What then remains but that we still should cry Not to be born, or, being born, to die?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Life is so full of suffering that non-existence or early death seems preferable.
- In plain terms
- Existence brings pain that makes death seem better.
- What can you take from it?
- Life's suffering can feel overwhelming.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes life worth living?
- How do you cope with suffering?
Another view
Many find purpose and joy in life despite inevitable suffering.
More from Francis Bacon
Who then to frail mortality shall trust But limns the water, or but writes in dust.
Permalink to quote #145 Books must follow sciences, and not sciences books.
Permalink to quote #147 The world's a bubble, and the life of man Less than a span.
Permalink to quote #144
Related quotes
One of the first signs of the beginnings of understanding is the wish to die. This life appears unbearable, another unattainable. One is no longer ashamed of w…
Franz KafkaFranz Kafka quote #12 I am. I was. I am not. I never am.
Jack LondonJack London quote #2 We never stop reading, although every book comes to an end, just as we never stop living, although death is certain.
Roberto BolanoRoberto Bolano quote #2