Ask not (’tis forbidden knowledge),
what our destined term of years,
Mine and yours;
nor scan the tables of your Babylonish seers.
Better far to bear the future, my Leuconoe,
like the past
Whether Jove (Jupiter) has many winters yet
to give, or this our last;
Strain your wine and prove your wisdom;
life is short; should hope be more?
In the moment of our talking,
envious time has ebb’d away.
Seize the present;
trust tomorrow e’en as little as you may..
Horace in Odes 1.11
Horace’s poem addresses a Greek woman called Leuconoe, a courtesan to whom Horace was offering advice and trying to seduce. Leuconoe likes to divine the future through horoscopes or ‘Babylonian calculations’ as Horace calls them (those damn Babylonians, coming over here and divining our futures), but Horace urges her not to. “Only Jupiter can know our fate,” he says; “life is short, so it is better to live in the present, strain the wine, and carpe diem (pluck the day), trusting as little in tomorrow as possible.”
The Odes is a collection in 4 books of Latin poems by Horace, originally Quintus Horatius Flaccus. He was the leading Roman poet during the time of Augustus (63BCE – 14CE). The ode style is called ‘The Horatian style’ and has been emulated by other poets.
Carpe diem (pronounced kaa·pay dee·em) is part of the Roman poet Horace’s injunction “carpe diem quam minimum credula postero, (Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow)” in his book 1 of Odes (1.11), published in 23 BCE. Carpe is from the Latin verb carpere, carpe means to pluck, harvest, or reap. It is a horticultural metaphor that is more accurately translated as “pluck the day [as it is ripe]”— that is, enjoy the moment. Carpe diem is a Latin aphorism, translated as “seize the day”. Diem is the accusative of dies “day”.
It was in the 1989 film ‘Dead Poets Society’ scene where Robin Williams teaches a class and redefine the meaning of carpe diem for the modern world, catapulting an obscure phrase into our consciousness. The aphorism appears in John Keating’s ( played by Robin Williams) speech as he addresses his class and exhorts to “remember that you will die”, a Latin phrase related to Carpe diem. CARPE DIEM suggests to us to live a life of meaning.
“Gather ye rose-buds while ye may” is the famed Robert Herrick’s rephrasing of the aphorism in “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” (published 1648):
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
What is the right way to understand Carpe diem?
Carpe diem may mean different things to different people. For some, it’s about enjoying a quiet life. For others, it may be taking advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and use the present as a tool for the future. Whatever the way, it is “memento mori”, which means Carpe diem is also not fatalism, the belief that all things in life are predetermined. Carpe diem doesn’t mean that you should not think about the future and resign to your fate as you cannot influence the future. Fatalists also live in the moment, day to day, but not for pleasure, but because they leave the future to fate.
How to live a life of Carpe diem?
Carpe diem instructs us to have a greater focus on the present, on what’s happening right now. Many of us live stuck up in the past, brooding over what happened. Others spend dreaming about the future, anxious about what will happen. Carpe diem is about paying greater attention to the present. Your past and future will affect you, but it shouldn’t control you.
Carpe diem means you make the most out of the limited time you have, making the most of life’s moments, taking chances, and grabbing opportunities. Whatever you love in life and wish to do, better do it now with full awareness of the worth of the present moment. There is no postponing in your life if you live with Carpe diem. This outlook decreases the stressful emotions of anger, fear and sadness and has a lesser impact in the future.
One you decide to live with Carpe diem, you create a space for yourself to reflect on what is truly important to you. What makes you happy? What gives you positive energy? What should you stop doing to be happy and positive?
Carpe Diem is being brave or strong enough to do something you really want to, making the most of the moment by being aware of the uniqueness and value of every moment, and being the best you can be. Be mindful of the fact that time flies. The philosophy inspires us in how we live our lives — striking while the iron is hot and taking the bull by the horns! Carpe Diem is an enduring thought that motivates us to see the world differently.
What is not Carpe diem?
Carpe diem is certainly not simply hedonism (a belief that earthly pleasures are only what matter in life), but more than that. Hedonists don’t care what the future holds, while carpe diem uses the present as a tool for the future.
Carpe diem philosophy has come to almost an antithesis of what Horace actually meant, especially for the TikTok generation, who understands it as #YOLO (You only live once). “Seizing” the day brings up images of people taking what they can get, people who can get things done in pursuit of their own happiness. Today, it is disgusting that carpe diem is used for conspicuous consumption and instant gratification obsessed consumer culture that exhorts us to “Just Do It” by buying products. It has nothing to do with that!
The future is unforeseen and that one should not leave to chance future happenings, but rather one should do all one can today to make one’s own future better. Carpe Diem is to live in the fullness of the moment—to pluck the day and not trust in tomorrow.
What are the advantages of Carpe diem to others around you?
A life oriented in carpe diem benefits interpersonal relations. You’re now more open to others. You have greater sense of belonging — the factor that gives life meaning. You have a greater will to live. You experience more childlike joy of existence. You become a role model for others. They get to see and know from you that living a rich life with carpe diem is more than holding a great job, having a large house or driving a luxury car.
Andrew Marvell shared the sentiment through a lover’s impatience in “To His Coy Mistress” (published 1681). It begins with its speaker chiding the mistress:
Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
But time is short,
Now let us sport us while we may;
And now, like amorous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour
Than languish in his slow-chapped power.
Carpe diem – seize the day!
