Line #32 Main/WeAllDieSomeday


1	[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/87afb13f1802b475fff0241bf7f66e01.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:When you're [[PhysicalGod immortal]], it just takes longer.]]
3
4	->''"Remember friend as you walk by\
5	As you are now so once was I\
6	As I am now you will surely be\
7	Prepare thyself to follow me."''
8	-->-- '''Unknown''', epitaph on a gravestone
9
10	A StockPhrase that acknowledges our own mortality. Good guys, bad guys, and everybody [[AntiHero in]] [[AntiVillain between]] will one day 'have to' recognize that, according to statistics at the least, none of us will live forever — at this level of reality, at least. Even [[{{Immortality}} those who do]] may have [[WhoWantsToLiveForever pangs of regret]] because of this trope. If villains say this line, it could be their reason for their disregard of life in general. If it's a hero, expect them to be the more cynical, disillusioned type. If either of them are the AntiNihilist, then the phrase becomes more optimistic, i.e. "we all die someday, so [[CarpeDiem be awesome today]]!" Depending on where we fall on the [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism sliding scale]], we may get a "but not today" rebuttal, or a "but not forever" rebuttal for works that hold to the existence of an afterlife. It may also teach someone that AllAreEqualInDeath: no matter our stations or accomplishments or privileges in life, we are all equally mortal so we all might as well be treated equally.
11
12	This is closely connected to the concept of a "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento_mori Memento Mori]]" (GratuitousLatin for, "Remember you must die" or, more literally, "Remember death"). These are symbolic reminders of mortality, the idea being that there's a certain spiritual value in occasionally reflecting on the impermanence of life. They occur in many traditions, religious and otherwise. It can be as subtle as a SkeletonMotif or coffin or gravestone being included in a piece of art, all the way up to elaborate cultural festivals such as ''Día de los Muertos'' or UsefulNotes/AllHallowsEve. Probably the most famous such icon is TheGrimReaper. DeathsHourglass may also serve to remind people that their time here is finite.
13
14	TruthInTelevision by current medical standards. [[CarpeDiem Make the most of it]].
15
16	SisterTrope to TheProblemWithFightingDeath: even if someone succeeds in outsmarting the Reaper today, they'll still have a final appointment with him eventually, and this time he'll be annoyed.
17
18	See also WeAreAsMayflies, DontFearTheReaper, NotAfraidToDie, LifeWillKillYou, and MonoNoAware. Compare WhoWantsToLiveForever and YouCantFightFate. Contrast LivingForeverIsAwesome and ImmortalitySeeker. A work may invoke this trope in a DeadlyDistantFinale. One StockJoke referencing this trope is TheThreeCertaintiesInLife.
19
20	Do not confuse with AnyoneCanDie, or EverybodyDiesEnding.
21
22	----
23	!!Examples:
24	[[foldercontrol]]
25
26	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
27	* Discussed by ''Manga/{{Akagi}}'''s titular character in the manga's final dialogue. Akagi recognizes that he's lived as long as he has mostly by being incredibly lucky and that anyone could [[DroppedABridgeOnHim die an undignified and unpredictable death]] pretty much at any moment. This is why his personal philosophy is that LivingIsMoreThanSurviving; if death is inevitable and unpredictable, making the most of what you call your 'life' is paramount even if it might lead to that life being shortened.
28	** The manga ''Akagi'' is a prequel to, ''Manga/TenTheBlessedWayOfTheNiceGuy'', shows that Akagi holds to this decades later. [[spoiler:When faced with a terminal illness, Akagi meets the people closest to him one last time, ensuring they all find closure, and then ends his own life with no worries or regrets. He knew death would come at some point, and when the time came, met it on his own terms.]]
29	* This is the power of Baraggan Louisenbairn from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. Because nothing lasts forever, everything affected by his Respira ends up rotting away. However, Hachi realizes he is no exception and uses his own power against him.
30	* Eventually turns out to be the central theme of ''Manga/ChronoCrusade''. No matter what, your death will come, whether you are prepared for it or not. [[spoiler: By the end, all the major characters besides Satella, Fiore, and Shader are long dead, and the former two only got lucky because Shader found their crystallized bodies and broke them out 75 years later; eventually, they will die too, and Satella wants to make the most of the life she has.]]
31	* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', one of the rules of the titular note plainly spells it out:
32	-->''"All humans will, without exception, eventually die."''
33	* This comes up in various ways in ''Anime/DeathParade'', as expected for a show that takes place in an AfterlifeAntechamber. The beings who judge the deceased will often make blasé statements about the inevitability of death and the “irrational” ways humans react to it. Most notably however, this quote by the main character in the penultimate episode puts a much more optimistic twist on this idea when he explains his interpretation of the ''Memento Mori'' translation mentioned above:
34	-->''"Do not forget that you are certain to die someday, and as such, you have all the more reason to live now."''
35	* When Seiya's doctor of a father in ''Manga/NurseAngelRirikaSOS'' eats magical cookies that make the person lethargic and lazy, he refuses to do his job. He states that since everyone will die someday, there is no point in curing people of their ailments.
36	* A variation happens in the Alabasta arc in ''Manga/OnePiece'': During an argument between Vivi and Luffy, the latter harshly (but correctly) points out that "people die", and that hoping everyone involved in a war will survive is naive.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Comic Books]]
40	* ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'':
41	** PlayedForLaughs in [[http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1989-08-28/ this]] strip. The only accurate prediction a would-be swami can offer is that "eventually, you will die...".
42	** In [[https://dilbert.com/strip/1996-10-05 this strip]], Ratbert attempts to spread some cheer by telling Dilbert, "You're working hard. I'm doing nothing. In a hundred years we'll both be dead." Dilbert counters, "You might not need to wait that long."
43	* Appears as one of the tomes of magic Sunset Shimmer studies in the 2012 ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW'' annual.
44	* In ''ComicBook/XMen'', during the classic Brood arc in the early '80s, after the X-Men were facing certain death from being infested with Brood eggs, Colossus tried to console Kitty after a nightmare, and makes a similar speech, at one point reminding Kitty, "We are all dying from the moment we are born, indeed from the moment of our conception... Our lives are finite things."
45	* The final spoken line of the SpaghettiWestern miniseries ''ComicBook/BlazeOfGlory:'' ''[[GrandFinale The Last Ride of the Western Heroes]]'', provided by the ComicBook/RawhideKid:
46	-->''"Men die. Every single one of us. That's a fact and that's our fate."''
47	** The last page also gives us "Only the legends are forever."
48	* In ''ComicBook/TheBlackRing'', this is how [[ComicBook/TheSandman1989 Death of the Endless]] responds to Luthor ranting about how DeathIsCheap. Resurrection may happen every now and then, but ultimately, she will be the one closing shop on the universe and everyone in it, so it doesn't really matter.
49	* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': One comic sees the death of both [[TimeAbyss a man who'd been around since the Ice Age]] and a baby only a few weeks old. Both protest that they still had so much to do, but [[TheGrimReaper Death]] tells them they got the same as everyone else: [[ExactWords a lifetime]].
50	* A 1940s ''ComicBook/TheFlash'' comic involves the following exchange on a stage:
51	-->''"Tell me where the Carbridge Diamond is or you '''die!'''"\
52	"Nerts to that racket! I'm going to die someday anyway!"\
53	"Well, let's make it today -- I '''love''' shooting people!"\
54	''[falling, shot]'' "For heaven's sake -- I thought he was kidding!"''
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Fan Works]]
58	* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' Franchise/MonsterVerse fanfiction, Monster X tells [[spoiler:Manda]] as much, [[spoiler:adding that they don't have to let death catch up with them early]].
59	* In ''Fanfic/{{Obscuro}}'', Kurama gives a speech to Naruto about this when they are in the skeleton basement of the Driftwood Cathedral.
