'Would you like to die now, or surrender first?' (COM)
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There were spices from Klatch, materials from the Counterweight Continent which had arrived by slow barge, other mysterious delicacies, and unfortunately many ways to become very happy in a short space of time and stone dead shortly afterwards. (RS)
… as though they were alive and dead at the same time, like Cliff Richard. (BOS)
‘Extinct. Now there’s a terrible word if you like. A word beyond death, because extinction means your children are dead too, and your grandchildren and their children will never even be born.’ (LE)
‘… the only important thing in a fight to the death is that the death should not be yours.’ (Sn)
… one day all of us will die but – a this is the important thing – we are not dead yet. (ISWM)
'If anyone is going to die, it should be me. I've died before. I know how it's done.' (N)
Daphne had heard that when you drown your whole life passes in front of your eyes.
In fact it's when you don't drown that this happens, as life races back from the start to get to the last known living moment. Mostly it's a blur, but every life has its important moments which get more and more colourful the longer they are remembered. (N) I’m going to die?’
POSSIBLY. ‘Possibly? You turn up when people are possibly going to die?’ OH, YES. IT’S QUITE THE NEW THING. IT’S BECAUSE OF THE UNCERTAINTY PRINICIPLE. 'What’s that?’ I’M NOT SURE. ‘That’s very helpful.’ I THINK IT MEANS PEOPLE MAY OR MAY NOT DIE. I HAVE TO SAY IT’S PLAYING HOB WITH MY SCHEDULE, BUT I TRY TO KEEP UP WITH MODERN THOUGHT. (FE) 'We died for lies, for centuries we died for lies.’ He waved a hand towards the god. ‘Now we’ve got a truth to die for!’
‘No. Men should die for lies. But the truth is too precious to die for.' (SG) Time is a drug. Too much of it kills you. (SG)
... in the house of Death there is no time but the present. (There was, of course, a present before the present now, but that was also the present. It was just an older one). (RM)
'... the only reason for walking into the jaws of Death is so’s you can steal His gold teeth.' (COM)
'If it is alligators,’ said Gurder, trying to look noble, ‘I shall show them how a nome can die with dignity.’
‘Please yourself,’said Angalo, his eyes scanning the undergrowth. ‘I'm planning to show them how a nome can run away with speed.' (Wings) 'Haven’t you ever noticed that by running away you end up in more trouble?’
‘Yes, but, you see, you can run away from that too,’ said Rincewind. ‘That’s the beauty of the system. Dead is only for once, but running away is for ever.’ ‘Ah, but it is said that a coward dies a thousand deaths, while a hero dies only one.’ ‘Yes, but it’s the important one.' (LC) 'That’s right,’ said Mr. Saveloy. ‘They’ve had a lifetime’s experience of not dying. They’ve become very good at it.' (IT)
'Have you got any last words?'
YES. I DON’T WANT TO GO. ‘Well. Succinct, anyway.' (RM) He had looked death in the face many times, or more precisely Death had looked him in the back of his rapidly-retreating head many times ... (E)
In the night time streets of Ankh-Morpork caution is an absolute. There is no such thing as moderately cautious. You are either very cautious, or you are dead. You might be walking around and breathing, but you’re dead, just the same. (GG)
... Rincewind had in any case seen his past life flash in front of his eyes so many times that he could sleep through the boring bits ... (LF)
Some pirates achieved immortality by great deeds of cruelty or derring-do. Some achieved immortality by amassing great wealth. But the captain had long ago decided that he would, on the whole, prefer to achieve immortality by not dying. (COM)
Knowing the time of your death is one of those strange bonuses that comes with being a true magic user. And, on the whole, it is a bonus.
Many a wizard has passed away happily drinking the last of his wine cellar and incidentally owing very large sums of money. (LL) 'He’s dead. All the medical tests prove it. So, er…bury him, keep him nice and cool, and tell him to come and see me next week. In daylight for preference.’
‘But he’s still breathing!’ ‘These are just reflex actions that might easily confuse the layman,’ said the doctor airily. (P) 'A case of mortis portalis tackulum with complications.’
‘What’s that mean?’ said Chidder. ‘In laymen’s terms,’ the doctor sniffed, ‘he’s as dead as a doornail.’ ‘What are the complications?’ The doctor looked shifty. ‘He’s still breathing,’ he said. (P) 'Well, basically there are two sorts of opera,’ said Nanny, who also had the true witch’s ability to be confidently expert on the basis of no experience whatsoever. ‘There’s your heavy opera, where basically people sing foreign and it goes like “Oh oh oh, I am dyin’, oh, I am dyin’, oh, oh, oh, that’s what I’m doin’” and there’s your light opera, where they sing in foreign and it basically goes “Beer! Beer! Beer! Beer! I like to drink lots of beer!” although sometimes they drink champagne instead. That’s basically all of opera, reely.’
‘What? Either dyin’ or drinkin’ beer?’ ‘Basically, yes,’ said Nanny, contriving to suggest that this was the whole gamut of human experience. ‘And that’s opera?’ ‘We-ll…there might be some other stuff. But mostly it’s stout or stabbin’.' (Ma) |
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The world has lost Sir Terry, and it's so much the poorer for that. Vale Sir Terry. Categories
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