---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If life be long I will be glad, that I…"
description: "\"If life be long I will be glad, that I may long obey; if short, yet why should I be sad to welcome to endless day?\" — Richard Baxter"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-that-i-ma_1217597.png"
---

#  If life be long I will be glad, that I may long obey; if…

![“If life be long I will be glad, that I may long obey; if short, yet why should I be sad to welcome to endless day?” quote by Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-that-i-ma_1217597.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-that-i-ma_1217597.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-that-i-ma_1217597.png)

> “If life be long I will be glad, that I may long obey; if short, yet why should I be sad to welcome to endless day?”

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Life’s length is irrelevant; what matters is how we respond to each day with gratitude or sorrow.

**In simple terms:** Day length doesn’t matter; choose gratitude.

Key Takeaway

Embrace each day, regardless of its length.

Themes

gratitude perspective acceptance

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- daily routine
- grief counseling
- end‑of‑life care

Key Concepts

existentialism mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you measure a day’s value?
- What habits foster gratitude?

A Different Perspective

Even a short life can be meaningful if lived fully.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Endless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endless/) [Endless Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endless-day-3243312/) [Glad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glad/) [Glad Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glad-long-3717066/) [Inspirational life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Glad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-glad-3717064/) [Long Obey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-obey-3717065/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Welcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welcome/) [Welcome Endless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welcome-endless-3717067/)

## Related quotes

> [If life be long, I will be glad, Tthat I may long obey; If short, yet why should I be sad, To soar to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-tthat-i-may-long-obey-if-short-yet-why/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Endless.. Is the day that fades into night. Slumber's fleeting as the horrors creep into my mind. Round and round they go. No peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charity-ann-sones/endless-is-the-day-that-fades-into-night-slumber-s-fleeting-as-the/)

[Charity Ann Sones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charity-ann-sones/)

> [“I shall be glad as long as I live that even in that moment of final dissolution, there was in the face a look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/i-shall-be-glad-as-long-as-i-live-that-even-in-that-moment-of-final/)

[Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/)

> [“...endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry that it's all gone”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/can-t-remember/endless-day-to-day-shallowness-a-monotony-that-leaves-a-person/)

[can't remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/can-t-remember/)

> [I'm saying that the domain of poetry includes both oral &amp; written forms, that poetry goes back to a pre-literate situation &amp; would survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-rothenberg/i-m-saying-that-the-domain-of-poetry-includes-both-oral-written-forms/)

[Jerome Rothenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-rothenberg/)

> [Like the sea itself, the unconscious yields an endless and self-replenishing abundance of creatures, a wealth beyond our fathoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/like-the-sea-itself-the-unconscious-yields-an-endless-and-self/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [This is the sacrifice: the endless possibility that is offered up on the altar of the form...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/this-is-the-sacrifice-the-endless-possibility-that-is-offered-up-on/)

[Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/)

> [The ultimate goal of radical politics is gradually to displace the limit of social exclusions, empowering the excluded agents (sexual and ethnic minorities) by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/the-ultimate-goal-of-radical-politics-is-gradually-to-displace-the/)

[Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/)

> [By heaven we understand a state of happiness infinite in degree, and endless in duration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/by-heaven-we-understand-a-state-of-happiness-infinite-in-degree-and/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [I'm not a fan of endless mystery in storytelling - I like to know where the mythology's going; I like to get there in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kripke/i-m-not-a-fan-of-endless-mystery-in-storytelling-i-like-to-know-where/)

[Eric Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kripke/)

> [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/)

[Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/)

> [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/)