60	* ''FanFic/ToHellAndBackArrowverse'': This is the explicit reason Barry gives to [[spoiler:Eobard]] when refusing his offer to go back in time and [[spoiler:save his mother]]. Having lost other loved ones in the forms of Shado and, at one point, Slade, and then forced to join the League of Assassins alongside Oliver and Kara, Barry is far more familiar with death than he is in canon, having long since accepted it as another facet of life. [[spoiler:As Barry explicitly points out, preventing Nora's murder would change nothing in the long run; she would still die, just later than she originally did, either by old age or disease or even an accident. All he would be getting by stopping past!Eobard is more time with her -- and as much as he would like that, he won't have it at the risk of everything he still has and has gained since then]].
61	* Frankie explains this to Mac in ''Fanfic/ISpokeAsAChild''. He's old enough to understand it but he doesn't like to think of it. She also explains that imaginary friends die when their creators die.
62	* This pops up in the ''Azumanga Daioh'' fic ''Fanfic/{{Control}}'' when Yukari speaks with her subconscious in a dream sequence. Her subconscious only tells her things she already knows:
63	-->'''Yukari''': "Am I gonna die?"
64	-->'''Yukari's Subconscious''': "Yep."
65	-->'''Yukari''': "Right now?"
66	-->'''Yukari's Subconscious''': "Probably not."
67	-->'''Yukari''': "Hm…"
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Films — Animated]]
71	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'', Hector nonchalantly says that everyone ends up DeaderThanDead eventually. People are only able to live in the afterlife if [[RememberTheDead they are remembered and their legend is passed on by those who knew them in life]]. Sooner or later, however, everyone gets forgotten and thus disappearing is inevitable.
72	* In ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'', Kristoff accidentally implies to Anna that he doesn't think they'll survive the adventure. When she gets mad and runs off, Kristoff [[DiggingYourselfDeeper digs himself deeper]] and ends up saying they technically ''will'' die someday.
73	* In ''WesternAnimation/GuillermoDelTorosPinocchio'', [[spoiler: the film concludes with all the remaining protagonists growing old and passing away, until only Pinocchio is left. Sebastian believes that, even though Pinocchio is TheAgeless, he will still die for good one day, because all people do.]]
74	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' when Hogarth is trying to console the Giant after the deer incident.
75	-->'''Giant:''' You die?
76	-->'''Hogarth:''' Well, yes, someday.
77	-->'''Giant:''' I die?
78	-->'''Hogarth:''' I don't know. You're made of metal, but you have feelings, and you think about things, and that means you have a soul. And souls don't die.
79	* ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'': After losing the eighth of his [[CatsHaveNineLives nine lives]], Puss in Boots is advised by a doctor to retire, who reminds him that "death comes for us all." Puss ignores him at first, but a near-death experience forces him to recognize his own mortality. He seeks out the Wishing Star to wish for more lives so he can cheat death once again. [[spoiler:By the end, he gains a strong respect for his final life and, in the face of [[TheGrimReaper Death himself]], he vows to never stop fighting for it.]]
80	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', the burrowing owl chorus keep insisting that Rango is going to die; then, at the end of the story, when he's still very much alive, they say that everyone dies eventually.
81	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'', Galvatron tries to coax Hot Rod out of hiding:
82	-->'''Galvatron:''' Come out, Autobot. We all must die some time!\
83	'''Hot Rod:''' Not today, Galvatron! (Punches Galvatron)
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
87	* ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'': Rajit Ratha, Norman Osborn's MouthOfSauron, insists that Doctor Connors start testing regeneration serum on humans. When Connors insists that they're nowhere near that stage yet, Ratha points out that Osborn will die if they don't.
88	-->'''Connors:''' People die. Even [[Fiction500 Norman Osborn.]]
89	* ''Film/AmericanBeauty'' ends with Lester Burnham delivering a monologue about the afterlife, which concludes "You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry, you will someday."
90	* ''Film/{{Battleship}}'': Alex Stone says something to this effect when alien bombs have been sent toward the ship
91	-->'''Nagata''': We're gonna die.
92	-->'''Stone''': We are gonna die. You're gonna die... I'm gonna die. We're all gonna die... Just not today.
93	-->''(The ship's anchor causes the ship to swerve out of the path of the bombs)''
94	* ''Film/BladeRunner'':
95	-->'''Gaff:''' It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does?
96	* ''Body and Soul'': This 1947 FilmNoir ends with a boxer refusing to fix a prizefight. Making this basic fact of life a BadassBoast:
97	-->''"What are you going to do? Kill me? Everybody dies!"''.
98	* ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'': "Every man dies, not every man really lives."
99	* ''Film/FightClub'': "On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero."
100	* ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'': Maximus tells Commodus that a late friend once told him "Death smiles at us all. All we can do is smile back." Commodus wonders whether the friend did the same thing at his own death. Maximus replies that Commodus should know since that friend was Marcus Aurelius, Commodus' father [[spoiler: whom he killed himself]].
101	* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'': Rocket Raccoon ends up joining in the Guardians' taking a stand against Ronan, conceding, "Aw, what the hell, I don't got that long a life span anyway."
102	-->'''Rocket''': Now I'm standing, you happy? Bunch of jackasses. [[note]]The other Guardians had risen to their feet when vowing to fight to the death.[[/note]]
103	* ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Part 2'': Neville Longbottom gives a RousingSpeech which includes the line "People die every day", to convince the defenders of Hogwarts to not give up even after [[spoiler: the apparent death of Harry.]]
104	* ''Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies'': [[Characters/MiddleEarthFilmElves Thranduil]] performs the villainous version when Tauriel confronts him for [[spoiler:trying to leave the dwarves and Lakemen to be slaughtered whilst he withdraws his own army to avoid further bloodshed]], dismissing Tauriel's disgust by asking what does it matter how or when mortals die.
105	* ''Film/KingdomOfHeaven'': Balian meets his friend [[NoNameGiven the Hospitaller]] who is riding to join the rest of his order in the hopeless Battle of Hattin.
106	-->'''Balian:''' You go to certain death.
107	-->'''Hospitaller:''' All death is certain.
108	* ''Film/TheLastSamurai'': Katsumoto expresses this sentiment when discussing [[CodeOfHonour bushido]] with Capt. Algren.
109	-->'''Katsumoto''': Like these blossoms, we are all dying.
110	* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'': Gandalf says something to this effect to comfort Pippin when things look rather dire: "End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path. One that we all must take."
111	* ''Film/MeanGuns'': At the end, when only four people are still alive, Vincent Moon opens a briefcase full of guns for a final shoot-out, admitting that ThereCanBeOnlyOne. When Marcus asks if they're all marked for death, Moon admits that they are -- whoever survives, s/he'll be disposed of at some point down the line as well, including Moon himself, so why not go out in style?
112	* ''Film/Midway2019'': The source of Bruno Gaido's courage, with an added helping of "You never know how or when." As an example, he tells the story of his uncle, who worked construction on the Empire State Building without safety equipment and without fear...and then died in a car accident while walking home from church.
113	* ''Literature/NicholasNickleby'': In the 2002 film, when the title character and his family move in with a wealthy uncle after the death of Nicholas’ father, Uncle Ralph’s first response to the family’s grief is to callously dismiss it, claiming that people die every day and that the living should simply move on.
114	* ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'': Luke Skywalker implores that Yoda must not die, causing the old Jedi to respond: "Twilight is upon me and soon night must fall. That is the way of things. The way of the Force."
115	* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1990'': Splinter incorporates this into a BadassBoast in the first film.
116	-->'''Splinter:''' Death comes for us all, Oroku Saki. But something much worse comes for you. For when you die, it will be without honor.
117	* ''Film/{{Troy}}'': Briseis is threatening to kill Achilles.
118	-->'''Achilles''': "Everyone dies. Today, or fifty years from now. What difference does it make?"
