If I take death into my life, acknowledge it, and face it squarely, I will free myself from the anxiety of death and the pettiness of life - and only then will I be free to become myself.

This quote means that if you accept death as a part of life and are able to confront it without fear, then you will no longer worry about death and you can live life more fully and authentically. By accepting death as an inevitable part of life and facing it head-on, you will be liberated from anxieties about death and from being bogged down in the smaller, less meaningful parts of life. This will enable you to be truer to yourself, as you will no longer be weighed down by the fear of death and instead be free to focus on the things that matter to you.