"Mors vincit omnia."Translation
— Latin proverb
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Anime and Manga
"All humans will, without exception, eventually die."
"Growing old and dying is the beauty of the fleeting creature called a human being."
— Kyojuro Rengoku, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Gather up all of the crew; it's time to ship out Bink's brew;
Sing a song and play along, for all the oceans wide!
After all is said and done, you'll end up a skeleton.
So spread your tale from dawn till dusk upon these foamy seas.
Sing a song and play along, for all the oceans wide!
After all is said and done, you'll end up a skeleton.
So spread your tale from dawn till dusk upon these foamy seas.
— Bink's Sake
closing verse, One Piece
closing verse, One Piece Audio Play
"O remember, my lord, that nothing endures! Even the greatest power is transient as water! Make of it the most: it trickles through the tightest fist like dust. Even the death of an Exalted President of the Supreme Council can be revoked but twelve times! Look: here it sits, waiting, here in my pockets! No escape, do you see? The worms always feed in the end..."
Fan Works
"One day... we will die. One day. But only if we let it catch up with us. I'll show you how to be quick and clever and strong, when to run and when to fight. And a day will come when you'll be bigger than me, and then death won't be nearly so scary."
— Monster X to Manda, Abraxas (Hrodvitnon)
Yukari: Am I gonna die?
Yukari's Subconscious: Yep.
Yukari: Right now?
Yukari's Subconscious: Probably not.
Yukari: Hm...
Yukari's Subconscious: Yep.
Yukari: Right now?
Yukari's Subconscious: Probably not.
Yukari: Hm...
— Control
Film — Animated
Die, die, we all pass away
But don't wear a frown, 'cause it's really okay
You might try and hide, and you might try and pray
But we all end up the remains of the day
But don't wear a frown, 'cause it's really okay
You might try and hide, and you might try and pray
But we all end up the remains of the day
— "Remains Of the Day", Corpse Bride
"Everyone thinks they'll be the one to defeat me. But no one's escaped me yet."
— Death, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Film — Live-Action
Costello: How's your mother?
Bar Patron: She's on her way out.
Costello: We all are. Act accordingly.
Bar Patron: She's on her way out.
Costello: We all are. Act accordingly.
"On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero."
— The Narrator, Fight Club
Sgt O'Neill: Bob, I got a bad feeling on this one, all right? I mean, I got a bad feeling. I don't think I'm gonna make it out of here. You understand what I'm sayin' to you?
Sgt Barnes: Everybody gotta die sometime, Red.
Sgt Barnes: Everybody gotta die sometime, Red.
— Platoon
"Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not."
—Yoda, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Literature
"Why didn't you stop me?" Lirael asked, made cross by the scare she'd had. Another few seconds and she would have been unable to return, she knew. She would have gone beyond the Ninth Gate forever. "It is something that all who walk here must face themselves," whispered the Dog. "For everyone, and everything, there is a time to die. Some do not know it, or would delay it, but its truth cannot be denied."
— Abhorsen
Granny Weatherwax: Am I dyin'?
Death: Yes.
Granny Weatherwax: Will I die?
Death: Yes.
Granny Weatherwax: But from your point of view, everyone is dying and everyone will die, right?
Death: Yes.
Granny Weatherwax: So you aren't actually bein' a lot of help, strictly speakin'.
Death: Yes.
Granny Weatherwax: Will I die?
Death: Yes.
Granny Weatherwax: But from your point of view, everyone is dying and everyone will die, right?
Death: Yes.
Granny Weatherwax: So you aren't actually bein' a lot of help, strictly speakin'.
"Some day soon the Angel of Death will sound his trumpet for me. But don't ye dooal an' greet, my deary! If he should come this very night I'd not refuse to answer his call. For life be, after all, only a waitin' for somethin' else than what we're doin'; and death be all that we can rightly depend on."
— Mr. Swales, Dracula
Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
'To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods?'
The Captain of the Gate:
'To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods?'
"All deaths are inevitable. Even immortal things will perish eventually. Why would you ever murder someone, knowing they'll die eventually?"
