“I'd rather be buried at sea than on the shore when I come to die. Will you stand by the plank, mates, so I can shake a friendly hand before I sink?”

“Rather, ten times, die in the surf, heralding the way to a new world, than stand idly on the shore.”

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing

“Please don't die," she whispered. "I don't think I can bury
you. I already buried everyone else."

"How can I die," Alexander said, his voice breaking, "when you
have poured your immortal blood into me?”

Paullina Simons book The Bronze Horseman

“Long have you timidly waded
Holding a plank by the shore,
Now I will you to be a bold swimmer,
To jump off in the midst of the sea,
Rise again, nod to me, shout,
And laughingly dash with your hair.”

Walt Whitman Song of Myself

“then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.”

John Keats (1795–1821) English Romantic poet

“If you come, you better come in force because I will kill every single one of you. My hand won't shake, my aim won't falter. My face will be the last thing you'll see before you die." I jammed my knife into the table and walked out.”

Ilona Andrews American husband-and-wife novelist duo

“p>Fierce and gentle,
Loud and silent,
The river doesn't understand itself.
The wave doesn't find itself, until it reaches the sea.Oh the wave passes,
And the waves to come will be the same.
Hunger for love
Is strong in the heart.Standing before the waves,
I think of you and me.
I think of the great sea
And I wonder where the waves come from.The waves must come from the wind.
And I wonder where the wind comes from,
And I wonder
When will we love each other again?The waves deep in the sea
And the waves on the sea's surface
Long for the shore of the sea.
Day and night the waves cannot sleep
As I can not sleep, even in dreams,
Because of my longing for you.When I go to the North,
Or to the South,
When I go anywhere, I think of you,
My only direction.Out in the great sea
Thousands of waves are pushing,
Which one never reachs the shore
Even miles and miles from home?Life is so long;
Years and months go by.
Like the sea, life is endless.
Clouds fly to the distant horizon.How can I become
Like the hundreds of thousands of small waves
In the great sea of love
And lap forever against your shore?”

Xuân Quỳnh (1942–1988) poet

“Head like a hole,
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Head like a hole,
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.Bow down before the one you serve;
You're going to get what you deserve.”

Trent Reznor (1965) American musician

“As two floating planks meet and part on the sea,
O friend! so I met and then drifted from thee.”

William R. Alger (1822–1905) American clergyman and poet

“Why does this mean so much to you, Jon?"
The Prince turned. "Because he's my friend. Because I always know where he stands, and where I stand with him. Because I think he'd die for me and--and I think I'd die for him. Is that enough?”

Tamora Pierce book Alanna: The First Adventure