From an article about a Steve Jobs biography:
"Jobs confided in Sculley that he believed he would die young, and therefore he needed to accomplish things quickly so that he would make his mark on Silicon Valley history. 'We all have a short period of time on this earth,' he told the Sculleys. 'We probably only have the opportunity to do a few things really great and do them well. None of us has any idea how long we're gong to be here nor do I, but my feeling is I've got to accomplish a lot of these things while I'm young.'"
Post: An academic said "Life without death would be boring."
Comment: Someone famous said "Death is a source of motivation."
Reply: ...what's your point?
via.
Sounds like sour grapes. I'd heard of people holding such sentiments; this is the first time I've actually seen them expressed myself.