While man is growing, life is in decrease; And cradles rock us nearer to the tomb. Our birth is nothing but our death begun.

Meaning: Death is named as a certainty against which other expectations seem less secure. The saying invites perspective on finite life, but it gives no information about anyone’s timing or circumstances and should not dismiss fear, grief or the value of present care.

Meaning: Death is possible at any age, while old age makes the end of life impossible to ignore. The contrast is a reminder of mortality.

Meaning: The saying makes everyone eat a measure of ashes before death. Its grim image can suggest that unpleasant experiences are imagined as part of living.

Meaning: The saying imagines a predetermined death by hanging preventing death by drowning. It turns one danger into an apparent escape through a claim of fixed destiny.