I take the quote as.. you would rather be someone who stood up for what you belived in and wanted to do rather than staying quiet and being submissives.
In my opinion, this quote means that it would be better to die than to not live up to your full potential. Meaning, that death is preferable to standing down and/or giving up. Dying taking a stand and doing good is better than living, but not being able to fully stand up.
Hope this helps!! :) If there's anything else that I can help you with, please let me know!
