Ashes Not Dust

I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stilled by dry rot.  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, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.
—     Jack London
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