119	* ''Film/TheWholeNineYards'': Briefly comes up when Bruce Willis has a chat with Matthew Perry about the high suicide rate of dentists, unaware that Perry knows that he is a former [[ProfessionalKillers mob hitman]], and is scared shitless about it. Perry comments that "[[ButtMonkey I may hate my life]], but I do NOT want to die." to which Bruce responds "Well, get used to it, 'cuz you're gonna." Beat. Perry looks terrified. "...we're all gonna die someday, y'know?"
120	* ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'': When Logan confronts Xavier on not caring about the mutant genocide in the future, Xavier responds with this trope as a sign of how broken he is.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Literature]]
124	* ''Literature/AlienInASmallTown'': Near the end, Paul makes a remark to this effect to Thrym, who has achieved a [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul kind of immortality at the expense of his humanity.]]
125	-->"And there’ll always be ''time'' to go back. I don’t get old. I can’t die any more!" Thrym said.
126	-->"You will eventually," Paul said. “Everyone dies eventually. It will just take a lot longer for you, is all. The universe itself is mortal."
127	* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': In ''Shakedown'', CrustyCaretaker Harry is very keen on memorizing mortality statistics, and acknowledges they are particularly bad in his hometown, but he refuses to let these statistics govern his life choices.
128	* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''
129	** ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew'': Following their accidental stumble into the empty world that would momentarily become Narnia, Frank the cab driver and his companions (Diggory Kirke, Polly Plummer, Diggory’s uncle Andrew, Frank’s cab horse strawberry, and the witch Jadis) are confused as to where they are. Frank attempts to figure things out while offering assurance:
130	-->'''Frank''': “Now, if we’ve fallen down some diggings - as it might be for a new station on the Underground - someone will come and get us out presently, see! And if we’re dead - which I don’t deny it might be - well, you got to remember that worse things ‘appen at sea and a chap’s got to die sometime. And there ain’t nothing to be afraid of if a chap’s led a decent life.”
131	** ''Literature/TheLastBattle'': When Roonwit the centaur is slain by the invading Calormenes, he delivers his final words to Farsight the eagle, who relays them to King Tirian; that all worlds draw to a close, and that a noble death is a treasure no one is too poor to buy.
132	* ''Literature/{{Confessions\|SaintAugustine}}'': Looking beyond humanity, Augustine argues that worshipping or loving anything in the place of {{God}} is futile, since all things in life are finite and passing parts of the larger whole. To center life around any finite thing would be like stopping someone from finishing their sentence just to hear one random syllable spoken: the part loses its meaning if it isn't part of the whole.
133	* ''Literature/DandelionWine'': This really sinks in for the main character at the end.
134	* This is essentially the motto of Gerasim from ''Literature/TheDeathofIvanIlyich''. While tending to the dying Ivan, Gerasim says: "We shall all of us die, so why should I grudge a little trouble?"
135	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
136	** It is repeatedly stated that eventually, Death will meet everyone. Particularly, this exchange between Vimes and Lu Tze in ''Literature/{{Night Watch\|Discworld}}''. Leads to a NoSympathy moment from the sweeper.
137	--->'''Vimes''': I've been talking to people [[YouCantFightFate who are going to die today]]. Do you know how that feels?\
138	'''Lu Tze''': Er, yes. Everyone you talk to is going to die. Everyone I talk to is going to die. Everybody dies.
139	** In ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'' between Ponder Stibbons and the Librarian:
140	--->'''Ponder:''' Graveyards are full of people who rushed in bravely but unwisely.\
141	'''The Librarian:''' Ook. [[note]]Sooner or later, the graveyards are full of ''everybody''.[[/note]]
142	** In ''Literature/{{Eric}}'', a demon travels to the end of the universe and speaks to Death.
143	--->'''Astfgl:''' Have you seen anyone?
144	--->[[AC:Death: Everyone.]]
145	--->'''Astfgl:''' I mean have you seen anyone ''recently''.
146	--->[[AC:Death: It's been very quiet.]]
147	** During a conversation with Rincewind in ''Literature/TheLastContinent'', Death observes that Rincewind will certainly die, which Rincewind initially interprets as Death meaning Rincewind will be executed tomorrow, but Death later clarifies that he just meant that everyone dies eventually and he's actually looking forward to observing Rincewind's escape from the cell he's currently in.
148	** And even more directly, in ''Literature/CarpeJugulum'':
149	--->'''Granny Weatherwax''': Am I dyin'?
150	--->[[AC:Death: Yes.]]
151	--->'''Granny Weatherwax''': Will I die?
152	--->[[AC:Death: Yes.]]
153	--->'''Granny Weatherwax''': But from your point of view, everyone is dying and everyone will die, right?
154	--->[[AC:Death: Yes.]]
155	--->'''Granny Weatherwax''': So [[MathematiciansAnswer you aren't actually bein' a lot of help]], strictly speakin'.
156	** Delves into ArcWords in ''Literature/SmallGods''
157	--->'''Great God Om''': "In a hundred years, we'll all be dead." [[note]]'''Brutha''': But HERE and NOW [[TheAntiNihilist we are alive]]![[/note]]
158	** In ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}'', Susan tries to scare off Teatime with the threat of her grandfather coming after him. Teatime points out that everyone encounters Death eventually.
159	** In ''Literature/ReaperMan'', Death himself experiences what it is like to know the sand in your [[DeathsHourglass lifetimer]] is limited. Most of the other characters in the book also come to terms with mortality in various ways, expressed perhaps most memorably in one of Reg Shoe's ZombieAdvocate propaganda slogans:
160	--->"“Inside Every Living Person is a Dead Person Waiting to Get Out"
161	* ''Literature/FightClub'': Creator/ChuckPalahniuk says this.
162	-->''"On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero."''
163	* ''[[Literature/TheGoldenOecumene The Golden Transcedence]]'': That everyone will die is central to the conflict; Sophotechs in the Solar System are planning for the heat death of the universe, culminating in the death of everything, so that it will be peaceful. [[spoiler:The Silent Oecumene, on the other hand, considers this to be as peaceful as the grave, and calls for struggle if it's needed for there to be life.]]
164	* Inverted in ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'': Bod (being raised by ghosts) knows perfectly well that everyone will die one day, and is rather looking forward to [[DontFearTheReaper riding the white horse of the Lady on the Grey]]. However, he learns that it is very important for him to have lived before that.
165	-->“Us in the graveyard, we wants you to stay alive. We wants you to surprise us and disappoint us and impress us and amaze us.”
166	* Literature/HarryPotter's ability to acknowledge this is what often gives him the advantage in his confrontations against Voldemort. Creator/JKRowling has even said that the inevitability of death and the need for individuals to accept this fact is the CentralTheme of the entire series. This was directly addressed in the [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows final book]], where it is the moral of "The Tale of the Three Brothers", the story from which the legend of the titular Deathly Hallows come from.
167	* ''Literature/TheHistories'': In Herodotus' 5th century account of the Persian War, Xerxes looks over his army and comments that in a hundred years, every single man there will be dead. OlderThanFeudalism.
168	* Creator/HPLovecraft: Implied in a catchphrase concerning the long-term future of the world and its dormant immortals. "That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die." The only exceptions to mortality in his vision are the Old Ones, who are neither dead nor alive; described by Lovecraft as eternally "dead and dreaming". For the Old Ones, the words “death” and “sleep” are interchangeable.
169	* ''Literature/TheOldKingdom'': The Abhorsens combat necromancers, who raise up the dead to be servants to their will, but [[BadPowersGoodPeople they have the exact same magic at their disposal]]. In contrast, Sabriel's father reminds her that "Everyone and everything has a time to die" -- and it is essential for an Abhorsen to remember this, in order for them to meet their death, and other deaths which they would rather undo, with grace.
170	* ''Literature/{{Pact}}'': The RiddlingSphinx Isadora brings up this point when discussing with Blake Thorburn. He objects to [[PrepareToDie her informing him, that she is going to kill him]] by arguing that [[DoomedProtagonist he is already destined to die.]]
