This quote’s provenance requires careful attribution. Irving Shepard, London’s literary executor, included it in his introduction to Jack London’s Tales of Adventure (1956). Shepard drew from an article in the San Francisco Bulletin (December 2, 1916) by journalist Ernest J. Hopkins, who had visited London at his ranch weeks before the author’s death. Biographer Clarice Stasz notes that while the passage bears hallmarks of London’s style, its exact wording may be a journalistic reconstruction rather than verbatim transcription.
The quote articulates a philosophy distinguishing between passive existence and purposeful living. For London, mere existence—the biological continuation of life—represents an insufficient use of human potential. To truly “live” demands active engagement with experience, risk, and meaning.
The second sentence rejects what might be called a conservative approach to mortality: the cautious preservation of life at the expense of its quality. London refuses to subordinate present vitality to future longevity. This reflects his naturalist worldview, shaped by Darwin and Nietzsche, which valued strength, action, and the acceptance of mortality over timid self-preservation.
The final declaration—“I shall use my time”—transforms abstract philosophy into personal commitment. Time becomes a resource demanding expenditure rather than hoarding.
Given London’s declining health in 1916 and his awareness of his kidney disease, these words acquire particular poignancy. They encapsulate a life characterized by relentless productivity, adventure, and engagement—a credo London demonstrably practiced until his death at forty.
Jack London’s Tales of Adventure (Secondary source)
Tales of Adventure, edited by Irving Shepard, is a collection of Jack London’s short fiction drawn from his most popular adventure writing. The stories are typically set in extreme environments—such as the Arctic, the North Pacific, or remote frontiers—where characters face hunger, cold, isolation, and sudden violence. London’s protagonists often include sailors, prospectors, drifters, and working people who are tested by both nature and human conflict.
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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 dryrot.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,
Jack London
not to exist.
I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.
“There is an ecstasy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstasy comes when one is most alive, and it comes as a complete forgetfulness that one is alive.”
— Jack London Primary source“Life achieves its summit when it does to the uttermost that which it was equipped to do.”
— Jack London Primary source“The ghostly winter silence had given way to the great spring murmur of awakening life.”
— Jack London Primary source“Love, genuine passionate love, was his for the first time.”
— Jack London Primary source“Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well. Step by step you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts. But you build discipline by preparing for fast spurts. Slug it out one inch at a time, day by day, and at the end of the day—if you live long enough—like most people, you will get out of life what you deserve.”
— Charlie Munger Primary source“I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“To be sure, we are behind, and will be behind for some time in manned flight. But we do not intend to stay behind, and in this decade, we shall make up and move ahead.”
— John F. Kennedy Primary source“In short, the Way to Wealth, if you desire it, is as plain as the Way to Market. It depends chiefly on two Words, Industry and Frugality; i.e. Waste neither Time nor Money, but make the best Use of both. He that gets all he can honestly, and saves all he gets (necessary Expences excepted) will certainly become Rich.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source