"No one can beat death. The best you can hope for is a tie after extra time." — Jan Houtema
A quote from Jan Houtema reflects on mortality, stating that death is unbeatable and the best outcome one can hope for is a draw after extra time.
Background
This tweet by Paul Graham (a prominent startup investor, essayist, and co-founder of Y Combinator) quotes Jan Houtema, a Dutch philosopher and author. The line is a wry, existential take on mortality: you cannot ultimately defeat death, so the best you can aim for is to postpone it (a "tie after extra time," borrowing soccer/football terminology). In the context of tech and Silicon Valley discourse, the quote implicitly pushes back against the grandiose "solve death" rhetoric of some longevity and biotech boosters — suggesting that extending life is a worthy goal, but framing it as "beating" death is hubris.