--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why was everyone dying? They had all been…" description: "\"Why was everyone dying? They had all been so alive just yesterday.\" — Yoko Ogawa" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/yoko-ogawa-15791_alive_why-was-everyone-dying-they-had-all-been_2495079.png" --- # Why was everyone dying? They had all been so alive just… ![“Why was everyone dying? They had all been so alive just yesterday.” quote by Yoko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/yoko-ogawa-15791_alive_why-was-everyone-dying-they-had-all-been_2495079.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/yoko-ogawa-15791_alive_why-was-everyone-dying-they-had-all-been_2495079.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/yoko-ogawa-15791_alive_why-was-everyone-dying-they-had-all-been_2495079.png) > “Why was everyone dying? They had all been so alive just yesterday.” [Yoko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sudden death of the previously healthy highlights life's fragility and unpredictability. **In simple terms:** People can die unexpectedly, even when healthy. Key Takeaway Appreciate life's uncertainty. Themes mortality fragility unexpected loss Mood somber thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - health crises - natural disasters - personal loss Key Concepts existential risk health psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does this reveal about our assumptions of safety? - How can we prepare for sudden change? A Different Perspective It may overlook resilience or coping mechanisms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday/) ## Related quotes > [“Always the same faces, the same surroundings, the same conversations, the same problems. The more it changes, the more it repeats itself. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/always-the-same-faces-the-same-surroundings-the-same-conversations/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Racism is still alive they just be concealing it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/racism-is-still-alive-they-just-be-concealing-it/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [My heart beats not because I'm alive just because your alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/afra/my-heart-beats-not-because-i-m-alive-just-because-your-alive/) Afra > [It can't be dead. It was alive just a minute ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-creech/it-can-t-be-dead-it-was-alive-just-a-minute-ago/) [Sharon Creech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-creech/) > [Writing of every kind is a way to wake oneself up and keep as alive as when one has just fallen in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/writing-of-every-kind-is-a-way-to-wake-oneself-up-and-keep-as-alive/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [“She's alive, but only just.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/she-s-alive-but-only-just/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [The American Dream is still alive and well… it’s just no longer in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-black/the-american-dream-is-still-alive-and-well-it-s-just-no-longer-in-the/) Simon Black > [Other people keep our souls alive, just like food and water does with our body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/other-people-keep-our-souls-alive-just-like-food-and-water-does-with/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“Tom,"said Eric," just yesterday, you were a complete stranger to us! Now, you are part of our lives!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdelouahab-hammoudi/tom-said-eric-just-yesterday-you-were-a-complete-stranger-to-us-now/) Abdelouahab Hammoudi > [I lay back and tried not to think of the minutes passing. Just yesterday we had a wealth of them. Now each was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-lay-back-and-tried-not-to-think-of-the-minutes-passing-just/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [As long as I was alive, I was something. That was just how it was. But somewhere along the way it all changed. Living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/as-long-as-i-was-alive-i-was-something-that-was-just-how-it-was-but/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Today is not bad just because yesterday seemed better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcbride/today-is-not-bad-just-because-yesterday-seemed-better/) [Pat McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-mcbride/) > [Seems like just yesterday, you were apart of me, I used to stand so tall, I used to be so strong, your arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella/seems-like-just-yesterday-you-were-apart-of-me-i-used-to-stand-so/) [Isabella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella/) > [Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut, that held its ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/today-s-mighty-oak-is-just-yesterday-s-nut-that-held-its-ground/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [And she was terribly aware that she was alive. Not just living and breathing, but ...alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/and-she-was-terribly-aware-that-she-was-alive-not-just-living-and/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) ## More by Yoko Ogawa > [“I couldn't reach him from here even if I tried.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/i-couldn-t-reach-him-from-here-even-if-i-tried/) [Yōko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“A problem isn't finished just because you've found the right answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/a-problem-isn-t-finished-just-because-you-ve-found-the-right-answer/) [Yoko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“Are all things quantifiable, and all numbers fraught with poetic possibility?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/are-all-things-quantifiable-and-all-numbers-fraught-with-poetic/) [Yōko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“Solving a problem for which you know there's an answer is like climbing a mountain with a guide, along a trail someone else has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/solving-a-problem-for-which-you-know-there-s-an-answer-is-like/) [Yoko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“When we grow up, we find ways to hide our anxieties, our loneliness, our fear and sorrow. But children hide nothing, putting everything into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/when-we-grow-up-we-find-ways-to-hide-our-anxieties-our-loneliness-our/) [Yoko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“He preferred smart questions to smart answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/he-preferred-smart-questions-to-smart-answers/) [Yoko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“Since that time, I've had many similar moments, and I can never hear the words "family" and "home" without feeling that they sound strange,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/since-that-time-i-ve-had-many-similar-moments-and-i-can-never-hear/) [Yōko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“He seemed convinced that children's questions were much more important than those of an adult. He preferred smart questions to smart answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/he-seemed-convinced-that-children-s-questions-were-much-more/) [Yoko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“The room was filled with a kind of stillness. Not simply an absence of noise, but an accumulation of layers of silence...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/the-room-was-filled-with-a-kind-of-stillness-not-simply-an-absence-of/) [Yôko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [The truly correct proof is one that strikes a harmonious balance between strength and flexibility. There are plenty of proofs that are technically correct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/the-truly-correct-proof-is-one-that-strikes-a-harmonious-balance/) [Yoko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“The ancient Greeks thought there was no need to count something that was nothing. And since it was nothing, they held that it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/the-ancient-greeks-thought-there-was-no-need-to-count-something-that/) [Yōko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“Sometimes I wish I could describe how wonderful I feel in those few seconds from the time he spreads his arms above his head,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/sometimes-i-wish-i-could-describe-how-wonderful-i-feel-in-those-few/) [Yōko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“He treated Root exactly as he treated prime numbers. For him, primes were the base on which all other natural numbers relied; and children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/he-treated-root-exactly-as-he-treated-prime-numbers-for-him-primes/) [Yoko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“Your body falling through space touches the deepest part of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/your-body-falling-through-space-touches-the-deepest-part-of-me/) [Yōko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“And it helped that he forgot what he’d taught me before, so I was free to repeat the same question until I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/and-it-helped-that-he-forgot-what-he-d-taught-me-before-so-i-was-free/) [Yōko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) [Explore all 39 Yoko Ogawa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why was everyone dying? 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