171	-->''All deaths are inevitable. Even immortal things will perish eventually. Why would you ever murder someone, knowing they’ll die eventually? That’s a rhetorical question, no need for an answer.''
172	* ''Literature/TheSagaOfTheJomsvikings'': One of the Jomsvikings about to be executed is asked how he feels about dying. The man replies that everyone has to die and therefore, there is no reason for him to break the law of the Jomsvikings, which is, to never show fear of anything, including death.
173	-->''"Poorly would I remember the laws of the Jomsvikings if I shrank from death or spoke words of fear. Death comes to every man."''
174	* ''Literature/TheSagaOfTheVolsungs'': Dying, the dragon Fafnir warns Sigurd that his hoard will bring about the death of everyone that owns it. Sigurd replies that since everyone has to die, and it is better to live rich than poor, he will take the hoard anyway.
175	* ''Film/SevenYearsInTibet'': The Buddhists are shown celebrating the impermanence of all things with statues made of butter and elaborate sand pictures. This is true to life.
176	* ''Literature/{{Sharpe}}'': In ''Sharpe's Sword'', Patrick Harper is wounded in battle and asks the priest if he is going to die. The Priest says yes; he is, and Harper says that he wishes he had married his long-term partner Ramona with whom he has a child out of wedlock. The Priest then does the quick version of wedding vows with Harper lying on the ground (do you? do you? you're married) and then tells Harper to stand up and kiss the bride. When Harper says he thought he was going to die, the priest responds:
177	-->''"We're all going to die, my son."''
178	* ''Literature/{{Shatterpoint}}'': Comes up a few times, especially in regards to Mace's (admittedly rather unsuccessful) attempts to save lives. The most prominent use is after Kar Vastor, who had previously been on Mace's side, [[GeneralRipper runs off to do his own thing]], killing one of Mace's loyal companions in the process.
179	-->'''Nick''': You know, Kar saved her life. ''(reloads his pistol, then holsters it)'' Temporarily.
180	-->'''Mace''': It's always temporary.
181	** This is in CallBack to an earlier exchange, concerning a handful of war refugees (whose parents had been, ironically, killed by Kar Vastor):
182	-->'''Nick''': What are those ''kids'' doing here? What happened to them?
183	-->'''Mace''': I saved their lives. ''(sighs)'' [[MyGreatestFailure Temporarily]].
184	-->'''Nick''': Huh. Always is.
185	-->''Beat. Mace looks at him, not understanding.''
186	-->'''Nick''': When you save someone's life. It's ''always'' temporary.
187	* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
188	** The equivalent to the Latin ''Memento mori'' is the [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Valyrian]] saying ''Valar morghulis'', meaning "All men must die". The traditional reply, by the way, is ''Valar Dohaeris'' ("All men must serve").
189	** [[MasterSwordsman Syrio]] has his own motto which also invokes this trope more passively: "There is only one god, and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: Not today."
190	* ''Literature/TroyRising'': Comes up when Comet has a chat with one of the local AI's about the way they deliberately suppress part of their hyperintelligence to avoid knowing things they know they ''mustn't'' know. Such as, for example, the way that each and every one of their human friends will eventually die. Thinking about stuff like that would be too depressing even for an AI, and talking about it would depress the ''humans'' even more.
191	* ''Literature/Stray1987'': In chapter 17 , Pufftail learns that ''everyone'' dies. Despite being an adult, he assumed that "the Great Stillness" only occurred to the unlucky. He refuses to believe that death is unavoidable.
192	[[/folder]]
193
194	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
195	* ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything'': "Adam Ruins Death" was all about this trope, even having a monologue dedicated to this at the beginning.
196	* In an episode of ''Series/TheAndyGriffithShow'', Aunt Bee is distraught that one of her friends of exactly her same age has just passed away. Barney tries to console her by saying, "We've all got to go sometime...." A DeathGlare from Andy informs him this isn't exactly the assurance that was needed at the moment.
197	* One episode of ''Series/AnotherPeriod'' has Beatrice realizing that ''everyone'' dies, including herself. She thought that she was an exception.
198	* On ''Series/BabylonFive'', Minbari wisdom puts it thusly:
199	-->'''Lennier''': Everyone dies, Delenn. All that matters is when, how, and if it is with honor.
200	* Played for DramaticIrony in the final episode of ''Series/BlakesSeven'' [[spoiler:when all the main characters die shortly after this conversation.]]
201	-->'''Vila:''' Sooner or later we're going to drop into one of these holes in the ground and never come out.\
202	'''Avon:''' Sooner or later, everyone does that, Vila.
203	* Used in ''Series/DoctorWho'', and sometimes subverted with the "not today" response.
204	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E2TheEndOfTheWorld "The End of the World"]]:
205	--->'''The Doctor:''' Everything has its time and everything dies.
206	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E2ToothAndClaw "Tooth and Claw"]]: Queen Victoria mentions the legend that anyone who possesses the Koh-i-Noor diamond must surely die. The Tenth Doctor points out that's true of anything if you take a long enough view.
207	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E9ForestOfTheDead "Forest of the Dead"]]:
208	--->'''River Song:''' Everybody knows that everybody dies, and nobody knows it like the Doctor. But not every day. Not today.
209	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]]: The Tenth Doctor tells Wilf he is going to die. Wilf points out that so is he, someday, to which the Doctor replies "Don't you dare!"
210	** [[Recap/DoctorWho2010CSAChristmasCarol "A Christmas Carol"]]:
211	--->'''Amy:''' Nobody has to die.\
212	'''Kazran:''' Everybody has to die.\
213	'''Amy:''' Not today.
214	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E1TheImpossibleAstronaut "The Impossible Astronaut"]]: River and the Ponds have just seen the Doctor appear to die. While they discuss it in the (past Doctor's) TARDIS, Amy says "He's still going to die." River replies with "We're all going to do that." Rory adds that "We're not all going to arrange our own wake and invite ourselves."
215	** In the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35ShortPrologue prologue]] to the premiere of Series 9, Ohila warns the Twelfth Doctor that fulfilling an old, old enemy's request for a meeting will result in his destruction. He is ready to die for good though — entrusting his last will and testament to her, to be sent to another — and replies "You could say the same of being born."
216	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent "Hell Bent"]]: Clara says to Ashildr: "We all face the Raven in the end. That is the deal," protesting that she isn't scared of death.
217	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E2TheGhostMonument "The Ghost Monument"]]: Yaz asks the Doctor if they're going to die. The Doctor says they all are, someday, but not today. "Not if I've got anything to do with it."
218	* ''Series/FullHouse'': The Season 7 episode "The Last Dance" has this as [[AnAesop one of the aesops]] for Michelle; Jesse is also reminded of this. This, after Jesse's grandfather, Iorgos "Papouli" Katsopolis (Jack Kruschen), dies in the guest room while in San Francisco to visit Jesse and the Tanners. Michelle is in strong denial, and Jesse helps her cope by not only (gently) reinforcing the trope, but that they have many good memories to reflect on.
219	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
220	** Played with here:
221	--->'''[[DashingHispanic Syrio Forel]]''': [[CatchPhrase What do we say]] [[YouShallNotPass to the God of Death?]]\
222	'''Arya Stark''': [[BadassBoast Not today.]]
223	** Referenced in-universe: ''Valar morghulis''.
224	* On ''{{Series/Lost}}'', this is [[spoiler:Christian Shepherd]]'s response to [[spoiler:his son, Jack]]'s realization that he has died.
225	-->'''[[spoiler:Christian:]]''' Everyone dies sometime, kiddo. Some of them before you, some...long after you.
226	* ''Series/RedDwarf'':
227	** Lister:
228	--->Yeah, well, everyone dies. You're born, and you die. The bit in the middle's called life, and that's still to come!
229	** The holographic (and dead) Rimmer travels back in time to warn his living counterpart:
230	--->'''Rimmer''': I've come to warn you, in three million years you'll be dead!\
231	'''Past Rimmer''': Will I really?
