“Firemen are going to get killed. When they join the department they face that fact. When a man becomes a fireman his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What he does after that is all in the line of work. They were not thinking of getting killed when they went where death lurked. They went there to put the fire out, and got killed. Firefighters do not regard themselves as heroes because they do what the business requires.”

“Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.”

“If people thought you were dying, they gave you their full attention.”

“Only in death will we have our own names since only in death are we no longer part of the effort. In death we become heroes.”

“Some die too young, some die too old; the precept sounds strange, but die at the right age”

“Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not”

“After your death you will be what you were before your birth.”

“We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it.”

“On a large enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.”

“The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.”

“I’ve met God across his long walnut desk with his diplomas hanging on the wall behind him, and God asks me, “Why?” Why did I cause so much pain? Didn’t I realize that each of us is a sacred, unique snowflake of special unique specialness? Can’t I see how we’re all manifestations of love? I look at God behind his desk, taking notes on a pad, but God’s got this all wrong. We are not special. We are not crap or trash, either. We just are. We just are, and what happens just happens. And God says, “No, that’s not right.” Yeah. Well. Whatever. You can’t teach God anything.”

“You have a choice. Live or die. Every breath is a choice. Every minute is a choice. To be or not to be.”

“Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.”

“A person starts dying when they stop dreaming.”

“Now, now my good man, this is no time for making enemies.”