"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

Mary Oliver Literature See all quotes by Mary Oliver →

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More by Mary Oliver

“To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.”

“But also I say this: that light is an invitation to happiness, and that happiness, when it’s done right, is a kind of holiness.”

“You want to cry aloud for your mistakes. But to tell the truth the world doesn't need any more of that sound.”

“I believe in kindness. Also in mischief. Also in singing, especially when singing is not necessarily prescribed.”

“I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.”

“Listen. Are you breathing just a little and calling it a life?”

Resonant Thoughts

"The existence of a state within the State—the Party and the bureaucracy—is a phenomenon of the post-War world."

— Günter Reimann

Literature1904–2005

#life

"As it is not only written by a woman but by a woman who was born into the same community as mine, I intend to edit and publish it in a proper form."

— Bangalore Nagarathnamma

Music1878–1952

#life

"Let me die in this old uniform in which I fought my battles. May God forgive me for ever having put on another."

— Benedict Arnold

Military1741–1801

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"The Scoutmaster guides the boy in the spirit of an older brother.... He has simply to be a boy-man, that is: He must have the boy spirit in him: and must be able to place himself in the right plane wi…"

— Robert Baden-Powell

Military1857–1941

#life