Who really said it
Stephen King's Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption contains the line, as transcribed by Wikiquote. The novella appeared in Different Seasons in 1982, before the familiar film adaptation.
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
For presentations
Unconfirmed quote & credit
“Get busy living, or get busy dying” — Stephen King, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (1982), as transcribed by Wikiquote.
Can you use it?
Still under copyright (rights held by Stephen King and/or the relevant publisher or estate). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.
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In context
Evoking the world of Stephen King — Novelist and nonfiction writer. Theme: "Get busy living, or get busy dying". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "Get busy living, or get busy dying". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
Provenance
Get busy living, or get busy dying.
Wikiquote: the 1982 novellaHow we verified this
The novella appeared in 1982. The short line is excerpted for attribution, not as a cleared public-domain text.
Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.
Context
The line already belonged to the Shawshank novella before it became familiar as screen dialogue. King's collection page ↗ places the story among four pieces published together in August 1982, which prevents crediting the later film as the original work.
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The Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption subsection prints Get busy living or get busy dying.
Identifies the collection's August1982 release and its Shawshank novella.
Records the related line in the1994 adaptation; film use does not establish that the film originated it.
Contemporary interview about King's craft and On Writing, useful biographical context; not a primary passage from the novella.
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The author
For writers & researchers
King, Stephen. “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.” In Different Seasons. Viking, 1982. Wording checked through Wikiquote, original edition not independently inspected.
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Get busy living, or get busy dying’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/get-busy-living-or-get-busy-dying/