Think, in this batter'd Caravanserai
Whose Doorways are alternate Night and Day,
How Sultan after Sultan with his Pomp
Abode his Hour or two, and went his way.
They say the Lion and the Lizard keep
The Courts where Jamshyd gloried and drank deep:
And Bahram, that great Hunter — the Wild Ass
Stamps o'er his Head, and he lies fast asleep.
I sometimes think that never blows so red
The Rose as where some buried Caesar bled;
That every Hyacinth the Garden wears
Dropt in its Lap from some once lovely Head.
And this delightful Herb whose tender Green
Fledges the River's Lip on which we lean—
Ah, lean upon it lightly! for who knows
From what once lovely Lip it springs unseen!
Lo! some we loved, the loveliest and the best
That Time and Fate of all their Vintage prest,
Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before,
And one by one crept silently to Rest.
And we, that now make merry in the Room
They left, and Summer dresses in new Bloom,
Ourselves must we beneath the Couch of Earth
Descend, ourselves to make a Couch — for whom?
Whose Doorways are alternate Night and Day,
How Sultan after Sultan with his Pomp
Abode his Hour or two, and went his way.
They say the Lion and the Lizard keep
The Courts where Jamshyd gloried and drank deep:
And Bahram, that great Hunter — the Wild Ass
Stamps o'er his Head, and he lies fast asleep.
I sometimes think that never blows so red
The Rose as where some buried Caesar bled;
That every Hyacinth the Garden wears
Dropt in its Lap from some once lovely Head.
And this delightful Herb whose tender Green
Fledges the River's Lip on which we lean—
Ah, lean upon it lightly! for who knows
From what once lovely Lip it springs unseen!
Lo! some we loved, the loveliest and the best
That Time and Fate of all their Vintage prest,
Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before,
And one by one crept silently to Rest.
And we, that now make merry in the Room
They left, and Summer dresses in new Bloom,
Ourselves must we beneath the Couch of Earth
Descend, ourselves to make a Couch — for whom?
Tammy: My poor darling. You seem so wise and experienced, and so full of knowledge about the world. And had it never occurred to you that the Great Stillness, as you call it, is something that befalls all creatures? One minute, a bird dances and sings on its branch. The next it swoops down to get a worm from the lawn and wham! We eat it. But if we never ate it, the bird would still die; and so will the tree; and so will the lawn. All things are moving towards death. All things, that is, beneath our great Mother-of-Night. And who knows, perhaps the Great Stillness will one day come even upon her, and the earth itself.
Pufftail: This cannot be! For if it were true... why, the whole world would be nothing but a pile of rotting meat and dead bodies, and decayed flowers and dry grass, and leafless trees...
Tammy: Nature always renews herself. We pass through it, but we give birth to new young. The flower withers and fades, the tree loses its leaves, but in a new year, there are new leaves, new grasses, new kittens. The old passes away. You must know that.
Pufftail: No! No! No!
Pufftail: This cannot be! For if it were true... why, the whole world would be nothing but a pile of rotting meat and dead bodies, and decayed flowers and dry grass, and leafless trees...
Tammy: Nature always renews herself. We pass through it, but we give birth to new young. The flower withers and fades, the tree loses its leaves, but in a new year, there are new leaves, new grasses, new kittens. The old passes away. You must know that.
Pufftail: No! No! No!
"The death rate is the same for us as for anybody ... one person, one death, sooner or later."
Manek: Come on, Liir, tell me. What did the damned broom say to you?
Liir: The broom told me — that — that — you're all gonna die!
Manek: Oh, is that all? We already knew that. Everybody dies. We knew that already.
Lir: You did?
Liir: The broom told me — that — that — you're all gonna die!
Manek: Oh, is that all? We already knew that. Everybody dies. We knew that already.
Lir: You did?
— Wicked
"Everybody dies," he said. "Better to die in knowledge, than in ignorance."
Live-Action TV
The Doctor: I'm going to die.
Wilf: Well, so am I, one day.
The Doctor: Don't you dare.