232	* ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'' has this exchange:
233	-->'''Marian:''' ''[frightened]'' Are we going to die?\
234	'''Robin:''' ''[smiling]'' Everybody dies.\
235	'''Marian:''' ''[not in the mood]'' That's not what I asked!
236	* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' - In an early episode, this is why Dr Cox tells J.D that he can't work in medicine if he is afraid of death. This prompts an ImagineSpot of [[ChessWithDeath Death beating J.D at]] ''TabletopGame/ConnectFour''.
237	-->'''Cox:''' You gotta accept the fact that everything we do here, ''everything'', is a stall. We're just trying to keep the game going, that's it. But ultimately, it always ends up the same way.
238	* The ''Series/SeaQuestDSV'' episode "Give Me Liberté" has this exchange:
239	-->'''Bridger:''' People are dying.\
240	'''Peche:''' That's what people do, they die. The only things that survive are pain and guilt.
241	* The "[[Recap/SherlockS01E03TheGreatGame The Great Game]]" episode of ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'', between Sherlock and Moriarty, though in this case to demonstrate how psychotic the latter is.
242	-->'''Sherlock:''' People have died.\
243	'''Moriarty:''' That's what people ''[[SuddenlyShouting do]]''!
244	* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', done subtly when Clark indirectly says [[WhoWantsToLiveForever his greatest fear is to be left completely alone]]. Chloe says she wants to promise that she would always be there for him, but fears it is not a promise that she could keep.
245	* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'':
246	** In "A Matter of Time", a historian from the 26th century comes to watch what happens during a crisis on the Enterprise back in the 24th. Picard wants him to tell him what the future says happened, but he's reluctant. [[spoiler: But probably not for [[AlienNonInterferenceClause the reason he claims to be]], as it later turns out.]]
247	--->'''Rasmussen''': You must see that if I were to influence you, everything in this sector, in this quadrant of the galaxy could change. History, my history, would unfold in a way other than it already has. Now what possible incentive could anyone offer me to allow that to happen?\
248	'''Picard''': I have two choices. Either way, one version of history or another will wend its way forward. The history you know or another one. Now who is to say which is better? What I do know is here, today, one way, millions of lives could be saved. Now isn't that incentive enough?\
249	'''Rasmussen''': Everyone dies, Captain. It's just a question of when. All of those people down there died years before I was born. All of you up here, as well. So you see, I can't get quite as worked up as you over the fate of some colonists who, for me, have been dead a very, very long time.
250	** In "Tapestry", Q offers Picard a chance to avoid the incident that got him stabbed through the heart, which was replaced with an artificial one that is now failing:
251	--->'''Q:''' It's two days before your unfortunate encounter with a Nausicaan sword. You have that long to make whatever changes you wish. If you can avoid getting stabbed through the heart this time, which I doubt, I will take you back to what you think of as the present. And you can go on with your life with a real heart.\
252	'''Picard:''' Then I won't die?\
253	'''Q:''' ''(sarcastically)'' ''Of course'' you'll die. It'll just be at a later time.
254	* This is a common refrain on the show ''Series/{{Vikings}}'', somewhat unsurprisingly considering that nearly all the main characters are, well, ''vikings''. In the show's first massed battle, TheLancer[=/=]TheDragon Rollo speaks a war chant that concludes with this, which is cheerfully taken up by some of the other combatants as well.
255	-->'''Rollo:''' Up onto the overturned keel\
256	Clamber, with a heart of steel\
257	Cold is the ocean's spray\
258	And your death is on its way\
259	With maidens you have had your way\
260	'''Rollo''', '''Lagertha''', '''Leif:''' Each must die some day!
261	* ''Series/YoungSheldon'': In "A Box of Treasure and the Meemaw of Science", Sheldon estimates it's going to take thirty years of scientific experiments to actually detect solar neutrinos. Connie's disappointed, and Sheldon tactlessly reminds his Meemaw of the possibility she might die before solar neutrinos are detected, but of course young Sheldon will probably still be alive at that point.
262	[[/folder]]
263
264	[[folder:Music]]
265	* "Brothers in Arms" by Music/DireStraits (and the cover by Music/CelticThunder) features a brief line with a mortally wounded soldier saying goodbye to his comrades and acknowledging death's inevitability.
266	* "Atlantic City" by {{Music/Bruce Springsteen}}, has the chorus "Everything dies, baby that's a fact. But maybe everything that dies, someday comes back." Haunting given that the song is implied to be about a man down on his luck, who is about to take a job as a [[ProfessionalKiller hitman]].
267	* The TUNNG song "Hands" ends three of its six verses with variations on the phrase
268	-->"It's okay, we're all going to end up dead and gone."
269	* The Music/FlamingLips song "Do You Realize??" contains the line, "Do you realize....that everyone you know someday will die."
270	* Used darkly in Music/AvengedSevenfold's "A Little Piece Of Heaven". The protagonist murders his girlfriend and notes that "Everybody's gotta die sometime". She comes back as a zombie, kills him, and repeats the line. They both repeat the line after they get married and go on a killing spree.
271	* Music/LanaDelRey's single "Born To Die" (and the whole damn album of the same name, too) is based around this trope. Makes sense if you think about it...
272	* "Memento Mori", by {{Music/Flyleaf}}. The [[ConceptAlbum story behind the entire album]] revolves around living in a way that you'll be ready to die.
273	* "This Is the Life" by Music/WeirdAlYankovic.
274	-->You're dead for a real long time/You just can't prevent it\
275	So if money can't buy happiness/I guess I'll have to rent it
276	* "No One Lives Forever" by Music/OingoBoingo.
277	* Music/TomWaits gives us "Dirt in the Ground" from ''Music/BoneMachine''. "All Stripped Down" from the same album could also be read this way, i.e. "all stripped down to a skeleton."
278	* "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" by Music/NeutralMilkHotel has a more positive outlook on this trope; sure, we'll all die one day, but life is too beautiful to let that get you down.
279	* Abbey Road Studios doorman Gerry O'Driscoll said that this is why he's not afraid to die during one of the spoken word segments of Music/PinkFloyd's ''Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon'':
280	-->And I am not frightened of dying. Any time will do, I don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying? There's no reason for it – you've got to go some time.
281	* Music/{{Awolnation}}'s "Kill Your Heroes":
282	-->I say kill your heroes and fly, fly, baby don't cry.\
283	Don't you cry 'cause everybody will die.\
284	Everyday we must go, go, baby don't go.\
285	Don't you worry, we love you more than you know.
286	* Music/BobDylan's "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)".
287	-->He not busy being born is busy dying.
288	* Music/BillyJoel's "Lullabye," which is an attempt to explain death to his young daughter.
289	-->Someday we'll all be gone, but lullabies go on and on...
290	* Music/FallOutBoy's "Death Valley" contains the lyrics:
291	-->We're gonna die, it's just a matter of time.\
292	Hard times come, good times go...\
293	I'm either gone in an instant or here 'til the bitter end.\
294	I, I never know.
295	* "Mannen i den vita hatten" by Music/{{Kent}} has this line repeated several times towards the end: "Vi ska alla en gång dö" (We all will die eventually).
296	* Music/ModestMouse utilizes this trope in multiple songs and across albums:
297	** "Parting of the Sensory" from Music/WeWereDeadBeforeTheShipEvenSank:
298	-->Dehydrate back into minerals,\
299	A lifelong walk to the same exact spot.\
300	Carbon's anniversary, the parting of the sensory.\
301	...Someday you will die and somehow something's gonna steal your carbon...
