All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it.
—Samuel Butler
We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its coerciveness: it is always urgent, “here and now” without any possible postponement. Life is fired at us point-blank.
—Jose Ortega y. Gasset (1883–1955) Spanish Critic, Journalist, Philosopher
We never live; we are always in the expectation of living.
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author
I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.
—John Lennon (1940–80) British Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Activist
A man lives not only his personal life as an individual but also, consciously or unconsciously, the life of his epoch and his contemporaries.
—Thomas Mann (1875–1955) German Novelist, Short Story Writer, Social Critic, Philanthropist, Essayist
Life itself is the proper binge.
—Julia Child (1912–2004) American Cook, Author
A life is either all spiritual or not spiritual at all. No man can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.
—Thomas Merton (1915–68) American Trappist Monk
Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives.
—Viktor Frankl (1905–97) Austrian Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist
Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.
—Henry Adams (1838–1918) American Historian, Man of Letters
The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.
—Marcus Aurelius (121–180) Emperor of Rome, Stoic Philosopher
It is not length of life, but depth of life.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
May God bless you to live as long as you want to; and want to as long as you live!
—Scottish Proverb
Life can be wildly tragic at times, and I’ve had my share. But whatever happens to you, you have to keep a slightly comic attitude. In the final analysis, you have got not to forget to laugh.
—Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003) American Actor, TV Personality
When I consider life, it is all a cheat. Yet fooled with hope, people favor this deceit.
—John Dryden (1631–1700) English Poet, Literary Critic, Playwright
Look not mournfully into the Past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the Present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy Future, without fear, and with a manly heart.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82) American Poet, Educator, Academic
Great is the man who has not lost his childlike heart.
—Mencius (c.371–c.289 BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.
—Buddhist Teaching
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
A man walks through life painting a portrait, not of what he would have done, could have done, or should have done, but of what he did.
—Anonymous
Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision.
—Ayn Rand (1905–82) Russian-born American Novelist, Philosopher
Youth is too tumultuous for felicity; old age too insecure for happiness. The period most favorable to enjoyment, in a vigorous, fortunate, and generous life, is that between forty and sixty.
—Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) American Writer, Aphorist
“Only fools have no doubts;” “Are you sure?”; “I have no doubts!”
—Luciano De Crescenzo (b.1928) Italian Writer, Film Actor, Director, Engineer
I’ve watched a lot of mid-career people, and Yogi Berra says you can observe a lot just by watching. I’ve concluded that most people enjoy learning and growing. And many are dearly troubled by the self-assessments of mid-career. Such self-assessments are no great problem at your age. You’re young and moving up. The drama of your own rise is enough. But when you reach middle age, when your energies aren’t what they used to be, then you’ll begin to wonder what it all added up to; you’ll begin to look for the figure in the carpet of your life. I have some simple advice for you when you begin that process. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Look ahead. Someone said that Life is the art of drawing without an eraser. And above all don’t imagine that the story is over. Life has a lot of chapters.
—John W. Gardner (1912–2002) American Activist
Live life as if it were created just for you.
—Maya Angelou (1928–2014) American Poet
Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.
—Norman Cousins (1915–90) American Journalist, Author, Academic, Activist
By having a reverence for life, we enter into a spiritual relation with the world … By practicing reverence for life we become good, deep, and alive.
—Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) French Theologian, Musician, Philosopher, Physician
I had found a kind of serenity, a new maturity… I didn’t feel better or stronger than anyone else but it seemed no longer important whether everyone loved me or not—more important now was for me to love them. Feeling that way turns your whole life around; living becomes the act of giving.
—Beverly Sills (1929–2007) American Singer, Musician
To live long it is necessary to live slowly.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
Life is a petty thing unless it is moved by the indomitable urge to extend its boundaries. Only in proportion as we are desirous of living more do we really live.
—Jose Ortega y. Gasset (1883–1955) Spanish Critic, Journalist, Philosopher
The less routine the more life.
—Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888) American Teacher, Writer, Philosopher
Never forget that life can only be nobly inspired and rightly lived if you take it bravely and gallantly, as a splendid adventure in which you are setting out into an unknown country, to face many a danger, to meet many a joy, to find many a comrade, to win and lose many a battle.
—Annie Besant (1847–1933) British-born Indian Theosophist, Civil Rights Advocate, Writer, Orator
It is really true what philosophy tells us, that life must be understood backwards. But with this, one forgets the second proposition, that it must be lived forwards.
—Soren Kierkegaard (1813–55) Danish Philosopher, Theologian
I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.
—Agatha Christie (1890–1976) British Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Playwright
The art of life is to live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can by the realization that we are the instruments and expression of God Himself.
—Emmet Fox (1886–1951) Irish-American New Thought Leader
I don’t want to live. I want to love first, and live incidentally.
—Zelda Fitzgerald (1899–1948) American Writer, Artist
In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we are not really living. Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.
—Gail Sheehy (1936–2020) American Writer, Journalist
I look back on my life like a good day’s work; it is done and I am satisfied with it.
—Grandma Moses (1860–1961) American Painter, Artist
It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it.
—Danny Kaye (1913–87) American Actor, Singer, Comedian
Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the question themselves, as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, some day far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”
—Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) Austrian Poet
Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.
—Marie Curie (1867–1934) Polish-born French Physicist, Chemist
Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing, shouting and doing the things historians usually record, while on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, write poetry and even whittle statues. The story of civilization is the story of what happened on the banks. Historians are pessimists because they ignore the banks for the river.
—William C. Durant (1861–1947) American Industrialist
I think these difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way and that so many things that one goes around worry about are of no importance whatsoever.
—Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) (1885–1962) Danish Novelist, Short-story Writer
Life has its own hidden forces which you can only discover by living.
—Soren Kierkegaard (1813–55) Danish Philosopher, Theologian
There is nothing keeps longer than a middling fortune, and nothing melts away sooner than a great one. Poverty treads on the heels of great and unexpected riches.
—Jean de La Bruyere (1645–96) French Satiric Moralist, Author
A life is like a tree—if you don’t make it straight when its young and green, you’ll never do it when it’s old and dry.
—Unknown
Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes. It is rather hard work: there is now no smooth road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We’ve got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.
—D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930) English Novelist, Playwright, Poet, Essayist, Literary Critic
Today is life—the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.
—Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American Self-Help Author