today is a good day to die

to·day is a good day to die
UK/təˈdeɪ ɪz ə ˈɡʊd deɪ tuː ˈdaɪ/US/tʊˈdeɪ ɪz ə ˈɡʊd deɪ tə ˈdaɪ/

proverb

An expression of willingness, even eagerness, to give one’s life for a cause.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. An expression of willingness, even eagerness, to give one’s life for a cause.

    We will keep safe the heritage of this country. And if someday we must die to serve this cause, well, then, it will be a good day to die.

    [1997, Robert B[rown] Parker, chapter 26, in Night Passage: A Jesse Stone Novel, New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam's Sons, →ISBN
    2 more examples

    Junkies brag about the "rush" of mainlined heroin or inhaled crack cocaine; I'll put the rush of danger up against any drug. I wasn't kidding when I told Bouton it was a good day to die. Any day is a good day to die. As long as you go down fighting.

    [1993, Stephen Solomita, chapter 12, in A Good Day to Die, New York, N.Y.: Otto Penzler Books, →ISBN

    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.

    2001, Engineering News-Record: Top Construction Management Firms, volume 246, New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 72
  2. An expression indicating that one should not live with any regrets, or tasks left undone.

    To be given the strength to live without regrets, without the feeling that you should be doing something more, something different. To make today a good day to die. To gain fulfillment not with length of time, but with quality.

    [2002, Dave Collins, “Gains”, in Please Remain Seated until the Ride has Come to a Complete Stop: Dave Collins Memoir, Lincoln, Neb.: Writer's Showcase, iUniverse, →ISBN, pages 86–87
    2 more examples

    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."

    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

    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?

    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

Origin

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 edition on August 14, 1881 of the Leavenworth Times, attributes it to the Oglala Lakota chief Low Dog (c. 1846 – 1894).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Vietnamese hi sinh, hiến thân
  • hi sinhexpression of willingness, even eagerness, to give one’s life for a cause
  • hiến thânexpression of willingness, even eagerness, to give one’s life for a cause
Cite this entry
APA

today is a good day to die. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/today%20is%20a%20good%20day%20to%20die

MLA

“today is a good day to die.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/today%20is%20a%20good%20day%20to%20die. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “today is a good day to die,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/today%20is%20a%20good%20day%20to%20die.

Source: today is a good day to die on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.