Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989.
| NUMBER: | 1118 |
| AUTHOR: | Jack London (1876–1916) |
| QUOTATION: | I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | This is generally known as London’s Credo. He is known to have said these words, just two months before his death, to a group of friends with whom he was discussing life and living.—The Bulletin, San Francisco, California, December 2, 1916, part 2, p. 1. See also Nos. 11 and 575. |
| SUBJECTS: | Living |