To live is the rarest thing in the world most people exist that is all

„To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.“

The Soul of Man Under Socialism (1891)
Контексте: With the abolition of private property, then, we shall have true, beautiful, healthy Individualism. Nobody will waste his life in accumulating things, and the symbols for things. One will live. To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Оскар Уайльд 413

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To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. – Oscar Wilde

Whether you’re into mountain climbing or quirky photo manipulation, the question remains. Are you living a fulfilling life, or do you just exist?

What does that mean?
To live, so many of us believe we do it, yet if we examine what we are doing, it is rarely so. Most of us live only briefly, and between those bright spots, simply exist, slogging through the drudgery of everyday life.

While some people use a phrase like “Skydiving makes me feel so alive,” this isn’t exactly what the quote was getting at, at least in my opinion. What the quote is trying to get across is that many people are so constrained by how they think they should be that they never really live.

Instead of simply sitting there and existing, the quote implies that we should take matters into our own hands and make things happen. To live our lives, not just walk through them as if it were a dressed rehearsal for a dreary play, one which you would rather not be in.

Why is truly living important?
The action of simply existing is really kind of sad. Dodo kind of sad. While penguins and ostriches are flightless, penguins can swim, and the ostrich can run fast. The dodo simply became extinct when a predator was introduced. While we cannot all fly, hopefully we can do something else that is exciting, like swimming or running fast.

Yes, we have jobs, chores, and other things we don’t necessarily enjoy, but a large part of living is focusing on the enjoyable. If you spend your time focusing on that which makes you miserable, you will not really be able to live, no matter how well off you are, or believe you are.

Truly living also involves spending some time doing things that inspire you. Even if you only sing briefly in the shower, if that’s what you really love to do, enjoy yourself and live it. You don’t need to desire a recording contract or groupies, just enjoy the feeling of music. Live it, even if only in your head.

Where can I apply this in my life?
What of all the things you do would you consider actually living? And the flip side of that is what of the things you do are just existing? When I looked at my life, I wasn’t as pleased as I thought I would be. How about you, how did you fare?

It’s kind of ironic that this quote should come up while I was on vacation. As I am writing this, I’m within sight of the Pacific Ocean, enjoying a sea breeze and clear blue skies. Not quite “toes in the sand,” but I would have to say I’m living pretty well at the moment.

However, for a lot of my normal working life, I really don’t do much living. I also only have a handful of hobbies that I would consider “living” in the way I meant it earlier. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have a fulfilling life, and live, rather than exist.

I mentioned that I hadn’t scored as well as I had hope simply that I see that there is room for improvement. I live a very full life as a father and as a husband, and my work itself is fulfilling. However, there are a lot of spaces between that aren’t as fulfilling as they could be.

There are also few time slots for other things I truly enjoy doing, due to everything else that is going on. In a way, I’m in the opposite trap of the person who is too afraid to live, I’m going crazy, running around trying to live my life and enjoy it.

What about you? What are you doing to try to live your life? Grab some paper and write down the things that bring energy, enthusiasm, and a warm sense of well being to your life. How much better do you feel just for having thought through them and having written them down? Does that give you an idea as to what you might want to focus?

Creative people tend to feel more alive when creating. People who are oriented around doing tend to feel more alive when they are accomplishing things. Social people tend to feel more alive when they are with others. What are you, and what would help you feel like you were living your life, instead of just existing?

Next to each of the items on your list, put a number (from 1 to 10) to give an intensity to each item. Now add two other numbers to each item. The first of these numbers is for the relative frequency you do the item on the list. The other is for how often you would like to do the activity.

If you really enjoyed skydiving (it helped you feel so alive, you gave it a 10), but you only ever did it once, several years ago, but would love to do it at least once a month, you would have a very high first number, a very low second number, and a medium third number. Does that make sense?

For me, I would look at this list, and find the highest three or four items and put a mark next to each. Then I would look at that list of things that really help me feel alive, and find the ones I do the least but would like to do the most.

With that item (or items) in mind, the next step would be to figure out how to do this item a bit more often, and live a little more. Every little bit helps, so even if you can’t get straight to your ideal level, just getting a start is better than nothing, and might help you feel a little more like you are living, and not so much feeling that you are just existing.

Like much of what gets discussed here, this is a very personal choice, so take a little time and figure out what is best for you. Then actually do it, and begin to live more.

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To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Oscar Wilde (English writer)

In the world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.

Oscar Wilde

Life is too important to be taken seriously.

Oscar Wilde

Life resembles a novel more often than novels resemble life.

George Sand (French writer)

Life is a mirror, if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile, it returns the greeting.

William Makepeace Thackeray (English writer)

If you don’t get what you want, it’s a sign either that you did not seriously want it, or that you tried to bargain over the price.

Rudyard Kipling (English writer, poet)

The fact that he died does not prove that he lived.

You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.

Henry Louis Mencken (American journalist)

Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.

Socrates (Ancient Greek philosopher)

To live is to think.

