Who said “Death is an endless night so awful to contemplate that it can make us love life and…”?

Verified

Paul Theroux. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceHockney’s Alphabet, D is for Death, ed. Stephen Spender (1991)

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“Death is an endless night so awful to contemplate that it can make us love life and value it with such passion that it may be the ultimate cause of all joy and all art.”
— Paul Theroux
VerifiedHockney’s Alphabet, D is for Death, ed. Stephen Spender (1991) · evidenceDeath and Dying

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Hockney’s Alphabet, D is for Death, ed. Stephen Spender (1991).

APA

Theroux, P. (n.d.). Death is an endless night so awful to contemplate that it can make us love life and value it with such passion that it may be the ultimate cause of all joy and all art. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/2676-death-is-an-endless-night-so-awful-to/

MLA

Theroux, Paul. “Death is an endless night so awful to contemplate that it can make us love life and value it with such passion that it may be the ultimate cause of all joy and all art.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/2676-death-is-an-endless-night-so-awful-to/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Theroux, Paul. “Death is an endless night so awful to contemplate that it can make us love life and value it with such passion that it may be the ultimate cause of all joy and all art.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/2676-death-is-an-endless-night-so-awful-to/.

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