Death is staring too long into the burning sun and the relief of entering a cool, dark room.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
Lots of my dying patients say they grow in bounds and leaps, and finish all the unfinished business. But assisting a suicide is cheating them of these lessons, like taking a student out of school before final exams. That's not love, it's projecting your own unfinished business
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of letting individuals experience their own journey, even in dying, rather than imposing our desires or fears on them.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross suggests that facing death can lead to personal growth and closure, and that intervening in a patient's choice to end their life prematurely denies them valuable life lessons. By comparing assisted suicide to removing a student from school before finals, she argues that such actions often reflect our own unresolved issues rather than genuine concern for the patient’s well-being.
Themes
DeathGrowthLife LessonsAssisted SuicideLoveUnfinished Business
In practice
Example use cases
During a funeral speech, one might use this quote to emphasize the growth that can come from facing life's challenges.
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.
Elisabeth Kubler-RossRead
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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