Live as if you were to die tomorrow – Mahatma Gandhi

Live as if you were to die tomorrow: Gandhi’s quotes certainly have a sense of beauty to them. This may seem like an old quote and almost everyone would have heard of this. Although this was said years ago, I am still fascinated by the impact of this. After all, that’s what words are for aren’t they? – what they make us feel and what they can make others feel!

Live as if you were to die tomorrow, Learn as if you were to live forever

Mahatma Gandhi Quotes

In this article, we will talk about the meaning of both parts of this quote – live as if you were to die tomorrow. This segment is all about understanding our fears, limitations and worries of the future or past. The second part is about learning as if you were to live forever and talks about humility, understanding our bias and constantly improving to improve the world around us.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow meaning

Who said live as if you were to die tomorrow? This quote is attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. I have deep respect for the works and some of the beautiful words by Mahatma Gandhi. He is still one of the most famous figures of Indian history and current-day vernacular. He is the father of the nation, known for his indomitable strength and contribution via non-violence. His stories fill us with veneration and deep respect. In this article, we will talk about the meaning of his quote – live as if you were to die tomorrow and learn as if you were to live forever.

The meaning of living as if you were to die tomorrow can be explained in the following themes: Living life in the moment, not worrying about the future or past,

Living in the moment

The current moment is all we have and know for truth. Tomorrow is a bright promise and the past is a story. However, we can feel our everyday moments in fullness. Sometimes, we lose sight of what we have in front of us. Maybe we do this by comparing ourselves to someone else. Or we might be stuck in the loop of expectation, disappointment or jealousy. The quote is a call to look at what we currently have. It is about cherishing the current moments of life and living the day, minute of the second to its fullest.

Worrying about the future or regret of the past

Worry is a rocking chair – it doesn’t take us anywhere. It however can create a compelling narrative, making us think of things that can sometimes be unimportant. Worry becomes powerful when it prevents us from doing the things that we know are necessary.

Similarly, our past failures can make us regret and rethink enjoying the current moment. They can make us cautious about enjoying our victories or fully immersing ourselves in what’s happening at the moment. Sometimes, they create a feeling that we should not be too happy because something might always go wrong.

Learn as if you were to live forever meaning

The second part of this quote almost feels like the opposite of live as if you were to die tomorrow. But it makes us think about a very important theme – continuous improvement and progress. Perfection sometimes is overrated. We can never be perfect but can always try and keep improving ourselves. It helps us think of humility and immediately question our overconfidence.

There’s always something to learn

Our learning never ends. There are so many things to know in this world. The beauty is that the world is constantly evolving with people, discoveries and scientific inventions. The innate curiosity of a student is a magical feeling that we need to keep alive. The philosophy of learning as if we live forever fills us with the desire for knowledge which can elevate the quality of our life.