"Zen teaches that once we can open up to the inevitability of our demise, we can begin to transform that situation and lighten up about it"
About this Quote
The most telling phrase is “lighten up.” It’s almost brazenly colloquial next to “demise,” and that tonal mismatch is the point. Klein isn’t advocating a somber, monastic acceptance; he’s trying to smuggle a spiritual insight into everyday temperament. If you can hold death in mind without collapsing into dread, the mind loosens. Priorities clarify. Petty grievances look smaller. Humor becomes available again, not as denial but as a sign that fear has stopped running the show.
Context matters: Klein was a businessman who popularized “laugh therapy,” and this quote reads like Zen repackaged for boardrooms and hospital waiting rooms alike. The intent isn’t doctrinal accuracy; it’s permission. Mortality becomes a motivational tool: a deadline that, once acknowledged, paradoxically gives you more room to breathe.
Quote Details
| Topic | Mortality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Klein, Allen. (2026, January 15). Zen teaches that once we can open up to the inevitability of our demise, we can begin to transform that situation and lighten up about it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/zen-teaches-that-once-we-can-open-up-to-the-144469/
Chicago Style
Klein, Allen. "Zen teaches that once we can open up to the inevitability of our demise, we can begin to transform that situation and lighten up about it." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/zen-teaches-that-once-we-can-open-up-to-the-144469/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Zen teaches that once we can open up to the inevitability of our demise, we can begin to transform that situation and lighten up about it." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/zen-teaches-that-once-we-can-open-up-to-the-144469/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.