302	** "Lives" from "The Moon & Antarctica":
303	-->It's hard to remember, it’s hard to remember\
304	We're alive for the first time\
305	It's hard to remember, it's hard to remember\
306	We're alive for the last time\
307	It's hard to remember, it’s hard to remember\
308	To live before you die\
309	It's hard to remember, it’s hard to remember\
310	That our lives are such a short time\
311	It's hard to remember, it’s hard to remember\
312	When it takes such a long time
313	** From the album "Strangers to Ourselves", the song "Be Brave" is about death and facing the afterlife, if there is one:
314	-->Well the Earth doesn't care and we hardly even matter,\
315	We're just a bit more piss to push out its full bladder.\
316	And as our bodies break down into all their rocky little bits,\
317	Piled up under mountains of dirt and silt and still the world it don't give a shit.\
318	But, be brave, be brave, be brave, be brave, be brave.
319	* Music/DeathCabForCutie's "I Will Follow You Into The Dark":
320	-->Love of mine, someday you will die..\
321	But I'll be close behind, I'll follow you into the dark.
322	* The acoustic punk rock band Corporate Hearts uses this trope in their song, "Grave Motivation".
323	-->We run faster past the graveyard\
324	But not for fear of the living dead\
325	Driven by motivation\
326	Reminded of the fact that time runs out, and life ends
327	* Music/ChuckBerry's "Pass Away" resembles the Literature/BookOfEcclesiastes with lyrics such as:
328	-->Fighting furiously on a battlefield, once a javelin pierced his shield\
329	Soldiers with a loud lament bore him bleeding to his tent\
330	Groaning from his tortured side, "Pain is hard to bear", he cried\
331	"Oh, but with patience day by day, even this shall pass away"\
332	Sick and sore with cancer; weak and tired and old, just minutes yet to go to pass the gates o' gold\
333	Spake he with his dying breath, "Life is done, so what is death?"\
334	Then in answer to the king fell a sunbeam on his ring\
335	Reflecting words he failed to say: "Even this shall pass away"
336	* "If We Were Vampires" by Music/JasonIsbell is about a couple realizing they won't be together forever because one of them will die first and the survivor will have to carry on without them until their own death.
337	-->''It's knowing that this can't go on forever''\
338	''Likely one of us will have to spend some days alone''\
339	''Maybe we'll get forty years together''\
340	''But one day I'll be gone''\
341	''Or one day you'll be gone''
342	* Music/TheDoors "Five to One":
343	-->No one here gets out alive
344	* "Life's Gonna Suck When You Grow Up" by Dennis Leary is a [[LyricalDissonance cheery song]] about telling children how GrowingUpSucks. It ends with noting that you'll die eventually.
345	* Music/APerfectCircle's "The Outsider" is from the POV of someone who doesn't understand his friend's drug addiction. He doesn't understand why they're being self-destructive or how to help them. The line "What's your hurry? Everyone will have his day to die!" portrays this sort of viewpoint.
346	* Music/FlorenceAndTheMachine's "My Boy Builds Coffins" has this message. It's about a coffin maker. He makes coffins for everyone, from the richest royalty to the poorest beggars. He's even built himself a coffin and one for the singer. The song also mentions "One of these days he'll make one for you".
347	* "DontFearTheReaper" by Music/BlueOysterCult is about not fearing death and its inevitability:
348	-->40,000 men and women every day (like Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet)
349	-->40,000 men and women every day (redefine happiness)
350	-->Another 40,000 coming every day (we can be like they are)
351	-->Come on baby, don't fear the reaper
352	* Music/ThePaperKites' song "Willow Tree March" mentions this in its chorus. The song is about living life to the fullest:
353	-->And we all still die
354	-->Oh, we all still die
355	-->What will you leave behind?
356	-->Oh, we all still die
357	* Music/{{Delain}}:
358	** "Danse Macabre" uses a variation of this StockPhrase and a "but not today" rebuttal:
359	--->Let the earth cover me\
360	Angels will call for me\
361	But in time\
362	Not tonight
363	** "To Live Is To Die."
364	--->Life will pass / Like a flash
365	* "Dance In The Graveyards" by Music/DeltaRae deals with the inevitability of death and says that it won't stop us from dancing in joy before or even after we die.
366	* "The Score" by Music/{{Amaranthe}}:
367	-->We all die\
368	The goal isn't to live forever\
369	The goal is to create something that will
370	* "We All Have Fears' by Music/TheCogIsDead:
371	-->Well we all have fears
372	-->And we know some day our time is gonna come
373	-->But no matter how you cut it
374	-->Everyone will kick the bucket
375	-->When our days are done.
376	* As Music/{{Nas}} put it, "Life's a bitch and then you die. That's why we get high."
377	* Music/{{Sia}}'s collaboration with Zero 7, "Waiting to Die".
378	-->Yes, it is true, death is everyone's fate\
379	But we've made it this far, it's time to celebrate
380	** Also discussed on "That's Life", a collaboration between 88-Keys and Music/MacMiller that Sia later joined after Miller's death.
381	-->Everybody lives, and everybody dies one day\
382	That's life, what'cha gonna do?
383	* In "The Human Stain" by Music/{{Kamelot}}, the human race is hopelessly flawed; life is miserable and senseless, and someday, we all must die; yet, we want to live for just a little longer.
384	* Music/WillWood: "Memento Mori: the most important thing in the world" constantly reminds you that one day you're going to die, and lists various horrible ways it might happen.
385	-->''One day you're going to die!\
386	No need to fear, 'cause when it's here, you won't be alive!\
387	Try not to think about it!\
388	One day you're doing to die!\
389	(And there's probably nothing after!)''
390	[[/folder]]
391
392	[[folder:Poetry]]
393	* The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam often touches on this:
394	-->'' Lo! some we loved, the loveliest and the best\
395	That Time and Fate of all their Vintage prest,\
396	Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before,\
397	And one by one crept silently to Rest.\
398	\
399	And we, that now make merry in the Room\
400	They left, and Summer dresses in new Bloom,\
401	Ourselves must we beneath the Couch of Earth\
402	Descend, ourselves to make a Couch—for whom?''
403	* The last stanza of "Hávamál", a collection of Old Norse poems included in the ''Literature/CodexRegius'', says:
404	-->Cattle die,
405	-->kinsmen die
406	-->you yourself die;
407	-->I know one thing
408	-->which never dies:
409	-->the judgment of a dead man's life.
410	[[/folder]]
411
412	[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
413	* ''Series/SesameStreet'': In the "Goodbye, Mr. Hooper" episode, the adults make note of this and that someday he too will die and that such is part of the life cycle. In the tag scene, where a young couple with a baby are passing by, Big Bird remarks about the cycle of life: "Here today, gone tomorrow!"
414	[[/folder]]
415
416	[[folder:Religion]]
417	* ''Literature/TheBible'' in one passage makes quite clear that all men and women will eventually suffer the fate of death.
418	-->'' "All share a common destiny - the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner, as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them. This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun. The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead." ''
419	-->-- '''[[Literature/BookOfEcclesiastes Ecclesiates 9:2-3]]'''
420	* In UsefulNotes/{{Christian\|ity}} traditions that observe Ash Wednesday, ashes are placed on the worshipers' foreheads with the admonition, "Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return."
421	* For Hades in Greek Mythology, enforcing this was basically a part of his job. Many mortals came to the Underworld to beg him to resurrect their dead loved ones, but he almost always refused. Not because he didn't care, but because death was simply something that mortals ''had'' to accept, and Hades had a big hangup about resurrections. He only accepted this sort of request once for Orpheus, just because his music was ''that'' heartbreaking.
422	[[/folder]]
423
424	[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
425	* Louis CK had a bit about his six-year-old daughter asking him a bunch of random questions and him answering them distractedly, without thinking through whether the answers were suitable for a six-year-old.
426	-->"Will the sun always be there?"
427	-->"Well no, someday it will explode... (off the horrified look on her face) Don't worry, sweetie, [[DiggingYourselfDeeper this won't happen until after you and everyone you know have been dead for a very long time.]]"
428	[[/folder]]
429
430	[[folder:Theatre]]
431	* A variation occurs in ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'': Everyone's father dies, so stop whining, Hamlet. It's been a whole month. You're ruining our wedding preparations.