Wilf: All right, I'll try not to!
Wilf: Well, so am I, one day.
The Doctor: Don't you dare.
Wilf: All right, I'll try not to!
Clara: How can you have a grave?
The Doctor: Because we all do, somewhere out there in the future, waiting for us.
The Doctor: Because we all do, somewhere out there in the future, waiting for us.
Present Rimmer: No, look, I'm you from the future. I've come to warn you, in three million years you'll be dead!
Past Rimmer: Really?
Past Rimmer: Really?
— Red Dwarf, "Stasis Leak"
"You... are afraid of death. And you can't be. You're in medicine; you gotta accept the fact that everything we do here, everything, is a stall. We're just trying to keep the game going, that's it. But, ultimately, it always ends up the same way."
— Dr. Perry Cox, Scrubs
Sherlock Holmes: People have died.
Jim Moriarty: That's what people DO!
Jim Moriarty: That's what people DO!
— Sherlock, "The Great Game"
Music
"No one here gets out alive now"
— The Doors, "Five to One"
Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles through the ground though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Now, don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles through the ground though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Now, don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
— Kansas, "Dust in the Wind"
And we all still die.
Oh, we all still die.
What will you leave behind?
We all still die.
Oh, we all still die.
What will you leave behind?
We all still die.
— The Paper Kites, "Willow Tree March"
"I am not frightened of dying, you know. Anytime I do, I don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying? There's no reason for it; you've gotta go sometime."note
— Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon, "The Great Gig in the Sky"
One day you'll look up at the ceiling above
If you're lucky, you'll be surrounded by the ones that you love
When the lights in your eyes fade and life flashes by
One day you're going to die
If you're lucky, you'll be surrounded by the ones that you love
When the lights in your eyes fade and life flashes by
One day you're going to die
— Will Wood, "Memento Mori: the most important thing in the world"
Tabletop Games
"Everyone dies," they say. While it is true, this expression invites people to be stupid and careless. I've seen death. I've watched friends of mine get cut down, and I've felt the many different kinds of death. Me, I'm a survivor. Sure, I'll die someday, but I don't care to ask for the privilege. When Captain Coffin comes for me, the motherfucker will have to fight to haul my fat ass to hell. I'm not going quietly. If you want to, that's your problem.
— Mage: The Ascension — The Orphan's Survival Guide
Theatre
Death is taboo, but it's hardly something new
There's nothing medical professionals can do
'Cept maybe just bill you
If you die while listening to this album
It's still gonna keep playing
There's no destiny or fate
Just a terrifying wait
Filled with people that you hate
And on a certain date, the universe kills you
That's the thing with life
No-one makes it out alive
There's nothing medical professionals can do
'Cept maybe just bill you
If you die while listening to this album
It's still gonna keep playing
There's no destiny or fate
Just a terrifying wait
Filled with people that you hate
And on a certain date, the universe kills you
That's the thing with life
No-one makes it out alive
— Beetlejuice, "The Whole 'Being Dead' Thing"
Video Games
Ava: [grieving from her mentor's death] Not much to say. You know, it's a war. People die.
FL4K: As they must. But do not fear Death. She is a friend who welcomes you at the end of your hunt.
FL4K: As they must. But do not fear Death. She is a friend who welcomes you at the end of your hunt.
"All those who live must someday die. It is our fate."
— Minwu, Final Fantasy II
"I'm so happy I met everyone... I wish we could've gone on more adventures. But I guess we all have to say goodbye someday. Everyone... Thank you. Farewell. My memories will be part of the sky..."
— Vivi Ornitier, Final Fantasy IX
"All day long, Manny, I sort through pure sadness. I find evidence, and I piece together stories. But none of my stories end well — they all end here. And the moral of every story is the same: we may have years, we may have hours, but sooner or later, we push up flowers."
"To rail against nature is folly. All things must accept an end."
— Hive Queen Vespa, Hollow Knight
"Death comes for us all, Raziel. It's just a matter of time."
— Moebius the Time Streamer, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
"The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate... Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed. Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are, Death awaits you."
