I choose to live until death, not spend the time dying until death occurs.
Interpretation
Live actively and purposefully instead of passively waiting for life to end.
This quote reflects the idea that one should embrace life with intention and awareness rather than merely existing and allowing time to pass. Mattie Stepanek encourages a proactive approach to living fully, highlighting the importance of making the most out of each moment, even in the face of mortality.
In practice
During a motivational speech about overcoming adversity.
If it came to a magic genie, I would ask him for two extra wishes. One would be that no one would have to live with the muscular dystrophy disease or any disease. And the second one would be world peace, that we just stop fighting, talk about things, and we could live in harmony once again, like God intended us to do.
I never question God. Sometimes I say, 'Why me? Why do I have such a hard life? Why do I have this disease? Why do I have siblings who died?' But then I think and say, 'Why not me?'
I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don't make that mistake yourself. Life's too damn short.
We wanderers, ever seeking the lonelier way, begin no day where we have ended another, and no sunrise finds us where left by sunset. Even while the earth sleeps we travel. We are the seeds of that tenacious plant, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind to be scattered.
Wherever life takes us, there are always moments of wonder.
Even though the money is great and the fame is great, you still have a lot of disenfranchised young men that are participating in the NFL that are not very happy. A lot of them are very bitter. A lot them are very angry. So many of them have had no fathers and no home life, and basically, no education.
Life is easy, life is delightful. It's only hard on your illusions, your ambitions, your greed, your cravings.
When you come back you will not be you. And I may not be I.
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