What Is Carpe Diem

Carpe is the second person singular present active imperative of carpō pick or pluck used by horace to mean enjoy seize.

What is carpe diem.

Pluck the day or seize the day phrase used by the roman poet horace to express the idea that one should enjoy life while one can. Enjoy the present as opposed to placing all hope in the future. However the actual phrase is not saying to ignore the future but rather to do as much as one. Carpe diem definition is the enjoyment of the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future.

A shortened version of the original latin phrase carpe diem quam minimum credula postero meaning seize the day trusting as little as possible in the future commonly used to justify spontaneous behavior and to make the most out of today because one doesn t know if they ll live to see tomorrow. Carpe diem is part of horace s injunction carpe diem quam minimum credula postero which appears in his odes i 11 published in 23 bce it can be translated literally as pluck the day trusting as little as possible in.