“Death is not the worst evil, but rather when we wish to die and cannot.”

— Sophocles , Electra

Electra, 1007.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

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Sophocles 68

ancient Greek tragedian -496–-406 BC

David Gemmell book Stormrider

Source: Rigante series, Stormrider, Ch. 2

“If we cannot take away all the grief, all the evil, all the death, we will start with loving everyone, trying ourselves not to give the grief, the evil, the death, with the faith that the rest of the grief, evil and death will disappear.”

Aldo Capitini (1899–1968) Italian philosopher and political activist

Hymn

“The second Death, that never dies,
That cannot die, when time is dead”

Lionel Johnson (1867–1902) English poet

The Dark Angel (1895)
Context: p>I fight thee, in the Holy Name!
Yet, what thou dost, is what God saith:
Tempter! should I escape thy flame,
Thou wilt have helped my soul from Death:The second Death, that never dies,
That cannot die, when time is dead:
Live Death, wherein the lost soul cries,
Eternally uncomforted.</p

“Evil cannot be conquered by wishing.”

Lloyd Alexander The Chronicles of Prydain

Source: The Chronicles of Prydain (1964–1968), Book V : The High King (1968), Chapter 21

“If we wish the death of our enemies, we cannot talk about the community of man.”

Rollo May (1909–1994) US psychiatrist

Source: Power and Innocence (1972), Ch. 11 : The Humanity of the Rebel
Context: The authentic rebel knows that the silencing of all his adversaries is the last thing on earth he wishes: their extermination would deprive him and whoever else remains alive from the uniqueness, the originality, and the capacity for insight that these enemies — being human — also have and could share with him. If we wish the death of our enemies, we cannot talk about the community of man. In the losing of the chance for dialogue with our enemies, we are the poorer.

“The worst of our evils we blindly inflict upon ourselves; our officers cannot remove them, even if they would.”

Herman Melville book White-Jacket

Source: White-Jacket (1850), Ch. 93
Context: The worst of our evils we blindly inflict upon ourselves; our officers cannot remove them, even if they would. From the last ills no being can save another; therein each man must be his own saviour. For the rest, whatever befall us, let us never train our murderous guns inboard; let us not mutiny with bloody pikes in our hands. Our Lord High Admiral will yet interpose; and though long ages should elapse, and leave our wrongs unredressed, yet, shipmates and world-mates! let us never forget, that, Whoever afflict us, whatever surround, Life is a voyage that's homeward-bound!