today is a good day to dieとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源

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),^[1] 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).^[2]

発音

• (Received 発音) IPA^(key): /təˈdeɪ ɪz ə ˈɡʊd deɪ tuː ˈdaɪ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /tʊˈdeɪ ɪz ə ˈɡʊd deɪ tə ˈdaɪ/
• ハイフネーション: to‧day is a good day to die

ことわざ

today is a good day to die

1. An expression of willingness, even eagerness, to give one’s life for a cause.
   • [1993, Stephen Solomita, chapter 12, in A Good Day to Die, New York, N.Y.: Otto Penzler Books, →ISBN:

     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.]

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

     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.]

   • 2001, Engineering News-Record: Top Construction Management Firms, volume 246, New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, ISSN 0891-9526, OCLC 20849177, 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.

2. An expression indicating that one should not live with any regrets, or tasks left undone.
   • [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:

     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.]

   • 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?

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