It is impossible to experience one's own death objectively and still carry a tune.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Allen points out the impossibility of objectively experiencing one's own death while still being able to perform.
- What can you take from it?
- Some experiences are beyond objective observation.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can we ever be truly objective about personal experiences?
- What does it mean to 'carry a tune' in crisis?
Another view
The statement is metaphorical and not a literal claim about death.
More from Woody Allen
Can we actually 'know' the universe? My God, it's hard enough finding your way around in Chinatown.
Permalink to quote #17 Eternal nothingness is O.K. if you're dressed for it.
Permalink to quote #19 I don't believe in an afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear.
Permalink to quote #16
Related quotes
When Marilyn Monroe got out of the game, I wrote something like, 'Southern California's special horror notwithstanding, if the world offered nothing, nowhere t…
Thomas PynchonThomas Pynchon quote #1 You have never, I think, known real Grief-panic, melancholia, madness, night-sweats, we've all known for most of our lives-you and me particularly. I'm not sur…
Diana CooperDiana Cooper quote #1 Qualis artifex pereo.
Nero (Emperor)Nero (Emperor) quote #1