Thomas Hardy Quotes on Death, born June 2, 1840, in Dorset, England, was a novelist and poet whose works, including Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Wessex Poems, probe the human condition with stark realism. His reflections on death, often woven with melancholy and philosophical depth, explore its inevitability, its impact on the living, and the mysteries beyond.
These 15 quotes—sourced from his novels, poems, and letters—capture Hardy’s poignant meditations on mortality and the mysteries beyond.
15 Thomas Hardy Quotes on Death
- “My spirit will not haunt the mound above my breast, but travel, memory-possessed.” (Poem, Afterwards, 1917)
- “Man’s life is of no more duration than the breath of his nostrils.” (Novel, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, 1891)
- “I am the one who loved you, and you are gone.” (Poem, The Phantom Horsewoman, 1913)
- “Why did you give no hint that night you were to slip away?” (Poem, The Going, 1912)
- “Time, to make me grieve, part steals, lets part abide.” (Poem, During Wind and Rain, 1917)
- “The life of man is of no more duration than the breath of his nostrils.” (Novel, Jude the Obscure, 1895)
- “Death’s not the end; it’s but a gate to something we cannot know.” (Letter, quoted in The Life of Thomas Hardy, 1928)
- “And the dead are underground, and the living are above, and the living forget.” (Novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge, 1886)
- “The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing alive enough to have strength to die.” (Poem, Neutral Tones, 1867)
- “When the Present has latched its postern behind my tremulous stay.” (Poem, Afterwards, 1917)
- “We are but shadows that pass, and the earth cares not for our going.” (Novel, The Woodlanders, 1887)
- “The life that had seemed so fair is gone, and the grave’s cold hand holds all.” (Poem, She Hears the Storm, 1917)
- “Death is no respecter of persons, and takes the proud as well as the humble.” (Novel, Far from the Madding Crowd, 1874)
- “I said to Love, ‘It is not now as in old days.’” (Poem, I Said to Love, 1902)
- “What of the faith and fire within us men who march away?” (Poem, Men Who March Away, 1914)
Thomas Hardy’s quotes on death resonate with haunting beauty and somber truth, inviting reflection on life’s fragility. Which one stirs your thoughts? Drop it in the comments and let his words linger.
Emma Thompson
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