Quote Of The Day By Sue Monk Kidd: 'Don't Sort-Of-Maybe Live, But Live Like...'

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Every writer dreams of finding the kind of success Sue Monk Kidd has enjoyed. A nursing student before a professor encouraged her true talent, Kidd wrote several theological books and then tried her hand at fiction. Her first novel, 2002's "The Secret Life of Bees," was an instant sensation, landing on bestseller lists and inspiring both a movie and a Broadway play. Her second, "The Mermaid Chair," also hit the top of the charts and was made into a TV movie. Kidd's other works include "The Invention of Wings" and "The Book of Longings," a story set in ancient Judea and featuring Jesus and his family. She and her adult daughter Ann Kidd Taylor collaborated on "Traveling With Pomegranates," a memoir about the international travels that helped them reconnect and find meaning in their lives. Kidd and her husband of more than five decades live in North Carolina, where she continues to write and to find beauty in nature and everyday pleasures.

Kidd's themes of spirituality and women's empowerment are woven into all her works, and her characters often offer simple but deep truths in the course of the stories. One of her most meaningful reflections on the art of living is our quote of the day. 

Sue Monk Kidd's beloved novel "The Secret Life of Bees" follows the journey of Lily Owens, a young teen in 1964 South Carolina. She finds family and redemption in the form of her family housekeeper Rosaleen as well as May, June, and August Boatwright, three sisters who keep bees. Among the many pearls of wisdom the women teach Lily is this lesson on being human: "When it's time to die, go ahead and die, and when it's time to live, live. Don't sort-of-maybe live, but live like you're going all out, like you're not afraid."

For Lily, whose mother is long dead and who escaped her abusive father with the help of Rosaleen, the words, spoken by August, are a revelation. Surrounded by the love of strong women, she, too, can finally begin to live joyfully and without fear. The Boatwrights also show her the lessons she can learn from bees. The colony relies on one another not only to sustain the hive and honey, but also for companionship. "Above all, send the bees love," August instructs Lily (per Goodreads). "Every little thing wants to be loved."

Sue Monk Kidd's reflection is her own take on the familiar "carpe diem" phrase made famous by the ancient Roman poet Horace. Too often, we settle for the "sort-of-maybe" life that ends with regrets over opportunities not pursued or taken, words we were too afraid or ashamed to say, limitations we meekly accepted without question or challenge. Living fearlessly and fully isn't easy, and when we finally find the courage to try, it may be too late.

Kidd is living this lesson on a very personal level: In 2019, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In a 2024 Instagram post, she admitted that, though living with the progressive neurological condition is "hard," she nonetheless views it as a learning experience. "I'm learning new things through acceptance, and joy, and the simplicity of being," she wrote. "I'm learning that life is bearable only through love and gratitude." Determined to stay active and mobile as long as possible, Kidd exercises regularly and even recently taught herself a tap dance routine.

• "When I tell you all shall be well, I don't mean that life won't bring you tragedy. Life will be life. I only mean you will be well in spite of it. All shall be well, no matter what."
• "Early on, I would say, 'I should be in Africa digging wells or something — why should I be sitting in my study writing?' And then I gradually understood: This was what I was put here to do and that I could reach many people if I wrote authentically and told these stories."
• "Anger is effortless. Kindness is hard. Try to exert yourself."
• "The undaunted girl is in all of us. She's powerful and vulnerable, both. Sometimes she's a bold presence and sometimes she's elusive. But she's in there. I have to re-find her over and over again." 
• "The most significant gifts are the ones most easily overlooked. Small, everyday blessings: woods, health, music, laughter, memories, books, family, friends, second chances, warm fireplaces, and all the footprints scattered throughout our days."