Near Death Quotes

“Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean.”
― David Searls

“It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living.”
― Terry Pratchett

“I know what it felt . . . like when I . . . thought you were dead, and-" A small gasp for breath, and her eyes locked on his. "And I wouldn't do that to you." Her bosom fell and her eyes closed.
It was a long moment before he could speak.
"Thank ye, Sassenach," he whispered, and held her small, cold hand between his own and watched her breathe until the moon rose.”
― Diana Gabaldon, Written in My Own Heart's Blood

“One of the seats of emotion and memory in the brain is the amygdala, he explained. When something threatens your life, this area seems to kick into overdrive, recording every last detail of the experience. The more detailed the memory, the longer the moment seems to last. "This explains why we think that time speeds up when we grow older," Eagleman said--why childhood summers seem to go on forever, while old age slips by while we’re dozing. The more familiar the world becomes, the less information your brain writes down, and the more quickly time seems to pass.”
― Burkhard Bilger

“A magpie, seeing some light-colored object conspicuous on the empty slope, flew closer to look. but all that lay there was a splintered peg and a twisted length of wire.”
― Richard Adams, Watership Down

“Coming so close to death as a young child, only to resurface again into your life, imbued in me for a long time a brand of recklessness, a cavalier or even crazed attitude to risk. It could, I can see, have gone the other way, and made me into a person hindered by fear, hobbled by caution. Instead, I leapt off harbour walls. I walked alone in remote mountains. I took night trains through Europe on my own, arriving in capital cities in the middle of the night with nowhere to stay.”
― Maggie O'Farrell, I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death

“You call it a near death experience, I call it a near life experience!”
― LJ Vanier

“I am so glad that God miraculously save my life at near-death.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita

“Treasures are hidden and hard to find but if we could find a real treasure, it will shine our lives. In the similar way ultimate reality is hidden and hard to find but if we could find it, it will shine our lives.”
― G.W. Muditha Champika, Theories of Nature and the Universe: Comparison of Pure Buddhist Philosophy and Science

“While Milke gingerly carried the packet of explosive across the lake, Paskell stood by the port watching. Milke surveyed the landscape with fine calculation, setting down the packet, moving it a few yards to the right, another few yards toward the defile. Finally satisfied, he looked back to Paskell for approval. Paskell signaled casually, and his hand fell against the detonation switch. He looked out toward Milke, hastily jumped into his [pressure] suit, let himself through the port, ran across the lake.
Milke asked, "What's the trouble?"
Paskell said, "That remote detonator doesn't work. I'd better take a look at it."
Milke stared at him truculently. "How do you know it doesn't work?"
Paskell made a vague gesture, knelt beside the packet, unfolded the wrapping.
"You couldn't have just sensed it," Milke insisted.
"Well, as a matter of fact, my hand accidentally hit the switch, and it didn't go off—so I though I'd better run out and see what was wrong."
Milke seemed to sink in his suit. For a moment there was silence. "Ah," said Paskell. "Nothing very serious; I neglected to clip down the battery leads . . . .now it's ready to go—"
"I'm going back to the ship," said Milke thickly.”
― Jack Vance, The Augmented Agent and Other Stories

“On the Flight Deck this afternoon, a young plane captain, his mind obviously preoccupied with other matters, walked directly in front of an F-8 intake as the bird was turning up. He was instantly sucked off his feet and pulled down into the jet turbine tunnel. Fortunately, someone saw it happen and frantically signaled for the pilot to cut his engine. Once silenced, two squadron crew members crawled into the intake to rescue the dumb shit or what was left of him. They found his body wrapped around the generator hump directly in front of the turbine blades. He had miraculously avoided being chopped to pieces like steak in a meat grinder.”
― Gerald Maclennon, God, Bombs & Viet Nam: Based on the Diary of a 20-Year-Old Navy Enlisted Man in the Vietnam Air War - 1967

“Por qué lo hiciste- pregunté- por qué le salvaste la vida a Iri?"
"Porque estábamos muriéndonos. Porque era el final. Y cuando ves el final, la vida se vuelve valiosa.”
― Adrienne Young, Sky in the Deep