Death is staring too long into the burning sun and the relief of entering a cool, dark room.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
It is not the end of the physical body that should worry us. Rather, our concern must be to live while we're alive - to release our inner selves from the spiritual death that comes with living behind a facade designed to conform to external definitions of who and what we are.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We should focus on truly living and expressing our authentic selves, rather than conforming to societal expectations.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross emphasizes the importance of authentic living over merely existing or conforming to external standards. She suggests that the true concern in life should be about embracing our genuine selves and fostering spiritual vitality, rather than succumbing to the pressures of societal norms that lead to a superficial existence.
Themes
AuthenticityLivingSelfSpiritualityFacade
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about self-acceptance.
More from Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
All quotes →The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not "get over" the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
The simple life on the farm was everything to me. Nothing was more relaxing after a long plane flight than to reach the winding driveway that led up to my house. The quiet of the night was more soothing than a sleeping pill.
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The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
There is no joy without hardship. If not for death, would we appreciate life? If not for hate, would we know the ultimate goal is love? At these moments you can either hold on to negativity and look for blame, or you can choose to heal and keep on loving.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
We're put here on Earth to learn our own lessons. No one can tell you what your lessons are; it is part of your personal journey to discover them. On these journeys we may be given a lot, or just a little bit, of the things we must grapple with, but never more than we can handle.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
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