Favorite Inspirational Quotes

“A Psalm of Life”

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream! -
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of life,
Be not dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead
Act, - act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This is a long poem so I will go through it almost stanza by stanza though there will be some overlap. It may be a long poem but there are plenty of interesting thoughts to be found within.

The first stanza could be addressing an overwhelming societal and religious influence of the time that life is nothing more than a waiting room to get into Heaven. Longfellow feels that this is wrong, to waste this life, because things are not what they seem.

This is an adventure. Life is real and even if the body returns to dust, the soul, the spirit does not. We must act in this life in an manner that helps us grow, that finds us “farther than today.”

Yes, our bodies do end in the grave in an all too brief span of time. But that does not mean we must be part of the herd as we journey through this life. We must be heroes.

Dyer says he interprets this to mean to “be enthusiastic until it positively thrills you.” I think it means being a champion of life. Certainly enthusiasm plays a very big part of that. Think of what being a hero means to you. I’ve heard it defined as not letting fear stop you. Perhaps that’s a good way to define being a hero in life…not letting any fears stop you from living a life as full as you can. OK, let’s add in to that, living a life with enthusiasm.

The poem goes on saying to live in the present. More precisely, it says to act in the present. The future is but a dream and the past is gone in the way we live this adventure in time and space. So act within the present and put your heart into it.

Think of the legacy you might leave. Is it one of sitting on the sidelines simply, quietly, waiting for death? Or have you made your life sublime? Could someone follow your footprints? Could I or you be a shining example to someone who has lost their way, helping them by example to gain an enthusiasm for life again?

So why are you just sitting there? Get up! Get moving! Take action and achieve! The grave can wait. Live your life while you are here the best you can. Pursue you goals! LIVE!