“Everything one does in life, even love, occurs in an express train racing toward death. To smoke opium is to get out of the train while it is still moving. It is to concern oneself with something other than life or death.”
Cite this quote
APA
Cocteau, J. (n.d.). Everything one does in life, even love, occurs in an express train racing toward death. To smoke opium is to get out of the train while it is still moving. It is to concern oneself with something other than life or death. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/14014-everything-one-does-in-life-even-love-occurs/
MLA
Cocteau, Jean. “Everything one does in life, even love, occurs in an express train racing toward death. To smoke opium is to get out of the train while it is still moving. It is to concern oneself with something other than life or death.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/14014-everything-one-does-in-life-even-love-occurs/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Cocteau, Jean. “Everything one does in life, even love, occurs in an express train racing toward death. To smoke opium is to get out of the train while it is still moving. It is to concern oneself with something other than life or death.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/14014-everything-one-does-in-life-even-love-occurs/.