--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I still smart a little at the slight…" description: "\"“I still smart a little at the slight. When you've suffered a great deal in life, each additional pain is both unbearable and trifling. My life is like..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/yann-martel-395_art_i-still-smart-a-little-at-the-slight-whe_2139673.jpg" --- # I still smart a little at the slight. When you've suffered… ![“I still smart a little at the slight. When you've suffered a great deal in life, each additional pain is both unbearable and trifling. My life is like a memento mori painting from European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of the folly of human ambition. I mock this…” quote by Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/yann-martel-395_art_i-still-smart-a-little-at-the-slight-whe_2139673.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/yann-martel-395_art_i-still-smart-a-little-at-the-slight-whe_2139673.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/yann-martel-395_art_i-still-smart-a-little-at-the-slight-whe_2139673.jpg) > ““I still smart a little at the slight. When you've suffered a great deal in life, each additional pain is both unbearable and trifling. My life is like a memento mori painting from European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of the folly of human ambition. I mock this skull. I look at it and I say, "You've got the wrong fellow. You may not believe in life, but I don't believe in death. Move on!" The skull snickers and moves ever closer, but that doesn't surprise me. The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity -- it's envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can.”” [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s beauty makes death jealous, so death clings to us, but we can mock its grip and keep moving forward. **In simple terms:** Death envies life’s beauty and clings to us. Key Takeaway Mock death, keep moving forward. Themes mortality philosophy resilience humor Mood reflective darkly humorous Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grieving loss - facing illness - creative expression - philosophical reflection Key Concepts existentialism nihilism human ambition Questions to Reflect On - How do you confront the fear of death? - What role does humor play in coping with mortality? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex emotional responses to mortality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is so beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-so-beautiful/) [Memento mori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memento-mori/) [Possessive love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possessive-love/) ## Related quotes > [“My life is like a memento more painting from European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/my-life-is-like-a-memento-more-painting-from-european-art-there-is/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“My life is like a memento mori painting from European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martell/my-life-is-like-a-memento-mori-painting-from-european-art-there-is/) Yann Martell > [“You may not believe in life, but I don't believe in death. ... 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When you've suffered a great deal in life, each additional pain is both unbearable and trifling. My life is like a memento mori painting from European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of the folly of human ambition. I mock this skull. I look at it and I say, \"You've got the wrong fellow. You may not believe in life, but I don't believe in death. Move on!\" The skull snickers and moves ever closer, but that doesn't surprise me. The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity -- it's envy. 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