Quotation by

Thomas Browne

Life itself is but the shadow of death, and souls departed but the shadows of the living.

Death

Understanding this quote AI Analysis

Thomas Browne suggests that life is only a faint, less real version of death, implying that death is the true, more substantial state. He also implies that those who have died exist only as faint impressions or reflections of the living people they once were.

More by this author

All quotes by Thomas Browne →

More quotes about Death

See all →

When we are dealing with death we are constantly being dragged down by the event: Humor diverts our attention and lifts our sagging spirits.

I start thinking about life after death. I've got to quit thinking about it because it's very deep. Very deep. Sometimes you start thinking about it, and you don't feel like you want to be alive, so …

What we think of as our sensitivity is only the higher evolution of terror in a poor dumb beast. We suffer for nothing. Our own death wish is our only real tragedy.

So here is one of my theories on happiness: we cannot know if we have lived a truly happy life until the very end. This view of life and death was reinforced by my close witnessing of the buildup to …

I'm not on the run from anything and I'm not at all clear about what I'm running towards. But as some great writer put it, I want to be certain that when I arrive at death, I'm totally exhausted.

Planning to play: that's what saving for retirement is today - and it is antithetical to the nature of play, fully within the definition of work, and blissfully ignorant of the reality of death.