today is a good day to die

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English

Etymology

A c. 1881–1885 photograph of the Oglala Lakota chief Low Dog, who was reported to have first used the phrase “this is a good day to die” in 1881

The phrase is frequently attributed to the Oglala Lakota war leader Crazy Horse (c. 1842 – 1877), though this is inaccurate as the earliest published reference, in the 14 August 1881 edition of the Leavenworth Times, attributes it to the Oglala Lakota chief Low Dog (c. 1846 – 1894).

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /təˈdeɪ ɪz ə ˈɡʊd deɪ tuː ˈdaɪ/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /tʊˈdeɪ ɪz ə ˈɡʊd deɪ tə ˈdaɪ/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: to‧day is a good day to die

Proverb

today is a good day to die

  1. An expression of willingness, even eagerness, to give one’s life for a cause.
  • 2001, Engineering News-Record: Top Construction Management Firms, volume 246, New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 72:
    Otherwise, small business owners like those in the construction industry will have to be prescient, as well as politically and financially astute, in deciding if today is a good day to die.
  • An expression indicating that one should not live with any regrets, or tasks left undone.
  • 2006, Dan Millman, “On Chapter Four: The Sword is Sharpened”, in Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior: A Companion to the Book that Changes Lives, Tilburon, Calif.: H. J. Kramer; Novato, Calif.: New World Library, →ISBN, page 111:
    The main thing is to die after having truly lived, after leaving behind a contribution. Socrates lived fully and was perfectly content to let go when the time came. As the Native American saying goes, "Today is a good day to die."
  • 2008, John Izzo, “The First Secret: Be True to Your Self”, in The Five Secrets You must Discover before You Die, San Francisco, Calif.: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, →ISBN, page 43:
    In the native tradition of the Pacific Northwest there is a saying: "Today is a good day to die." What it means, of course, is that today is a good day to live completely. If you were lying on that hospital bed right now, what would be on that short list?
  • Translations

    References

    1. ^ See, for example, Kenneth Paul Kramer (1988) “American Indian Attitudes towards Death”, in The Sacred Art of Dying: How World Religions Understand Death, Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press, →ISBN, page 169:One of the best known death songs was sung by the Sioux warrior Chief Crazy Horse just before he entered into battle: / Hoka hey! Follow me / Today is a good day to fight / Today is a good day to die.
    2. ^ The phrase appeared in an interview with Low Dog which was in a newspaper despatch sent from Fort Yates, North Dakota, USA, on 30 July 1881 and published in the Leavenworth Times two weeks later: see Low Dog, quotee (2003) “The Low Dog Interview”, in Richard G. Hardorff, editor, Indian Views of the Custer Fight: A Sourcebook, Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, →ISBN, pages 63 and 65:We retreated until our men got all together, and then we charged upon them. I called to my men, ‘This is a good day to die: follow me.’