“Life is a disease, and death begins already at birth. Every breath, every heartbeat, is a moment of dying-a little shove toward the end.”-Erich Maria Remarque (died on 25 September 1970)
Stars of the Photoplay, 1924: Mary Astor (died on 25 September 1987)
A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea. 
How can you argue with that? Today, EVERYTHING is a disease, the most normal things in the world are out to kill us and are diseases. It’s insane. LOL So, “Life is a disease and death begins at birth.” Yes, it is and it does.
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That’s another way of looking at his quote, and it’s one, although different from his philosophical intent, has a truth that one cannot argue against.
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Why wasn’t Mary Astor a bigger star (certain scandals notwithstanding)? I don’t get it. She was so talented.
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Eh, Mary Astor was a big star. She’s not overly well remembered today, but we shouldn’t let that detract from the fact that, during the first 15-20 years of her career, she was an extremely famous movie star. I’m not sure what else she could have expected from her career, other than to be remembered better once she was gone.
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I know what Remarque is saying and what is true is by giving birth to you, your mother also is giving her most beloved death (I am a mother and had that thought very early in my motherhood) but Remarque must have been great fun at a a party. You are experiencing life and moving toward experiencing death. To be scientific about it, life is not a disease; cells die and are replaced with new cells. Mary Astor was so beautiful.
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Yes, he is speaking philosophically! He was married to Paulette Goddard, so he could not have been all that bad. 🙂
Mary Astor was indeed stunning–and such a talented actress!
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