“ Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings. ”

“ Those who have the strength and the love to sit with a dying patient in the silence that goes beyond words will know that this moment is neither frightening nor painful, but a peaceful cessation of the functioning of the body. ”

“ I've told my children that when I die, to release balloons in the sky to celebrate that I graduated. For me, death is a graduation. ”

“ It is difficult to accept death in this society because it is unfamiliar. In spite of the fact that it happens all the time, we never see it. ”

“ I was destined to work with dying patients. I had no choice when I encountered my first AIDS patient. I felt called to travel some 250,000 miles each year to hold workshops that helped people cope with the most painful aspects of life, death and the transition between the two. ”

“ I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no death the way we understood it. The body dies, but not the soul. ”

“ It is important to feel the anger without judging it, without attempting to find meaning in it. It may take many forms: anger at the health-care system, at life, at your loved one for leaving. Life is unfair. Death is unfair. Anger is a natural reaction to the unfairness of loss. ”

“ Consciously or not, we are all on a quest for answers, trying to learn the lessons of life. We grapple with fear and guilt. We search for meaning, love, and power. We try to understand fear, loss, and time. We seek to discover who we are and how we can become truly happy. ”

“ I say to people who care for people who are dying, if you really love that person and want to help them, be with them when their end comes close. Sit with them - you don't even have to talk. You don't have to do anything but really be there with them. ”

“ The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well. ”