Drink and dance and laugh and lie, Love, the reeling midnight through, For tomorrow we shall die! (But, alas, we never do.)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The quote mocks the hedonistic carpe diem mindset by pointing out its logical flaw: we do not actually die tomorrow.
- In plain terms
- People say live for today because tomorrow we die, but we keep living anyway.
- What can you take from it?
- Don't rely on mortality to justify reckless behavior.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do people cling to carpe diem even when it doesn't hold up?
- How does humor expose hypocrisy?
Another view
It oversimplifies the urgency that some find in living in the moment.
More from Dorothy Parker
[A] lady ... with all the poise of the Sphinx though but little of her mystery.
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