Front door Quote by Walker Percy
““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 a person who clings to past and future anxieties with one who, having faced death, embraces life freely, finding purpose in ordinary work.
In simple terms: Facing death can free us to value life and routine.
Key Takeaway
Embrace life’s ordinary moments.
Themes
anxiety
existence
freedom
Mood
reflective
hopeful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- daily work
- mental health
- personal growth
- overcoming fear
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does awareness of death change daily choices?
- What routine gives you meaning?
A Different Perspective
Even after confronting mortality, routine can feel burdensome.
![“[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)