432	** Played straight in Act 5 Scene 1, during the "Alas Poor Yorick" speech:
433	-->''"Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come; make her laugh at that."''
434	* In Music/{{Tsukiuta}}'s second play Yumemigusa (Sakura), Arata spins this at Aoi during their first scene together, discussing Arata's [[IncurableCoughOfDeath illness]]. Arata isn't afraid to die, but Aoi won't accept losing his friend.
435	* In the last act of ''The Insect Play'', titled "Death and Life," the AudienceSurrogate watches all the moths die. He wonders what life is to them if they all depart from it so quickly. The next moment he is dying himself.
436	* ''Theatre/{{Beetlejuice}}'' has a song called "The Whole 'Being Dead' Thing," in which BJ directly [[BreakingTheFourthWall addresses the audience]], saying, yes, he's dead, yes, this is a show about death, and yes, ''everyone'' will die someday, and, no, there's absolutely nothing anyone can do about it -- so get used to it.
437	-->''God, I hope you're ready for a show about death.''
438	* ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'' has a chorus of the dead sing the line "Everyone dances with Death" in the opening number. [[TheGrimReaper Death himself]] appears and reaffirms the message:
439	-->My mission is to destroy; I do it coldly. I take those who are mine, young and old.
440	[[/folder]]
441
442	[[folder:Video Games]]
443	* During the Ice Worm mission in ''VideoGame/ArmoredCoreVIFiresOfRubicon'', V.II Snail quips that "Chatty" Stick doesn't have to worry about dying, being that he's an AI ([[JustAMachine or a 'toy' as he puts it]]). Chatty denies this and says that "Even 'toys' have to face the music someday." [[spoiler:Sure enough, Chatty dies in all three routes.]]
444	* This is used during a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech in ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia''. The BigBad, Gaius, is also an AntiVillain who wants to gather all the world's strongest weapons because Gaius feels that, as king of Auj Oule, he has a duty to protect his weakest citizens. When he says this in a MotiveRant, Milla asks him an ArmorPiercingQuestion: since Gaius will inevitably die one day, how can he be sure that the next person who becomes king of Auj Oule will have the same ideals that he does and use those weapons in the same way? Gaius, apparently [[DidntThinkThisThrough having not thought of that]], is left speechless.
445	* Wynne, the elderly Enchanter in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' (and the oldest member of your Player Party, except the golem Shale), is very acutely aware of her own mortality... and embraces it. It doesn't mean that she will just drop dead on you anytime soon, however. It is much later revealed that she is practically LivingOnBorrowedTime, having already effectively died long ago but kept alive via a benevolent case of DemonicPossession.
446	* Acknowledged in ''VideoGame/GrimFandango''.
447	-->''"We may have years. We may have hours. But in the end, we push up flowers."''
448	* ''Memento mori'' ("Remember you will die"; see the RealLife example below) is the [[ArcWords Arc Phrase]] of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}''. [[spoiler:Appropriate, given the game ends with the protagonist's death.]]
449	* ''[[VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward]]'' also repeatedly invokes the phrase ''memento mori'', if only so the player doesn't forget that the characters' lives and deaths will depend on how the player reacts to a series of {{Sadistic Choice}}s.
450	** ''VLR'' also features the similar phrase ''tu fui ego eris'' on a gravestone, translated to ''what I was, you are, what I am, you will be'', essentially meaning ''I am dead, but was once alive, you are alive, but will die someday''.
451	* In ''VideoGame/BattleRealms'', a discussion between Zymeth, a ReallySevenHundredYearsOld EvilSorcerer, and the mysterious ninja who aids him leads to this.
452	-->'''Zymeth:''' Some of my people don't care for you.\
453	'''Ninja:''' '''People die.'''\
454	'''Zymeth:''' Some...\
455	'''Ninja:''' '''All.'''
456	* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'': This is Grave Warden Agdayne's attitude about death. "Countless souls rest here in peace. Some were rich, others poor. Some bright, some dull, but now they're all just dead. [...] Death is equitable. Accepting. Eventually, we all shall enter her embrace."
457	* [[spoiler:Pod 153]] from ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' sums it up neatly during [[spoiler:Ending E]].
458	-->'''[[spoiler:Pod 153:]]''' Everything that lives is designed to end. They are perpetually trapped in a never-ending spiral of life and death. However...life is all about the struggle within this cycle. [[spoiler:This is what "we" believe]].
459	* ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider'': One of the villains is looking for [[ImmortalityInducer the Divine Source]] specifically so she can cure her own terminal illness. When she finally has the treasure in her hands, Lara tries to convince her to give it back by arguing that death is inevitable.
460	* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'': Lamar Davis has a very self-destructive behavior as a gangster and gets himself into all sorts of life-or-death situations that his friend Franklin has to bail him out. Lamar is aware of this, but seems resigned to this lifestyle and sees nothing wrong - If people want to come after him, that's fine - it's the way the game of life is played and he isn't going to lose sleep over it.
461	-->"Nigga's want me dead, be dead themselves. I ain't gonna overreact to shit."
462	* In a specific week in ''VisualNovel/LongLiveTheQueen'', Elodie is advised by her father Joslyn that a keythong, a golden cat-like beast with spikes and a beak, has been sighted outside of the Old Forest and that the disappearance of several subjects from his duchy are thought to have been related to its presence. Elodie's suggestion to send hunters after it is essentially met with this trope, which will always increase Elodie's 'Depressed' mood by one stage. A surprisingly harsh response on his part, considering how recently Queen Fidelia (his wife and her mother) had died...
463	-->'''Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris:''' The traditional policy on stray beasts is to hope that they return to the forest and stay there. Hunters are no match for such creatures. You would only make it angry and waste more lives.\
464	'''Elodie, Crown Princess:''' So... we just let it eat people?\
465	'''Joslyn:''' Everyone dies in the end.\
466	'''Elodie:''' [[VisibleSilence ...]]
467	* This is Zuo Ci's "Trouble" quote in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 5''.
468	-->'''Zuo Ci''': We all must perish someday...
469	* Used rather frighteningly in ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' by Coaxmetal, the massive Iron Golem in the siege tower. He's the UltimateBlacksmith who forges weapons for the forces of entropy to unmake reality, and he does it because otherwise order might chain down reality until it cannot be destroyed; and when something's made unkillable, it "merely dies a different death".
470	-->'''Coaxmetal''': ALL THINGS HAVE A COMMON GROUND IN DECAY. WAR IS NECESSARY. DEATH IS NECESSARY. DECAY IS NECESSARY.
471	* This is a CentralTheme of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', perhaps most exemplified by [[BlackMage Vivi's]] arc. The Black Mages are a race of {{Artificial Human}}s resembling living dolls with a lifespan of only about 1 year. One of them, Vivi, is a main character, and this is one of many revelations that he struggles with throughout the game, and while other Mages bargain with the villain in hopes he will extend their lifespan, it turns out there is nothing that can stop it. Ultimately, Vivi concludes that he and the others around him [[AntiNihilist should make the best of the time they have.]] He even invokes this trope by name against the FinalBoss if you select your team so that he gets selected as leader.
472	-->'''Vivi''': We're all gonna stop some day, but not today! Let's go, guys!
473	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': Sonic tells [[spoiler: Merlina]] this in the ending to ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight''.
474	-->'''Sonic:''' [[spoiler: Merlina]], every world has its end; I know that's kind of sad but, that's why we gotta live life to the fullest in the time that we have.
475	* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft: Legion'', Death Knights with the Blades of the Fallen Prince can find the shade of the Lich King waxing about the nature of death. In one of his appearances, he claims this trope is death's greatest strength; the dead outnumber the living, and they ''always'' will.
476	[[/folder]]
477
478	[[folder:Webcomics]]
479	* From ''Webcomic/ASofterWorld'' strip: ''"I miss my little girl, I never said goodbye." Oh, suck it up. She won't live forever either.''
