"Every funeral procession carries a banner upon which are written the words, 'Equality of Mankind.'" Death dissolves every hierarchy — the king's thousand acres buy him the same five-foot bed as the peasant's. Because everyone dies, ownership is temporary and status is theater. This doesn't sadden life; it concentrates it. Mortality is the mechanism that turns earthly existence into the only show that matters: "I am therefore as good as a king," because the king and I both end up the same size.

— In our words · Source: The Importance of Living (Lin Yutang)