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The quote you’re referring to is from Martin Heidegger, the 20th-century German existential philosopher, and it goes roughly like this:
“If I take death into my life, acknowledge it, and face it squarely, I will free myself from the anxiety of death and the pettiness of life — and only then will I be free to become myself.”
This statement encapsulates one of Heidegger’s key ideas from Being and Time (Sein und Zeit, 1927):
that authentic existence arises when we confront our own mortality directly rather than avoiding or denying it.
Heidegger calls this state “Being-toward-death” (Sein-zum-Tode).
To him, death is not merely a biological end but a defining possibility that gives meaning and urgency to life. By recognizing that our time is finite, we can live authentically, making choices that are truly our own rather than dictated by social norms or superficial distractions.
Would you like me to explain how this connects to existentialist ideas in Sartre or Kierkegaard as well?
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