480	* From ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2004-03-06 here:]]
481	-->'''Ennesby''': [[OhCrap We're all going to ]] ''[[OhCrap die]]''...\
482	'''[[DeadpanSnarker Haban II]]''': Eventually, yes. Are you telling me that you know ''when''?
483	* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'', [[http://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch03/ch03_47.html Ch. 3, p. 47:]]
484	-->'''Duane:''' If you worry over dying, Sette, you conceal it better than the surfeit of stolen coinage in your knickers.\
485	'''Sette:''' Well, everyone's got to ''do'' it, ain't they? But you'll go cacklin'-crackers thinking of it always.
486	* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' takes the concept and [[http://xkcd.com/1177/ applies it to]] ''The Franchise/{{Terminator}}''.
487	* In one ''Webcomic/CyanideAndHappiness'' strip, a man comments that he ate a "Do not eat" packet (silica gel) and asks if he's going to die. His friend answers that everyone is going to die. The first man gasps in horror.
488	-->''"Everyone? What have I done?"''
489	* This is the attitude of [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1037.html Oona the Beastmaster's worg Greyview]] in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
490	-->'''Greyview''': All deaths horrible. Also inevitable. Nod. Get treat.
491	[[/folder]]
492
493	[[folder:Web Original]]
494	* One WebAnimation/{{ASDFmovie}} skit relies on this.
495	-->'''Guy 1''' (Points gun) You're gonna die!\
496	'''Guy 2''' We're all gonna die.\
497	(Guy 1 contemplates this, then solemnly puts down gun).
498	* The second episode of ''WebVideo/DontHugMeImScared'' ends with Tony the Clock singing "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine. But eventually everyone runs out of time," after [[spoiler:causing the characters to experience themselves aging and then ''melting''.]]
499	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': From [[http://whateleyacademy.net/index.php/original-timeline/264-whilst-any-speaks-chapter-4 Whilst Any Speaks: Chapter 4:]]
500	-->[[spoiler: Aunghadhail]]: All things end.
501	* "All Things Must Die" from ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' is a dual meaning ImageSong for both Cinder and Raven. In Cinder's case, it's how she actively wants to kill everything, but in SocialDarwinist Raven's case, it's in this meaning.
502	* Briefly mentioned in the ''WebAnimation/OverlySarcasticProductions'' video on the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology myth of Hades and Persephone]].
503	-->''Hades is a pretty cool dude, and as king of the underworld, his divine domain is nothing to sneeze at -- as firstborn son of Kronos, the world was his by birthright, and even if there's a bit of a delay, everyone becomes his subject eventually.''
504	[[/folder]]
505
506	[[folder:Western Animation]]
507	* Invoked by Creator/HenryWinkler in Season 2 of ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman''.
508	-->'''Winkler''': There's no shame in dying for nothing. That's why most people die.
509	* WesternAnimation/BugsBunny:
510	** In short, Bugs says "Never take life too seriously. You'll never get out of it alive!"
511	** In ''WesternAnimation/TheOldGreyHare'' while secretly planning to bury Elmer alive, an elderly Bugs comments, "We all have to go sometime, Doc."
512	* ''WesternAnimation/GlitchTechs'': When Mitch contracts nano-flu, his boss casually dismisses him as unavailable for a mission because he's "dying, apparently."
513	-->'''Mitch:''' I'm ''dying?!''\
514	'''BITT:''' Technically, all humans are dying!
515	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hilda}}'': It's mentioned that ghosts are largely unconcerned with the loved ones they leave behind for this reason. After all, they'll die too sooner or later.
516	* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': Tulip gets angry at One-One for saying that she'd die if her number went to 0.[[labelnote:Explanation]]He said that she'd be ''gone forever''[[/labelnote]] He sarcastically replies with "It would be surprising if you never died".
517	* ''WesternAnimation/Invincible2021'': [[Characters/Invincible2021OmniMan Nolan/Omni-Man]] says as much after [[spoiler:killing a pilot Mark had rescued in cold blood]], rhetorically asking what difference in makes whether the man died now or in a few decades, to which Mark responds:
518	-->"''HE'D HAVE A ''LIFE''!''"
519	* The ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'' episode "Family Vacation" has this exchange:
520	-->'''Mr. Brulee:''' We're going to die!
521	-->'''Milo:''' Only eventually.
522	* ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'' has a recurring motif of premature death, so of course this comes up. [[spoiler:The town of Pottsfield is revealed to be populated by the dead. At the end of the episode, they have a harvest festival and invite Greg and Wirt to [[TheDeadCanDance join the party]].]]
523	-->'''Enoch:''' What a wonderful harvest. And what about you? Are you sure you want to leave?\
524	'''Wirt:''' Me? Yes!\
525	'''Enoch:''' Oh, well. [[spoiler:You'll join us someday.]]
526	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
527	** Played for dark humour in "Kamp Krusty", when Bart and Lisa are trapped in a terrible summer camp.
528	--->'''Lisa:''' I feel like I'm gonna die, Bart.\
529	'''Bart:''' We're all gonna die, Lis'.\
530	'''Lisa:''' I meant soon!\
531	'''Bart:''' So did I.
532	** There was a weird example of this in the episode "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" when Homer thought he was dying:
533	--->'''Dr. Hibbert:''' Now, a little death anxiety is normal. You can expect to go through five stages. The first is denial.\
534	'''Homer:''' No way! Because I'm not dying!\
535	'''Hibbert:''' The second is anger.\
536	'''Homer''' ''(furious)'': Why you little!\
537	'''Hibbert:''' After that comes fear.\
538	'''Homer''' ''(panicked)'': What's after fear? What's after fear?\
539	'''Hibbert:''' Bargaining.\
540	'''Homer:''' Doc, you gotta get me out of this! I'll make it worth your while!\
541	'''Hibbert:''' Finally, acceptance.\
542	'''Homer''' ''(much calmer)'': Well, we all gotta go sometime.\
543	'''Hibbert:''' Mr. Simpson, your progress astounds me.
544	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'' episode "Squeaky", Papa Smurf tries to comfort Smurfette over the loss of her pet mouse by telling her that death is a natural part of life. Smurfette doesn't want to hear that and so runs away from the village until the Smurfs come and rescue her.
545	* In the ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' episode "Gift of the Card", Star buys Marco an enchanted gift card, but are informed that if Marco doesn't buy anything before it expires, they will both die. When they start to panic, the clerk mocks them for it, saying everybody dies eventually.
546	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'': The Tick, of all people, didn't actually comprehend that people can die; there was a weird disconnect in his mind that "only dead people die" so he had to have it explained to him that everyone dies.
547	-->'''Tick''': Everyone?
548	-->'''Arthur''': Yes, Tick.
549	-->'''Tick''': ...potatoes?
550	-->'''Arthur''': Even potatoes.
551	-->'''Tick''':...you?
552	-->'''Arthur''': sad nod
553	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Unsupervised}}'' has the episode "Fire", where the main characters are trapped in a burning building during the climax. After their initial escape attempt fails, Russ, the resident ButtMonkey, calmly says "Oh well, we all gonna die". In his case, it's more understandable than usual considering how utterly shitty his life is.
554	[[/folder]]
555
556	[[folder:Other]]
557	* According to some accounts in UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire, a victorious general leading a triumphal procession would be accompanied by a slave standing behind him and whispering in his ear, "Respice post te. Hominem te memento"-- roughly, "Look after you (to the time of your death); remember you are only a man." Supposedly the idea was that reminding him that one day he would share the same fate as all mortals would stop him from [[AGodAmI developing a god complex]].
558	* The Japanese yojijukugo/four-character idiom, 生者必滅, Shōja Hitsumetsu, literally meaning "Living things' certain destruction," is this trope distilled into, well, a four-character idiom.
559	[[/folder]]
560	----
561	->''To follow you I’m not content \
562	Until I know [[HeavenVersusHell which way you went!]]''
563	->-- '''Anonymous''', response

Context Main / WeAllDieSomeday