[J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

## More by Richard Baxter

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Most (Christians) have an ungrounded trust in Christ, hoping that He will pardon, justify and save them, while the world has their hearts, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/most-christians-have-an-ungrounded-trust-in-christ-hoping-that-he/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [My Lord, I have nothing to do in this World, but to seek and serve thee; I have nothing to do with a Heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/my-lord-i-have-nothing-to-do-in-this-world-but-to-seek-and-serve-thee/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [We must feel toward our people as a father toward his children; yea, the most tender love of a mother must not surpass ours.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/we-must-feel-toward-our-people-as-a-father-toward-his-children-yea/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [We are ignorant of things necessary, because we learn things superfluous and unnecessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/we-are-ignorant-of-things-necessary-because-we-learn-things/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [In a divine commonwealth holiness must have the principal honor and encouragement, and a great difference be made between the precious and the vile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/in-a-divine-commonwealth-holiness-must-have-the-principal-honor-and/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [God takes men's hearty desires and will, instead of the deed, where they have not power to fulfill it; but he never took the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/god-takes-men-s-hearty-desires-and-will-instead-of-the-deed-where/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Surely love is both work and wages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/surely-love-is-both-work-and-wages/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Naturally, men are prone to spin themselves a web of opinions out of their own brain, and to have a religion that may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/naturally-men-are-prone-to-spin-themselves-a-web-of-opinions-out-of/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [“God never saved any man for being a preacher, nor because he was an able preacher; but because he was a justified, sanctified man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/god-never-saved-any-man-for-being-a-preacher-nor-because-he-was-an/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [A man pleaser cannot be true to God, because he is a servant to the enemies of his service; the wind of a man's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/a-man-pleaser-cannot-be-true-to-god-because-he-is-a-servant-to-the/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [“He is not drowning His sheep when He washeth them, nor killing them when He is shearing them. But by this He showeth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/he-is-not-drowning-his-sheep-when-he-washeth-them-nor-killing-them/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Get masters of families to do their duty, and they will not only spare you a great deal of labor, but will much further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/get-masters-of-families-to-do-their-duty-and-they-will-not-only-spare/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Christ leads me through no darker rooms than He went through before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/christ-leads-me-through-no-darker-rooms-than-he-went-through-before/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Such is the depth of the Christian Scriptures, that even if I were attempting to study them and nothing else from early boyhood to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/such-is-the-depth-of-the-christian-scriptures-that-even-if-i-were/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

[Explore all 143 Richard Baxter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

## More Endless quotes

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/)

[J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/)

> [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/)

[Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/)

> [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [I'm not a fan of endless mystery in storytelling - I like to know where the mythology's going; I like to get there in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kripke/i-m-not-a-fan-of-endless-mystery-in-storytelling-i-like-to-know-where/)

[Eric Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kripke/)

> [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [By heaven we understand a state of happiness infinite in degree, and endless in duration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/by-heaven-we-understand-a-state-of-happiness-infinite-in-degree-and/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [The ultimate goal of radical politics is gradually to displace the limit of social exclusions, empowering the excluded agents (sexual and ethnic minorities) by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/the-ultimate-goal-of-radical-politics-is-gradually-to-displace-the/)

[Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/)

> [This is the sacrifice: the endless possibility that is offered up on the altar of the form...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/this-is-the-sacrifice-the-endless-possibility-that-is-offered-up-on/)

[Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/)

> [Like the sea itself, the unconscious yields an endless and self-replenishing abundance of creatures, a wealth beyond our fathoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/like-the-sea-itself-the-unconscious-yields-an-endless-and-self/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [I'm saying that the domain of poetry includes both oral &amp; written forms, that poetry goes back to a pre-literate situation &amp; would survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-rothenberg/i-m-saying-that-the-domain-of-poetry-includes-both-oral-written-forms/)

[Jerome Rothenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-rothenberg/)

> [Language gradually varies, and with it fade away the writings of authors who have flourished their allotted time; otherwise, the creative powers of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/language-gradually-varies-and-with-it-fade-away-the-writings-of/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [The debt immense of endless gratitude, So burthensome, still paying, still to owe; Forgetful what from him I still receivd, And understood not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/the-debt-immense-of-endless-gratitude-so-burthensome-still-paying/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/when-you-finish-a-poem-it-clicks-shut-like-the-top-of-a-jewel-box-but/)

[Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/)

> [We are all pilgrims on an elusive and endless road... Despite our attempts to build lives on stone foundations, our spirits continuously flow. Endless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lawlor/we-are-all-pilgrims-on-an-elusive-and-endless-road-despite-our/)

[Anthony Lawlor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lawlor/)

[Browse all 1,867 Endless quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endless/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If life be long I will be glad, that I may long obey; if short, yet why should I be sad to welcome to endless day?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Baxter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-that-i-may-long-obey-if-short-yet-why/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Endless"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-that-i-may-long-obey-if-short-yet-why/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-that-i-ma_1217597.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-that-i-ma_1217597.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-that-i-ma_1217597.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If life be long I will be glad, that I may long obey; if short, yet why should I be sad to welcome to…” — Richard Baxter",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Richard Baxter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If life be long I will...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-that-i-may-long-obey-if-short-yet-why/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-that-i-may-long-obey-if-short-yet-why/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