— Nyx Avatar, Persona 3
"Every world has its end. I know that's kinda sad, but... That's why we gotta live life to the fullest in the time we have. At least, that's what I figure."
— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic and the Black Knight
"The dead outnumber the living and always will."
— The Lich King, World of Warcraft
V.II Snail: "Chatty" Stick. Heard you're one of RaD's toys. At least you won't have death to fear.
"Chatty" Stick: Even "toys" have to face the music sooner or later.
"Chatty" Stick: Even "toys" have to face the music sooner or later.
Web Animation
"Hades is a pretty cool dude, and as king of the underworld, his divine domain is nothing to sneeze at — as firstborn son of Kronos, the world was his by birthright, and even if there's a bit of a delay, everyone becomes his subject eventually."
— Overly Sarcastic Productions, "Miscellaneous Myths: Persephone"
Web Video
"Power has an expiration date, but then again, so do we all. Ours could potentially be at the end of this week, tomorrow, decades from now, or at the end of this Final Smash. So-I-ah-uh, isn't winning fun? Life is like the gift that keeps on giving, but eventually, it will give you death. Personally, I find that reassurance beautiful, but it's like... you might win the lottery or you might die prematurely in a comedic fashion with an overly sized piano being dropped on your head. ... That's how I'd love to go out! But like, even if you play your cards right, the cold hand of death will chase you down as if they're Alex Jones hearing an opinion. Y'know? Anyways, remember how I never actually made a Sephiroth video on my channel?"
"It's out of my hands, I'm only a clock! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine! But eventually, everyone runs out of time."
— Tony the Talking Clock, Don't Hug Me I'm Scared
Western Animation
Ping-Pong: [referring to Mt Blackhead erupting] Are we gonna die?
Slinkman: Yes.
[Ping-Pong and Dave have an Oh, Crap! expression]
Slinkman: But not today.
Slinkman: Yes.
[Ping-Pong and Dave have an Oh, Crap! expression]
Slinkman: But not today.
— Camp Lazlo, "Lumpus Vs. the Volcano"
Invincible: You KILLED him!
Omni-Man: Now or in fifty years when he's old, what difference does it make?
Invincible: What difference?! He'd have a life!
Omni-Man: Now or in fifty years when he's old, what difference does it make?
Invincible: What difference?! He'd have a life!
Grim: Nothing matters because we're all gonna die someday!
The Boss: [appears holding a gun] Hey!
Grim: [gets down on his knees] No, no, no. Please don't kill me. Please. I don't want to die. Please don't kill me! Please don't! [breaks down sobbing while pissing his pants]
The Boss: [appears holding a gun] Hey!
Grim: [gets down on his knees] No, no, no. Please don't kill me. Please. I don't want to die. Please don't kill me! Please don't! [breaks down sobbing while pissing his pants]
Real Life
"If you can live in the full knowledge that you are going to die, that you are not going to live forever, that if you live with the reality of death, you can live. This is not mystical talk; it is a fact. It is a principal fact of life. If you can't do it, if you spend your entire life in flight from death, you are also in flight from life."
"Well, someday everybody dies, some place that hope runs out, because everybody dies. I haven't seen anybody yet didn't die. And I'd like to choose my own kind of death for a change."
— Jim Jones to his followers, on the day of the mass suicide of his Peoples Temple cult
"Herein lies a man who tried to write his name in water"
— Epitaph on poet John Keats' unmarked grave
Onto the keel you climb,
Cold is the ocean brine.
Keeping courage though,
Locked in a deadly throe.
Baldhead, show no fear,
showers fall on you here.
With maidens you had a way,
All must die one day.
Cold is the ocean brine.
Keeping courage though,
Locked in a deadly throe.
Baldhead, show no fear,
showers fall on you here.
With maidens you had a way,
All must die one day.
— Final Speech of Icelandic warrior Þórir Jökull Steinfinnsson, shortly before his execution
"You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everyone dances with The Grim Reaper."
— Final words of Robert Alton Harris
