Death is something that has always troubled and worried man since ancient times. There are many beliefs about it, through which we have tried to give meaning to our existence and to the inevitability of death itself.

Many people consider this subject as something taboo or unpleasant to comment on, but in spite of this it is a recurrent topic for philosophy, science, religion or art. Below you can see a selection of 70 sentences about death and the afterlife .

Phrases and reflections on death and the afterlife

Death has entered the minds of most people at some point in their lives as a subject for reflection. Some have written down their thoughts on the subject, leaving us with interesting reflections.

1. “Death is something we should not fear because, while we are, death is not, and when death is, we are not.” (Antonio Machado)

This reflection makes us see that we will never really experience death. If we consider that when we die we cease to exist, we will never really be aware of what it is. That is why the author believes that we should not be afraid of the fact that we die.

2. “Often the grave unknowingly contains two hearts in the same coffin.” (Alphonse de Lamartine)

This phrase refers to the pain caused by the death of someone who loved him and is still alive, such as his partner.

3. “As a day well spent produces a sweet sleep, so a life well spent produces a sweet death. (Leonardo da Vinci)

This phrase indicates the need to live a full life, so that when the time comes we can leave this world without repentance.

4. “It is easier to bear death without thinking of it, than to bear the thought of death.” (Blaise Pascal)

The author of this sentence shows us the anxiety and worry that the idea that we are going to die can produce.

5. “The man who does not perceive the drama of his own end is not in normality but in pathology, and should lie down on the stretcher and let himself be cured. (Carl Gustav Jung)

In this phrase Jung reflects that to be anguished and to fear death is something normal and not something to be ashamed of, since it is something that we do not know. Not being able to see it and feel the loss of life as something dramatic is not usual.

6. “Death is the beginning of immortality.” (Maximilian Robespierre)

This phrase leads us to think that dying is not the end of everything, but that our history will continue to be present in the world for those who have surrounded us.

7. “I am not afraid of death, what I am afraid of is the trance, going there. I confess I’m curious to know what that is.” (Atahualpa Yupanqui)

The curiosity to know what happens after death is a constant in humanity, being the origin of multiple beliefs.

8. “Death is sweet, but its antechamber is cruel.” (Camilo José Cela)

This phrase indicates that what is cruel and what is really had is not death itself, but the suffering before it .

9. “When death comes upon man, the mortal part is extinguished; but the immortal principle is withdrawn and goes away safe and sound. (Plato)

Plato believed in the existence of the soul, considering that death was its separation from the body and that after death it returned to the world of ideas.

10. “Death is only important to the extent that it makes us reflect on the value of life. (André Malraux)

The author of this sentence makes us see that the fact that our life has an end must make us reflect on how important it is what we live.

11. “On the day of your death it will happen that what you possess in this world will pass into the hands of another person. But what you are will be yours forever.” (Henry Van Dyke)

This phrase makes us see the banality of greed. Our goods and possessions may be appreciated, but in the end they are still accessory things that we will end up losing. The really valuable thing that we get throughout life, the only thing that is really ours, is who we become and what we do with our life.

12. “Cowards die many times before their true death, the brave like death only once.” (William Shakespeare)

This phrase invites us to live our life, not to give up and to dare to act and do what we really want in spite of the possible buts.

13. “Different in life, men are equal in death.” (Lao-Tse)

Regardless of our differences in life, the fact that we are going to die is something we all share.

14. “Death is a punishment for some, a gift for others, and a favor for many.” (Seneca)

The author of the phrase reflects that there are different ways of seeing death.

15. “After all, death is only a symptom that there was life.” (Mario Benedetti)

The fact that something dies means it’s been alive before. It indicates that that something has grown, matured and experienced the world in a unique way, leaving its mark on it.

16. “Fear of death? One should fear life, not death.” (Marlene Dietrich)

Pain, suffering, despair… Everything that hurts us, hurts us and makes us suffer we experience throughout life , not with death. If this is so, why be afraid of something we don’t know or understand?

17. “The pale death calls the huts of the humble as well as the towers of kings.” (Horatio)

We are all going to die regardless of our social and economic position, this being something in which we are all equal.

18. “If you want to endure life, prepare for death.” (Sigmund Freud)

Knowing that we are going to die makes us consider whether or not to project our impulses in time, since death can occur at any moment. That is why it is important to enjoy the present and try to fulfill our objectives.

19. “If death were not the prelude to another life, the present life would be a cruel mockery.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

Mahatma Gandhi shows us through this phrase the hope of the existence of other lives, a key concept of many religious professions.

20. “Men fear death as children fear the dark, and just as this natural fear of children is increased by the stories they are told, so is the other. (Francis Bacon)

What happens after death is and always has been a mystery. The fact that we do not know it makes us afraid, a fear that is increased by the different explanations offered about it.

