seize the day

Meanings

1. To enjoy the present and not worry about the future; to live for the moment.
2. To make the most of today by achieving fulfillment in a philosophical or spiritual sense.
3. To attack the day's efforts with vigor and purpose.

Etymology

Calque of Latin carpe diem, originally meaning "enjoy the day", literally "pluck (or harvest) the day", from a poem by the ancient poet Horace. In Latin, it was common to use carpo (“to pluck something, pick off”) metaphorically to express enjoying a period of time. The use of seize is a traditional mistranslation originating from a confusion with cape, singular imperative of capio (“to seize something, grab”).