--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We should be considerate to the living…" description: "\"We should be considerate to the living; to the dead we owe only the truth.\" — Voltaire" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/voltaire-173_considerate_we-should-be-considerate-to-the-living-t_888484.png" --- # We should be considerate to the living; to the dead we owe… ![“We should be considerate to the living; to the dead we owe only the truth.” quote by Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/voltaire-173_considerate_we-should-be-considerate-to-the-living-t_888484.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/voltaire-173_considerate_we-should-be-considerate-to-the-living-t_888484.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/voltaire-173_considerate_we-should-be-considerate-to-the-living-t_888484.png) > “We should be considerate to the living; to the dead we owe only the truth.” [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We must treat the living with kindness, while the dead deserve only honesty about them. **In simple terms:** Be kind to the living; be truthful about the dead. Key Takeaway Show compassion now; speak truthfully about the past. Themes compassion honesty ethics Mood reflective serious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - family gatherings - historical research - memorial services - conflict resolution Key Concepts human dignity mortality integrity Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor the dead while supporting the living? - When is truth more important than comfort? A Different Perspective Truth may hurt; balance sensitivity with honesty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criminal mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-mind/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) ## Related quotes > [To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/to-the-living-we-owe-respect-but-to-the-dead-we-owe-only-the-truth/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I owe you the truth in painting, and I will tell it to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/i-owe-you-the-truth-in-painting-and-i-will-tell-it-to-you/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [I wish I could say I didn't owe anything to anyone. But the truth is, I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-o-neill/i-wish-i-could-say-i-didn-t-owe-anything-to-anyone-but-the-truth-is-i/) [Jack O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-o-neill/) > [With Twitter, you just want to make people laugh in their meeting; on stage, people have paid for their tickets with their hard-earned money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-delaney/with-twitter-you-just-want-to-make-people-laugh-in-their-meeting-on/) [Rob Delaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-delaney/) > [The man visited by ecstasies and visions, who takes dreams for realities is an enthusiast; the man who supports his madness with murder is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-man-visited-by-ecstasies-and-visions-who-takes-dreams-for/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [There are some that only employ words for the purpose of disguising their thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/there-are-some-that-only-employ-words-for-the-purpose-of-disguising/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Though nothing can bring back the hour Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/though-nothing-can-bring-back-the-hour-of-splendour-in-the-grass-of/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [Life is a game, play it... Life is too precious, do not destroy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/life-is-a-game-play-it-life-is-too-precious-do-not-destroy-it/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [If there were no hell, we would be like the animals. No hell, no dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/if-there-were-no-hell-we-would-be-like-the-animals-no-hell-no-dignity/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/whoso-sheddeth-man-s-blood-by-man-shall-his-blood-be-shed/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/give-him-a-mask-and-he-will-tell-you-the-truth/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Having a sous-chef with excellent cooking skills and a criminal mind is one of God's great gifts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/having-a-sous-chef-with-excellent-cooking-skills-and-a-criminal-mind/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [I like everybody at 'Criminal Minds.' I would like to guest star, but I don't know if that is in the cards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paget-brewster/i-like-everybody-at-criminal-minds-i-would-like-to-guest-star-but-i/) [Paget Brewster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paget-brewster/) > [Man, when he does not grieve, hardly exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/man-when-he-does-not-grieve-hardly-exists/) [Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/) > [Adversity is like a strong wind. I don't mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/adversity-is-like-a-strong-wind-i-don-t-mean-just-that-it-holds-us/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) ## More by Voltaire > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Fanaticism, to which men are so much inclined, has always served not only to render them more brutalized but more wicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/fanaticism-to-which-men-are-so-much-inclined-has-always-served-not/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we do the best we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-re-neither-pure-nor-wise-nor-good-we-do-the-best-we-know/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-with-books-as-with-men-a-very-small-number-play-a-great-part/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/meslier-was-the-most-singular-phenomenon-ever-seen-among-all-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/being-unable-to-make-people-more-reasonable-i-preferred-to-be-happy/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/when-his-highness-sends-a-ship-to-egypt-does-he-trouble-his-head/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/god-gave-us-the-gift-of-life-it-is-up-to-us-to-give-ourselves-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-not-inequality-which-is-the-real-misfortune-it-is-dependence/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Providence has given us hope and sleep as a compensation for the many cares of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/providence-has-given-us-hope-and-sleep-as-a-compensation-for-the-many/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Men use thought only to justify their wrong doings, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/men-use-thought-only-to-justify-their-wrong-doings-and-employ-speech/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/work-spares-us-from-three-evils-boredom-vice-and-need/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) [Explore all 934 Voltaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## More Considerate quotes > [I also use that centering process I mentioned as a way to focus my mind and connect it to my physical body. