Q:

"Only the good die young." Negative or Positive?

I've heard this expression before. I can't tell if its used as a positive one or a negative one? When is it appropriate to use this expression?
Is it implying that people that live to be an old age are "bad"?
Is it something you say to someone's surviving friends and family that has passed at a young age?

A:

Well, either as "Whom the gods love die young," or "Only the good die young," the statement is poetic, reverberating with multiple meanings. The ambiguity which gives rise to your question is an essential and desirable component of poetry, where what it means is often less important to the poet than how it feels. Take care when making ambiguous statements at sensitive social situations. Those who know you well will likely interpret such speech as benediction. Those who don't know you quite as well ... ?

