By subscribing to Inspiring Quotes you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
This popular quote become a kind of rallying cry, for on its own it leaves the reader zealous: Seize the day, it seems to say. Get up and go! But taking it from its place, at the end of Mary Oliver’s poem “The Summer Day,” alters its meaning. In context, it is decidedly against ambition; the poem describes a day alone in nature. The speaker, described as “idle and blessed,” observes a grasshopper, kneels, strolls, and simply pays attention. “Tell me,” she asks, “what else should I have done? / Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?” Perhaps the key to understanding the poem is in reading the phrase “what is it you plan to do” as ironic. Life, Oliver suggests, is inherently “wild and precious.” Our job is simply to pause, and notice it is so.
12 Beautiful Thoughts From Environmentalist Aldo Leopold
Live a Harmonious Life With These Lyrics From Tony Award-Winning Musicals
15 Quotes That Get to the Heart of Buddhism
The Classics: Quotes From History’s Greatest Poems
16 Helpful Quotes To Read When Your Relationship Is Struggling
Get Inspired To Give Back With These Quotes
15 Quotes About the Unbreakable Bonds Among Women
13 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Quotes You’ve Never Heard Before
Add a Dash of Laughter to Your Day With These Cooking Quotes
12 Brief Quotes From Notoriously Long Books
17 Empowering Quotes from Female Athletes