Marcus Tullius Cicero (Roman politician, consul, orator, writer)

The causes of events are ever more interesting than the events themselves.

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

Joseph Addison (English writer)

You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.

Albert Camus (French writer, philosopher)

In this world there is always danger for those who are afraid of it.

George Bernard Shaw (English playwright and publicist)

Almost every man wastes part of his life attempting to display qualities, which he does not possess.

Samuel Johnson (English writer, critic, linguist)

Quotes

Shmoop will make you a better lover. of quotes

Source: The Soul of Man Under Socialism

«To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.»

In a community like ours, where property confers immense distinction, social position, honour, respect, titles, and other pleasant things of the kind, man, being naturally ambitious, makes it his aim to accumulate this property, and goes on wearily and tediously accumulating it long after he has got far more than he wants, or can use, or enjoy, or perhaps even know of[…]

With the abolition of private property, then, we shall have true, beautiful, healthy Individualism. Nobody will waste his life in accumulating things, and the symbols for things. One will live. To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Context

In this 1891 essay, Oscar Wilde argues that socialism is a good thing. (Shhh… don’t tell the Republican National Committee!) One of the things Wilde is most annoyed by is what he sees as the materialistic tendencies behind capitalism. People want status, so they work and buy stuff, then they want more status, so they work more and buy more stuff, and so on and so on until they’re dead. Wow. When you put it like that, it sounds pretty depressing.

But Wilde says that by letting go of all that stuff, people can really live it up. Seriously, do you actually need a second iPad for when the first one is charging? So why waste all your time working and working just for material things? Why not find out who you really are? What you like? What you’re good it? That’s the way to really be alive.

According to Wilde, most people don’t spend their lives that way. They just keep spinning around in circles until they die. Sure, they’re breathing and walking around, but they don’t even know who they are.

Whoa. That’s heavy.

Where you’ve heard it

This is the perfect quote to break out when you’re reflecting on the vapid materialism of the modern era. Of course, Wilde did write this over 100 years ago, so it doesn’t look like much has changed since then.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison «awww» or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Okay, you’ve gotta admit, this is kind of pretentious. We doubt the folks at your next party will be thrilled to look up from their smartphones and hear you railing about how no one really lives life to the fullest these days. We’re just saying… know your audience.

Цитаты на английском языке о жизни

Сложно представить свою жизнь без изречений известных людей, тем более, если это цитаты о жизни.

Известная Мэрилин Монро говорила: «Я могу быть эгоистичной, нетерпеливой и немного неуверенной. Я совершаю ошибки, становлюсь неуправляемой и временами со мной трудно сладить. Но если ты не можешь справиться со мной, когда мне совсем худо, тогда ты точно не заслуживаешь меня, когда я на высоте».

“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.”

А вот Оскар Уайльд был уверен в том, что «жизнь – это редчайшая вещь на земле. Жаль, что некоторые люди просто существуют.» (“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”) С автором нельзя не согласиться. Несмотря на порой сложные жизненные ситуации, никогда не теряйте внешний облик, придерживайтесь внутреннего стержня и живите по полной.

Американская актриса, драматург и сценарист Мэй Уэст придерживалась такого правила: «Ты живешь только однажды, но если делаешь это правильно, одного раза достаточно». (“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”)

Аллен Саундерс, американский писатель, журналист и мультипликатор утверждал, что «жизнь – это то, что случается с тобой, пока ты оживленно строишь другие планы». (“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”) Как часто мы не задумываемся о том, что жизнь – это то, что происходит с нами здесь и сейчас, поэтому не стоит ждать наступления лучших времен, стоит жить тем, что есть сегодня.

А вот Марк Твен придерживался следующего мнения: «Хорошие друзья, хорошие книги и спокойная совесть – это и есть идеальная жизнь». (“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”)

Многие авторы современности выражали свое мнение о жизни и о том, кем является человек по сравнению с огромной вселенной. Джоан Роулинг, британская писательница, автор романов о Гарри Поттере и обладательница состояния в полмиллиона фунтов стерлингов, всегда говорит, что “it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – «человеку не следует жить в мечтах и забывать о жизни».

Основоположник кубизма, испанский художник и скульптор Пабло Пикассо, чьи работы продаются за сотни миллионов долларов, считает, что «все, что ты можешь представить – является реальностью». (“Everything you can imagine is real.”) Возможно, поэтому его картины наполнены глубоким смыслом, а человеческие тела изображены в оригинальной манере, как совмещенные воедино плоскости.

Ирландский драматург и писатель, известный деятель в области литературы, написавший «Пигмалион», «Женева», «Тележка с яблоками» Джордж Бернард Шоу придерживался мысли о том, что «жизнь – это не поиск себя. Жизнь – это создание себя». (“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”)

Обратите внимание на то, что многие знаменитости призывали нас понять, что жизнь – это повод создать себя такого, каким мы хотим себя видеть в будущем. Здесь стоит отметить, что любое влияние и любое развитие способствует творческому и карьерному росту. А это значит, что открывая для себя новые горизонты, все мы способны достичь максимальных высот.