“When the only thing left to do is die, then die well.” — Phil Van Treuren
Death is such an important subject in Stoic philosophy, that some have said the ultimate goal of Stoicism is to learn how to die well. We all have a limited amount of time in the world, and death is one thing that we all have in common.
The Stoics believe that death is something we should be “indifferent” to, that is neither good nor bad, and that we can ultimately use to make the days we have on earth even better. When we face the prospect of death bravely and with a clear head, we can have an easier time making the most of the years of life that are given to us.
There are more Stoic quotes about death than almost any other topic, but here are a few of our favorites. We hope they help you gain some insights into how you can prepare for the end that’s facing all of us.
Stoic Quotes on Death & Grief from Marcus Aurelius
“Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what’s left and live it properly. What doesn’t transmit light creates its own darkness.”
“You may leave this life at any moment: have this possibility in your mind in all that you do or say or think.”
“Don’t behave as if you are destined to live forever. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good. Now.”
“When the longest- and shortest-lived of us dies, their loss is precisely equal. For the sole thing of which any of us can be deprived is the present, since this is all we own, and nobody can lose what is not theirs.“
“Accept death in a cheerful spirit, as nothing but the dissolution of the elements from which each living thing is composed. If it doesn’t hurt the individual elements to change continually into one another, why are people afraid of all of them changing and separating? It’s a natural thing. And nothing natural is evil.”
“Some things are rushing into existence, others out of it. Some of what now exists is already gone. Change and flux constantly remake the world, just as the incessant progression of time remakes eternity. We find ourselves in a river. Which of the things around us should we value when none of them can offer a firm foothold?”
Stoic Quotes on Death & Grief from Epictetus
“I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it.”
“Let death and exile, and all other things which appear terrible be daily before your eyes, but chiefly death, and you will never entertain any abject thought, nor too eagerly covet anything.”
Stoic Quotes on Death & Grief from Seneca
“That man lives badly who does not know how to die well.”
“You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire.”
“Death is not an evil. What is it then? The one law mankind has that is free of all discrimination.”
“Before I became old I tried to live well; now that I am old, I shall try to die well; but dying well means dying gladly.”
“No evil is great which is the last evil of all. Death arrives; it would be a thing to dread, if it could remain with you. But death must either not come at all, or else must come and pass away.”