Because I could not stop for Death Quotes
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Source: Because I could not stop for Death
Author: Emily Dickinson
"Because I could not stop for death — He kindly stopped for me —"
Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
Context
Dickinson wastes no time warming up her poem. She immediately lets the reader know that the poem is going to be about death.
Surprise! (Not.)
Basically, Dickinson is reminding us that it's not really up to us when we die.
Where you've heard it
Shmoop loves to sing this one to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," so you might have heard us humming in the elevator. Give it a shot, and we dare you to not get it stuck in your head.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Morbid? Yes. Pretentious? Not so much.