I was taught to confront things you can't avoid. Death is one of those things. To live in a society where you're trying not to look at it is stupid because looking at death throws us back into life with more vigour and energy. The fact that flowers don't last for ever makes them beautiful.
Interpretation
Facing death can enhance our appreciation of life.
Damien Hirst suggests that acknowledging the inevitability of death can lead to a more vibrant and energetic engagement with life. By confronting what is often avoided, individuals can find beauty and meaning in the fleeting nature of existence, much like the transient beauty of flowers that bloom for a short time.
In practice
In a speech about embracing life's challenges, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of confronting mortality.
But I smiled, and smiling was easy, no matter how strange and disorienting the street seemed to be. I was a fugitive. I was a wanted man, a hunted man, with a price on my head. And I was still one step ahead of them. I was free. Every day, when you're on the run, is the whole of your life. Every free minute is a short story with a happy ending.
Abortions will not let you forget. You remember the children you got that you did not get.
The rest of my days I'm going to spend on the sea. And when I die, I'm going to die on the sea. You know what I shall die of? I shall die of eating an unwashed grape. One day out on the ocean I will die — with my hand in the hand of some nice-looking ship's doctor, a very young one with a small blond moustache and a big silver watch.
Do not let Sunday be taken from you. If your soul has no Sunday, it becomes an orphan.
I just have a great life. I know great people. I've had great relationships - all different kinds of relationships. I am so lucky to be on the little golden path that led me to all this.
Daybreak is a never-ending glory; getting out of bed is a never ending nuisance.
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