Not Merely to Exist

I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze
than it should be stifled by dry rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor,
every atom of me in magnificent glow,
than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.
- Jack London

Death comes to all,
but great achievements build a monument
which shall endure until the sun grows cold.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.
- Anais Nin

If we let things terrify us,
life will not be worth living.
- Seneca

Further reading: To Do That Which Will Endure

My Highest Aspirations

We Come This Way But Once

Live Every Moment, Joyfully