Memento Mori - The key to unlocking your greatest work

Memento mori is the ancient practice of reflection on mortality. In Latin, it translates to “remember (that) you will die” and the Stoic literature is full of references to this practice. Let’s find out why death was such a focal point for the biggest thought leaders of ancient times.

For example, Marcus Aurelius wrote in his Meditations that “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” This quote serves as a reminder to live a life of virtue right now without further delay.

Meditating on your mortality is, in fact, a tool to create meaning and priority. For generations, this practice has been used throughout cultures to create urgency and real perspective and to treat time as a gift and avoid wasting it vainly. With this outlook, death no longer is pointless but rather purposeful. It is a refreshing and humbling thought.

Seneca urged us to tell ourselves every night “You may not wake up tomorrow,’ and every morning “You may not sleep again”, as reminders of our mortality.

The idea has been central to philosophy, literature, art, architecture and more throughout history. It is believed to have originated from an ancient Roman tradition where a slave would have to whisper in a general’s ear “Memento Mori” (Remember that you will die). It served as a reminder to the victor at the peak of his glory that this would end soon and the only thing that would remain would be the truth of his mortality.

For Buddhists, mindfulness of death is a central teaching. Indeed, there is a meditation called maranasati which means “death awareness,” that Buddhists consider essential for a better life.

As for Egyptians, death has long been an act of celebrating life. Indeed, Michel de Montaigne describes such celebrations that ended with the raising of a skeleton chanting, “Drink and be merry, for such shalt thou be when thou are dead.”

It’s easy to forget that we will eventually die when we are distracted by life. However, reflecting on our mortality allows us to accept what makes our time on earth valuable. In the manner of carpe diem, it is an invitation to take advantage of your time on earth and to seize the day.