"Death unites as well as separates; it silences all paltry feeling"
- Honore de Balzac
About this Quote
This quote by Honore de Balzac talks to the power of death to bring individuals together. Death is a universal experience that all individuals will ultimately face, and it can bring individuals together in a manner that nothing else can. Death silences all paltry feelings, such as envy, jealousy, and hatred, and instead brings people together in a shared experience of grief and mourning. Death can likewise bring people together in a manner that is more meaningful than life, as it can bring a sense of closure and understanding to relationships that were strained or broken in life. Death can likewise bring a sense of peace and acceptance, as it can help us to come to terms with our own mortality and the inevitability of our own death. Eventually, death joins us in such a way that nothing else can, and it can help us to appreciate the preciousness of life and the value of treasuring our relationships with one another.
"One has children in the expectation of dying before them. In fact, you want to make damn sure you die before them, just as you plant a tree or build a house knowing, hoping that it will outlive you. That's how the human species has done as well as it has"
