Death ends a life, not a relationship.

The line distinguishes biological finality from emotional and social continuity. While death stops a person’s ongoing experiences, it does not automatically erase the bonds, obligations, memories, or influence that person has within the lives of others. The “relationship” can persist through grief, remembrance, inherited values, and the ways survivors continue to address the deceased internally (as a presence in thought, habit, or conscience). The aphorism is often used to validate mourning as an ongoing connection rather than a problem to “get over,” and it suggests that love and attachment can outlast physical existence.