Mortality Quotes in Me Before You

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

No, it was the livid red lines scoring Will's wrists, the long jagged scars that couldn't be disguised, no matter how swiftly Nathan pulled down Will's sleeves. (5.171)

This is the moment when Lou realizes that Will has attempted suicide—which explains his mother's insistence that she not leave him alone for an extended period of time. Lou knew he was having trouble adapting to his new life, but she never suspected that he'd do something like that.

Quote #2

This is not the life I chose. There is no prospect of my recovery, hence it is a perfectly reasonable request to ask to end it in a manner I see fit. (8.49)

To Will, his decision to end his life is simple: he can't live without hope for recovery. Suicide is an awful thing, and something that should never be discussed lightly, but Will's situation makes the debate more complicated than it is normally depicted.

Quote #3

How could this man whose skin I had felt that morning under my fingers—warm, and alive—choose to just extinguish himself? (9.5)

Lou, like most of us, has a hard time understanding Will's desire to go to an assisted suicide facility like Dignitas. Living life as a quadriplegic is challenging, without a doubt, but he can learn to adapt, right? While most people can live full lives in the aftermath of such injuries, it's clear that Will feels himself incapable of doing so.