21. “I am not afraid of death, but I am in no hurry to die. I have a lot to do first.” (Stephen Hawking)

Most people don’t want to die, because they feel they have a lot they want and would like to do with their life.

22. “The green oak is stronger when it is old; the sun is more beautiful when it declines; and this is inferred because one loves life when one dies. (Rosalía de Castro)

Being close to the end makes us appreciate in a different way what has already happened and been left behind.

23. “For that is death: to live that moment dominated by that moment alone.” (John Benet)

The author of this sentence indicates that although in the agony we can think about the past and worry about what will happen , at the moment of death nothing else exists.

24. “It is good to live thinking that one will die; death is always good; it seems bad at times because it is bad at times that one dies. (Francisco de Quevedo)

Again, this sentence exhorts us to live our life with the awareness that one day it will end, and this is not bad since it makes us value what we live.

25. “I don’t care about death, I’ll dissolve into nothing.” (José de Saramago)

This sentence reflects the position that after death there is nothing, so it should not be a cause for concern.

26. “Not having been able to remedy death, misery and ignorance, men have imagined, in order to be happy, not to think of them at all. (Blaise Pascal)

This sentence makes us reflect on the taboo that death represents for a majority of society, which has chosen to avoid thinking about it since it is something it has not been able to solve.

27. “Death is the last, the longest and the best journey.” (Tom Wolfe)

After we die we leave so we don’t come back. The comparison of death with a journey is frequent in the different arts, as for example in poetry.

28. “The dead do not care what their funerals are like. Sumptuous funerals serve to satisfy the vanity of the living.” (Euripides)

Great farewells can be beautiful, but they are really only useful to the living.

29. “Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings where once we had only shoulders… soft as raven’s claws.” (Jim Morrison)

After a person’s death, only the positive aspects are usually remembered, sometimes exaggerating the virtues of the deceased.

30. “If we do not yet know what life is, how can the essence of death disturb us?” (Confucius)

Through this phrase Confucius raises the incoherence of the fear of death when we do not know what is beyond the end of life , which on the other hand we cannot define either.

31. “Love now while you live, for in death you cannot achieve it.” (William Shakespeare)

The well-known playwright encourages us with this phrase to dare to love intensely without holding anything back, taking advantage of the time we have.

32. “Death does not exist, people only die when they forget it; if you can remember me, I will always be with you.” (Isabel Allende)

Even if we die, a part of us will continue to live on in the memories of those who loved us and those we affect in some way throughout our lives.

33. “Death is a life lived. Life is a death that comes.” (Jose Luis Borges)

Death and life are two sides of the same coin and are intimately related. To die you have to live and living implies that in the long run you will die.

34. “How unjust, how cursed, how bastard the death that kills us but those we love.” (Carlos Fuentes)

This phrase reflects the pain of the death of loved ones for those who continue to live in their absence.

35. “Death does not rob us of our loved ones. On the contrary, it keeps them for us and immortalizes them in our memories. Life does steal them from us many times and definitely.” (François Mauriac)

When someone dies those who love him keep his memory, recording the things and moments that made him loved.

36. “The only thing that is certain is death.” (Gabriel García Márquez)

Death is something inevitable that sooner or later we will all experience . The rest of the things that can happen don’t have the same level of security.

37. “I have meditated much on death and find it the lesser of all evils.” (Francis Bacon)

Since death is both inevitable and something we are unable to understand, worrying and fearing it too much can be unadaptive and can make it difficult for us to see serious problems that we can solve.

38. “Death is nothing but a change of mission.” (Leo Tolstoy)

Tolstoy reflects in this sentence the belief that death is not the end of everything.

39. “Like a sea, around the sunny island of life, death sings its endless song night and day. (Rabindranath Tagore)

Death is as much a part of our life as it is of everyone else’s.

40. “Death is taken with courage and then invited for a drink.” (Edgar Allan Poe)

This phrase urges us to face death without fear and without seeing it as something evil, because regardless of our desires it awaits us patiently.

41. “Death to the young is shipwreck and to the old is to come to port.” (Baltasar Gracián)

The author of this sentence considered that while the death of an old man is to be expected and fortunately he has been able to live his life to the full, the death of a young man is a misfortune since he will not be able to experience great experiences that he would otherwise have had to live.

42. “It is not enough to think of death, but it must always be kept before us. Then life becomes more solemn, more important, more fruitful, and more joyful. (Stefan Zweig)

The fact that one day everything will be over makes us value more what we have and can do.

43. “Death will only be sad for those who have not thought about it.” (Fenelon)

Ignoring one’s own mortality means that when the end comes, we are not prepared and we have not made our life in anticipation of that end.

