6 Eye-Opening Quotes From a Dying Professor On How To Slow Down and Actually Live

‘’Death ends a life, not a relationship.’’ - Morrie Schwartz

Hi turtles,

One of my favorite all-time books is Tuesdays with Morrie — a heartwarming story about the rekindled relationship between Morrie (a sociology professor) and Mitch (his former student).

Mitch promised to keep in touch with his old professor… but he didn’t.

Until one day.

Fast forward 16 years. It’s 1997. Mitch is just mindlessly flipping the channels while he’s making a phone call at the same time, he sees his old professor Morrie on TV.

A much older Morrie. But also a much weaker Morrie. Physically weak, at least. Because Morrie had been diagnosed with ALS. He didn’t have much longer to live. Mentally weak? Absolutely not. Morrie appeared on TV to teach the final course of his life.

A course on how to live.

That day changed everything for Mitch. A warmhearted and kind soul, but always on the go. He’s lost sight of what really matters to him. He gave up on his piano. His partner doesn’t feel like she really matters to him. He never seems to have a moment for her — or himself, even.

Luckily, Mitch dropped everything he was doing that day he saw his professor on TV, and started to get to his senses. Mitch and Morrie reunite. What follows is 12 meetings on Tuesday in which Mitch tries to absorb as much of Morrie’s wisdom as he possibly can.

Here are 6 eye-opening quotes from Morrie to Mitch that will change your perspective too.

1. On life and death

''Death ends a life, not a relationship. All the love you created is still there. All the memories are still there. You live on - in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here.''

2. On the tension of opposites

''Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted. A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle.''

''Sounds like a wrestling match, Mitch says.

''A wrestling match.'' Morrie laughs. ''Yes, you could describe life that way.''

''So which side wins?

''Which side wins?'' He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth.

''Love wins. Love always wins.”

3. On the worship of youth

“As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed as ignorant as you were at twenty-two, you'd always be twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It's growth. It's more than the negative that you're going to die, it's the positive that you understand you're going to die, and that you live a better life because of it.If aging were so valuable, why do people always say, “Oh, if I were young again.” “You know what that reflects? Unsatisfied lives. Unfulfilled lives. Lives that haven’t found meaning. Because if you’ve found meaning in your life, you don’t want to go back.”

4. On staying true to yourself

''The little things, I can obey. But the big things - how we think, what we value - those you must choose yourself. You can't let anyone - or any society - determine those for you.''

5. On slowing down

''Part of the problem, Mitch, is that everyone is in such a hurry. People haven’t found meaning in their lives, so they’re running all the time looking for it. They think the next car, the next house, the next job. Then they find these things are empty, too, and they keep running.''

6. On how to actually find meaning in life

''So many people walk around with a meaningless life... This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to something that gives you purpose and meaning.''

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Which quote from Morrie is your favorite? Let me know in the comment section.

PS. If you liked this post, you'll probably love my other articles about slow and intentional living. Read them here.