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-schull/i-also-use-that-centering-process-i-mentioned-as-a-way-to-focus-my/) [Amanda Schull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-schull/) > [And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salmon-p-chase/and-upon-this-act-sincerely-believed-to-be-an-act-of-justice/) [Salmon P. Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salmon-p-chase/) > [“I believe in aristocracy, though -- if that is the right word, and if a democrat may use it. Not an aristocracy of power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/i-believe-in-aristocracy-though-if-that-is-the-right-word-and-if-a/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [George Harrison is one of the sweetest, kindest and most considerate men I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-aronowitz/george-harrison-is-one-of-the-sweetest-kindest-and-most-considerate/) Al Aronowitz > [“However much you may fall in love, do not waste that love on a woman who is not considerate in return.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-rutherfurd/however-much-you-may-fall-in-love-do-not-waste-that-love-on-a-woman/) [Edward Rutherfurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-rutherfurd/) > [“During a conversation, it is better to have an understanding without words, than words without understanding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/during-a-conversation-it-is-better-to-have-an-understanding-without/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When you are in Joy, you are compassionate. When you are in Joy, you are considerate and caring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/when-you-are-in-joy-you-are-compassionate-when-you-are-in-joy-you-are/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [If you can be kind and considerate for one day, then you can be for another. It won't cost you a penny in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-can-be-kind-and-considerate-for-one-day-then-you-can-be-for/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [We must remember to teach our children that even if others fail to be kind and considerate, we ought to be slow to condemn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-m-burton/we-must-remember-to-teach-our-children-that-even-if-others-fail-to-be/) [Theodore M. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-m-burton/) > [I distrust Great Men... I believe in aristocracy, though... Its members are to be found in all nations and classes, and all through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/i-distrust-great-men-i-believe-in-aristocracy-though-its-members-are/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [I was on a game show and now I'm the game show girl who got a movie. That's how I consider myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-haskell/i-was-on-a-game-show-and-now-i-m-the-game-show-girl-who-got-a-movie/) [Colleen Haskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-haskell/) > [I don't shove my religion down your throat so please be considerate & show me the same respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-shove-my-religion-down-your-throat-so-please-be-considerate/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men in their teenage years and even into their mid to late 20s, they're just baboons. They're really not capable of taking account of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-catherwood/men-in-their-teenage-years-and-even-into-their-mid-to-late-20s-they/) Michael Catherwood > [We can only save ourselves through elevating our individual consciousness, by realizing there is already completeness within, and exercising as much considerate independence, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-can-only-save-ourselves-through-elevating-our-individual/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jeff is the annoying kind of Scrabble player who plays a lot of obscure two-letter words that shouldn't count but for whatever reason are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-madison/jeff-is-the-annoying-kind-of-scrabble-player-who-plays-a-lot-of/) [Bennett Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-madison/) Browse all 181 Considerate quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We should be considerate to the living; to the dead we owe only the truth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Voltaire" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-should-be-considerate-to-the-living-to-the-dead-we-owe-only-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Considerate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-should-be-considerate-to-the-living-to-the-dead-we-owe-only-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/voltaire-173_considerate_we-should-be-considerate-to-the-living-t_888484.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/voltaire-173_considerate_we-should-be-considerate-to-the-living-t_888484.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/voltaire-173_considerate_we-should-be-considerate-to-the-living-t_888484.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We should be considerate to the living; to the dead we owe only the truth.” — Voltaire", "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": "Voltaire", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We should be considerate to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-should-be-considerate-to-the-living-to-the-dead-we-owe-only-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-should-be-considerate-to-the-living-to-the-dead-we-owe-only-the/#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 } } ] } ```