44. “As I have not worried about being born, I do not worry about dying.” (Federico García Lorca)

We cannot decide when we are going to die, so having this concern on an ongoing basis is not practical and does not allow us to enjoy the moment.

45. “The true philosopher exercises himself in dying, and death is no less fearful to anyone. (Plato)

Reflecting on death and its meaning can make us more aware of its significance, becoming less fearful.

46. “On the contrary, the world has stopped thinking about death. Believing that we will not die makes us weak, and worse.” (Arturo Perez-Reverte)

This sentence reflects the fact that society has decided to ignore and not deal with the subject of death, which leaves us with few clear references on how to cope with it in an adaptive and resilient way .

47. “Death comes only once, but it is felt at all times to say life. (Jean de la Bruyere)

The author indicates that despite being something hidden and avoided, the knowledge of it permeates to a great extent how society is configured.

48. “Life is a big surprise. I don’t see why death can’t be a bigger one.” (Vladimir Nabokov)

Human beings often fear what they are not capable of understanding. What happens when we die with all that we are? Is there something beyond? We can’t know for sure until our time comes.

49. “When a man has done what he considers his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and will therefore sleep for all eternity.” (Nelson Mandela)

While the idea of dying may be unpleasant, the idea of having done one’s duty is something that allows us to consider our life as well lived, and therefore to rest in peace.

50. “Death, with the power of a sunbeam, touches the flesh and awakens the soul.” (Robert Browning)

This sentence has a double reading. On the one hand it can be understood as a reference to the belief that after death the soul is separated from the body. On the other hand, that its knowledge makes us live more intensely.

51. “Someone spoke to me every day of my life in my ear, slowly, slowly. He said to me: Live, live, live! It was death.” (Jaime Sabines)

Again, this sentence tells us that the fact of dying makes life valuable and worth living with the utmost intensity.

52. “Death waits for none.” (Don Bosco)

Death often comes unexpectedly, leaving us no time to act or finish things.

53. “At one time, I tried to convince myself that there is no life after death, but I have found myself unable to do so. (Douglas Coupland)

The belief in life after death is shared by a large number of people throughout the world.

54. “Death is a dream without a dream” (Napoleon Bonaparte)

Death has often been identified as an eternal sleep, this phrase being a reflection of that.

55. “Die in peace, both of you, as they say those who have loved much die.” (Jaime Gil de Biedma)

As with the feeling of having done one’s duty, having lived love intensely is another feeling that tends to relate to a peaceful death.

56. “It is precisely the idea of death that should make us aware of the importance of every minute. (Bertrand Regader)

The Spanish psychologist talks like this about the joy of living.

57. “Death is someone who withdraws from himself and returns to us. There is no more dead than those carried by the living.” (Pio Baroja)

The idea of death is only understood from the world of the living.

58. “Remembering that one is going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking that there is something to lose. One is already helpless. There’s no reason not to follow the advice of the heart.” (Steve Jobs)

A great reflection from the founder of Apple.

59. “Death is not distributed as if it were a commodity. No one is looking for sadness.” (Juan Rulfo)

Mexican novelist Juan Rulfo spoke thus about the sadness associated with any human loss.

60. “How many more deaths will it take to realize that there have already been too many.” (Bob Dylan)

A phrase for peace from the great American composer.

61. “Death is the lack of instruments of the soul by which life is prolonged. (Juan Luis Vives)

When life no longer flourishes, death comes.

62. “The death of any man diminishes me, for I am part of mankind; therefore never send anyone to ask for whom the bell tolls: it tolls for thee. (John Donne)

Even if death is alien, something makes us shudder.

63. “Death is the remedy for all ills; but we must not lay hold of it until the last hour. (Molière)

A solution for when there is really nothing left to do.

64. “When you are aware of death, you end up assuming your own solitude.” (Rosa Regàs)

The Spanish journalist and writer spoke with a certain amount of regret about loneliness.

65. “Every moment of life is a step towards death.” (Pierre Corneille)

A pessimistic (or crudely realistic) view of existence

66. “Why not go out of this life as a weary guest goes out of a banquet?” (Lucretius)

Going out in a big way.

67. “When you feel the nearness of death, you turn your eyes inward and find nothing but banality, because the living, compared to the dead, are unbearably banal. (Miguel Delibes)

The Spanish poet thus presented death as the beginning of solemnity.

68. “A beautiful death honors all life.” (Francesco Petrarca)

He who leaves in peace, leaves a good memory.

69. “The indifference of the Mexican in the face of death is nourished by his indifference to life. (Octavio Paz)

Great reflection on the culture of death in Mexico.

70. “Uncertain is the place where death awaits you; wait for it everywhere. (Seneca)

He’s everywhere, waiting in silence.