History Main / WeAllDieSomeday

** Played for dark humour when Bart and Lisa are trapped in a terrible summer camp.
--->'''Lisa:''' ...Bart, I think I'm going to die!\\
'''Bart:''' We're all going to die, Lisa.\\

A StockPhrase that acknowledges our own mortality. Good guys, bad guys, and everybody [[AntiHero in]] [[AntiVillain between]] will one day have to recognise that 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 optismistic, i.e. "we all die someday, so 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.

* Invoked by John Maynard Keynes: "In the long run we're all dead." The point of this statement is a reminder that the purpose of an economy is to allocate resources to ''real, living people'' -- failing at this for the sake of the long-term health of the system itself makes the whole thing worthless.

* Splinter incorporates this into a BadassBoast in the [[Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.]]
-->'''Splinter:''' Death comes for us all, Oroku Saki. But something much worse comes for you. For when you die, it will be without honor.
* Briefly comes up in ''Film/TheWholeNineYards''. 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?"
* ''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."

* In ''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.]]
* ''Film/BladeRunner'':
-->'''Gaff:''' It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does?

* ''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]].
* In ''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.
* In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', 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."
-->'''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]]
* The 1947 FilmNoir ''Body and Soul'' ends with a boxer refusing to fix a prizefight. Making this basic fact of life a BadassBoast:
-->''"What are you going to do? Kill me? Everybody dies!"''.
* ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'': "Every man dies, not every man really lives."
* ''Film/TheLastSamurai'': Katsumoto expresses this sentiment when discussing [[CodeOfHonour bushido]] with Capt. Algren.
-->'''Katsumoto''': Like these blossoms, we are all dying.

* ''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.
-->'''Connors:''' People die. Even [[Fiction500 Norman Osborn.]]
* ''Film/{{Troy}}'': Briseis is threatening to kill Achilles.
--> '''Achilles''': "Everyone dies. Today, or fifty years from now. What difference does it make?"

* In one WesternAnimation/BugsBunny short, Bugs says "Never take life too seriously. You'll never get out of it alive!"

* 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.
* The ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'' episode "Family Vacation" has this exchange:
-->'''Mr. Brulee:''' We're going to die!
-->'''Milo:''' Only eventually.

* 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.
* ''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.
* ''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]].]]
-->'''Enoch:''' What a wonderful harvest. And what about you? Are you sure you want to leave?\\
'''Wirt:''' Me? Yes!\\
'''Enoch:''' Oh, well. [[spoiler:You'll join us someday.]]
* Invoked by Creator/HenryWinkler in Season 2 of ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman''.
-->'''Winkler''': There's no shame in dying for nothing. That's why most people die.
* ''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".
* ''WesternAnimation/GlitchTechs'': When Mitch contracts nano-flu, his boss casually dismisses him as unavailable for a mission because he's "dying, apparently."
-->'''Mitch:''' I'm ''dying?!''\\
'''BITT:''' Technically, all humans are dying!

''"Remember friend as you walk by\\

->''Remember friend as you walk by
->As you are now so once was I
->As I am now you will surely be
->Prepare thyself to follow me.''

--->'''Granny Weatherwax''': So [[NonAnswer you aren't actually bein' a lot of help]], strictly speakin'.

See also WeAreAsMayflies, DontFearTheReaper, NotAfraidToDie and LifeWillKillYou. Compare WhoWantsToLiveForever. Do not confuse with KillEmAll. A work may invoke this trope in a DeadlyDistantFinale.

Contrast LivingForeverIsAwesome and ImmortalitySeeker.

* 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.
** The manga ''Akagi'' is a prequel to, ''Manga/{{Ten}}'', 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.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': Tulip gets angry at One-One for saying that she'd die if her number went to 0. He sarcastically replies with "It would be surprising if you never died".

->''"Remember friend as you walk by

->Prepare thyself to follow me."''

->''"In the end, the worm conquers all."''
-->-- '''Atticus Thorn''', ''VideoGame/TheHauntedMansion''

* 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.

-->-- '''Atticus Thorn''', ''Franchise/TheHauntedMansion''

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' 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.

* A 1940s ''Comicbook/TheFlash'' comic involves the following exchange:

* This is a CentralTheme of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', perhaps most exemplified by 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.

* This is the CentralTheme of the Black Mages subplot in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX''. 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.

* 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''

* Music/TheDoors "Five to One"

-->'''Lisa:''' ...Bart, I think I'm going to die!
-->'''Bart:''' We're all going to die, Lisa.
-->'''Lisa:''' I meant soon!
-->'''Bart:''' So did I.

-->'''Dr. Hibbert:''' Now, a little death anxiety is normal. You can expect to go through five stages. The first is denial.
-->'''Homer:''' No way! Because I'm not dying!
-->'''Hibbert:''' The second is anger.
-->'''Homer''' ''[[BerserkButton (furious)]]'': Why you little!
-->'''Hibbert:''' After that comes fear.
-->'''Homer''' ''(panicked)'': What's after fear? What's after fear?
-->'''Hibbert:''' Bargaining.
-->'''Homer:''' Doc, you gotta get me out of this! I'll make it worth your while!
-->'''Hibbert:''' Finally, acceptance.
-->'''Homer''' ''(much calmer)'': Well, we all gotta go sometime.
-->'''Hibbert:''' Mr. Simpson, your progress astounds me.