What if this present were the world's last night?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- This question imagines the final night of the world to highlight the value of the present moment.
- In plain terms
- Imagine today is the last night alive to see what matters most.
- What can you take from it?
- Live with urgency and appreciation for now.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What would you do differently?
- What matters most tonight?
Another view
It assumes a specific end that may never happen.
More from John Donne
One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
Permalink to quote #67 Batter my heart, three-personed God; for you As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend.
Permalink to quote #69 Thou'rt slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell; And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well And bette…
Permalink to quote #66
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