A short lit wax candle with a small pool of wax on cool grey concrete, casting a sharp shadow to one side.

Original artwork, not a still

Samuel Johnson

It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives. The act of dying is not of importance, it lasts so short a time.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker says quality of life matters far more than manner of death, since dying is over quickly. Attention belongs on how one lives across the long stretch beforehand. The moment of death is brief and unimportant beside the choices that fill a life.

Context reviewed

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