that-we-deny-the-gift-of-life-we-embrace-death/)

[Maxwell Maltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-maltz/)

> [If you embrace all things in this life as coming from the hands of God, and even embrace death to fulfill His holy will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonsus-liguori/if-you-embrace-all-things-in-this-life-as-coming-from-the-hands-of/)

[Alphonsus Liguori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonsus-liguori/)

> [Embrace your death. . . . Cherish your awareness of death as a gift from the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/embrace-your-death-cherish-your-awareness-of-death-as-a-gift-from-the/)

[Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/)

> [Our greatest prejudice is against death. It spans age, gender and race. We spend immeasurable amounts of energy fighting an event that will eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-webster/our-greatest-prejudice-is-against-death-it-spans-age-gender-and-race/)

[Andy Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-webster/)

> [Death is a natural part of life. If you fear death then you will die young but if you embrace death and except the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/death-is-a-natural-part-of-life-if-you-fear-death-then-you-will-die/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [“Bodies lay strewn all around. Turkish and Wallachian warriors caught up in the intimate indiscriminate embrace of death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-k-p-o-neill/bodies-lay-strewn-all-around-turkish-and-wallachian-warriors-caught/)

[Shane K.P. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-k-p-o-neill/)

> [“That I should just dive in and let my world fall apart and rebuild itself. That if I can embrace change, I can embrace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-morrison/that-i-should-just-dive-in-and-let-my-world-fall-apart-and-rebuild/)

[Suzanne Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-morrison/)

> [To be a druid is to embrace death, dance with it a while, and finally fall prey to it. That is why we'll never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/to-be-a-druid-is-to-embrace-death-dance-with-it-a-while-and-finally/)

[Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/)

> [There is all the difference in the world between the criminal's avoiding the public eye and the civil disobedience's taking the law into his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/there-is-all-the-difference-in-the-world-between-the-criminal-s/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [If you tell me, I will leave you alone," I said. "And if you don't tell me, I am going to grab the nearest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/if-you-tell-me-i-will-leave-you-alone-i-said-and-if-you-don-t-tell-me/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [“Defiance, Catherine, is a gift of God, who is superior to nature. When nature comes to get you, honor God by treating it, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/defiance-catherine-is-a-gift-of-god-who-is-superior-to-nature-when/)

[Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/)

## More by Virginia Woolf

> [Fatigue is the safest sleeping draught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/fatigue-is-the-safest-sleeping-draught/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“The train slows and lengthens, as we approach London, the centre, and my heart draws out too, in fear, in exaltation. I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-train-slows-and-lengthens-as-we-approach-london-the-centre-and-my/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Across the broad continent of a woman's life falls the shadow of a sword. On one side all is correct, definite, orderly; the paths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/across-the-broad-continent-of-a-woman-s-life-falls-the-shadow-of-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Other worshipful objects were content with worship; men, women, God, all let one kneel prostrate; but this form, were it only the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/other-worshipful-objects-were-content-with-worship-men-women-god-all/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Why does Samuel Butler say, 'Wise men never say what they think of women'? Wise men never say anything else apparently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/why-does-samuel-butler-say-wise-men-never-say-what-they-think-of/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Sometimes he woke with a brain like lead; at others it was as if a thousand wax tapers were alight and people were throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/sometimes-he-woke-with-a-brain-like-lead-at-others-it-was-as-if-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [A veil of insanity everywhere: Oh why I was born in this age? It is a terrible age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-veil-of-insanity-everywhere-oh-why-i-was-born-in-this-age-it-is-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Love ought to stop on both sides, don’t you think, simultaneously?’ He spoke without any stress on the words, so as not to wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/love-ought-to-stop-on-both-sides-don-t-you-think-simultaneously-he/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“It is so vast an alleviation to be able to point for another to look at. And then not to talk. To follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/it-is-so-vast-an-alleviation-to-be-able-to-point-for-another-to-look/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“What a vast fertility of pleasure books hold for me! (...) I think I could happily live here &amp; read forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-vast-fertility-of-pleasure-books-hold-for-me-i-think-i-could/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“what a luxury to be alone once more,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-luxury-to-be-alone-once-more/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“...a woman writing thinks back through her mothers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-woman-writing-thinks-back-through-her-mothers/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“For one's children so often gave one's own perceptions a little thrust forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-one-s-children-so-often-gave-one-s-own-perceptions-a-little/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-in-the-world-now-that-they-were-this-or/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

[Explore all 1,872 Virginia Woolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate; people feeling the impossibility of reaching the center which, mystically, evaded them; closeness drew apart; rapture faded, one was alone. There was an embrace in death.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Virginia Woolf"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/death-was-defiance-death-was-an-attempt-to-communicate-people-feeling/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/death-was-defiance-death-was-an-attempt-to-communicate-people-feeling/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/virginia-woolf-49_death_death-was-defiance-death-was-an-attempt_584805.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/virginia-woolf-49_death_death-was-defiance-death-was-an-attempt_584805.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/virginia-woolf-49_death_death-was-defiance-death-was-an-attempt_584805.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate; people feeling the impossibility of reaching the…” — Virginia Woolf",
                "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": "Virginia Woolf",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Death was defiance. Death was an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/death-was-defiance-death-was-an-attempt-to-communicate-people-feeling/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/death-was-defiance-death-was-an-attempt-to-communicate-people-feeling/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
