The Secret to Life in One Sentence or Less

“The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live.” - Joan Borysenko

In the book The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die, author John Izzo interviewed over 200 individuals in order to discover the stories of these people and to learn the secrets of life.

The people interviewed ranged in age from 59 – 105, each of whom were identified by friends and acquaintances as “the one person they knew who had found happiness and meaning.”

I often return to the book to re-read their stories and to continue learning how to take their advice to heart. The following sentences from these interviews resonate with me the most because they are complete with the kind of philosophy, inspiration and wisdom that is both practical and undeniable.

These nuggets of truth are both comforting and helpful when Life gives you a surprise pop-quiz and you find yourself looking for some answers:

Find your passion and pursue it. - Lea Williams, author and educator, 58

There are ten-minute funeral lines and ten-hour funeral lines. Live your life so that when you die people will want to stay and tell stories about the kind of life you lived and how you touched them. - Ken Krambeer, town barber, 64

Love someone deeply and be loved by someone deeply; be passionate about yourself and your curiosity and exploration and really GO FOR IT. - William Hawfiled, 64

Always see the good in people, and you won’t get hurt because everybody has so much goodness in them. Don’t envy other people, because you have different gifts and blessings. - Eileen Lindesay, 78

In order to find a more purposeful life you must let go of what society and people think of you and look inside yourself through some discipline – prayer, meditation, to find out what matters most to you and pursue it. James Autry, poet and author, 73

Banish the word “boredom” from your vocabulary, and wherever you are, make the most of that moment because you won’t get it back. - Max Wyman

Remember you are part of something larger than yourself. - Antony Holland, 86

Find something you love doing and make it your career. - Paul Hersey, 76

Learn to step out of the boot more. - Don, 78

Live everyday for what it is, don’t worry about what will happen, the next day will take care of itself, what will be will be, learn to accept and wait for the next day to happen. - Ester, 89

Never dwell on the negative in your life, bad things happen all the time, even in bad situations look for the good and you will find it. - Rufus Riggs, 63

Live your passion and be of service to others. - Laura Lowe, 61

Get an education, find out who you are, where you came from and where you want to go, and don’t forget who you are. - Ralph Dick, native chief, 66

You need to learn who you are inside, figure out what your feelings are, understand that; the key to self-knowledge. If you know who you are, then you are grounded throughout life. If everything is a mystery to you, then you are going to be in trouble. - Mark Sherkow, 60

Don’t draw the curtain too soon; there is always an encore or fourth act. - Joci James, 79

Know thy self and have the courage to follow that. - Clive Martin, 65

Be kind to yourself and to others; you can’t go wrong that way. - Mary, 87

Choose to have a happy life. If you want to focus on what is wrong, then so be it. Or you can focus on the lily in front yard that opened today and you get to see it today, it’s what you focus on that counts. - Tony, 66

Follow your heart and become the person you want to be in the world. - Bob Peart, biologist and activist, 59

Have the disciple to listen to your heart, and then have the courage to follow. - Ron Polack, healer of energies, 72

Find your path and be true to it. - William Bridges, author, 73

Stay busy; never be bored; always find five more things to do. -Lucy, nurse, 101

Love what you and do what you love. - Darlene Burcham, 62

Dive in with both feet, roll up your sleeves and get messy, dare to live, dare to love, dare to connect. - Carolyn Mann, 67

Love yourself and the rest will follow. - Jeannie Runnalls, 57

Don’t be ruled by fear. - Felisa Cheng, 65

Do good if you can to every person you meet, but always do no harm. - Bansi Gandhi, 63

Don’t sweat the small stuff. - John Smith, 82

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