Alive Quote by Walker Percy
“The difference between a non-suicide and an ex-suicide leaving the house for work, at eight o'clock on an ordinary morning: The non-suicide is a little traveling suck of care, sucking care with him from the past and being sucked toward care in the future. His breath is high in his chest. The ex-suicide opens his front door, sits down on the steps, and laughs. Since he has the option of being dead, he has nothing to lose by being alive. It is good to be alive. He goes to work because he doesn't have to.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Moviegoer by Walker Percy, 1961
The quote contrasts ordinary life with a person who has faced death, suggesting that having the option of death frees one to live more fully and without fear.
In simple terms: Facing death can make life feel freer and more valuable.
Key Takeaway
Embrace life without fear of loss.
Themes
existence
freedom
perspective
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
serene
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- work
- daily routine
- mental health
- personal growth
Key Concepts
nihilism
existentialism
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- What does having nothing to lose change your choices?
- How can you find freedom without confronting death?
A Different Perspective
It may romanticize suffering and ignore practical responsibilities.
![“[In art] you are telling the reader or the listener or the viewer something he already knows but which he doesn't quite know that he knows, so that in the action of communication he experiences a recognition, a feeling that he has been there before, a shock of recognition.” quote by Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3f1/walker-percy-1958_action_in-art-you-are-telling-the-reader-or-the_116938.jpg)
