---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If life be long, I will be glad, Tthat I…"
description: "\"If life be long, I will be glad, Tthat I may long obey; If short, yet why should I be sad, To soar to endless day?\" — Richard Baxter"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-tthat-i-m_2322100.png"
---

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

![“If life be long, I will be glad, Tthat I may long obey; If short, yet why should I be sad, To soar to endless day?” quote by Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-tthat-i-m_2322100.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-tthat-i-m_2322100.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-tthat-i-m_2322100.png)

> “If life be long, I will be glad, Tthat I may long obey; If short, yet why should I be sad, To soar 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.

Whether life is long or short, one should remain joyful and aspire toward eternal happiness.

**In simple terms:** Embrace life’s length with joy.

Key Takeaway

Seek lasting happiness regardless of lifespan.

Themes

faith optimism eternity

Mood

contemplative hopeful

Type

spiritual hymn philosophical reflection

When to use this quote

- sermons
- personal reflection
- counseling sessions

Key Concepts

theology philosophy of mortality spiritual resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you find joy in uncertainty?
- What does “endless day” mean to you?

A Different Perspective

May be challenging for those facing severe hardship.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Endless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endless/) [Glad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glad/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [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/) [Life long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-long/) [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/) [Should i](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should-i/) [Tthat Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tthat-long-5554845/) [Welcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welcome/)

## Related quotes

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

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

> [“Is life much too long for an immortal?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/is-life-much-too-long-for-an-immortal/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [I've been in public life for long enough that I know you just have to live your life normally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-berejiklian/i-ve-been-in-public-life-for-long-enough-that-i-know-you-just-have-to/)

[Gladys Berejiklian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-berejiklian/)

> [I'm not often bored,' I assured her. "Life's not long enough for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-m-not-often-bored-i-assured-her-life-s-not-long-enough-for-that/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [those who despair of life are not long for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-janeway/those-who-despair-of-life-are-not-long-for-it/)

[Elizabeth Janeway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-janeway/)

> [It is not difficult to find love but it is difficult to find true love. If at all you find love, dont fail to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-love-doctor/it-is-not-difficult-to-find-love-but-it-is-difficult-to-find-true/)

[The Love Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-love-doctor/)

> [“Our darling Roberta, No sorrow shall hurt her If we can prevent it Her whole life long. Her birthday's our fete day, We'll make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/our-darling-roberta-no-sorrow-shall-hurt-her-if-we-can-prevent-it-her/)

[E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/)

> [I like the consistency of having people in my life for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/i-like-the-consistency-of-having-people-in-my-life-for-a-long-time/)

[David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/)

> [Life are only as long as beautiful Until your limbs are intact,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/life-are-only-as-long-as-beautiful-until-your-limbs-are-intact/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [“Life is long. Just because you don’t get your chance right when you want or expect it doesn’t mean it won’t come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/life-is-long-just-because-you-don-t-get-your-chance-right-when-you/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Life is not long, and too much of it must not pass in idle deliberation how it shall be spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/life-is-not-long-and-too-much-of-it-must-not-pass-in-idle/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [“Whatever they may think and say about their "egoism", the great majority nonetheless do nothing for their ego their whole life long: what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/whatever-they-may-think-and-say-about-their-egoism-the-great-majority/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“life can seem either very long or very short, according to how you live it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/life-can-seem-either-very-long-or-very-short-according-to-how-you/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Give life long enough and it will solve all your problems, including the one of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/give-life-long-enough-and-it-will-solve-all-your-problems-including/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

## 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, Tthat I may long obey; If short, yet why should I be sad, To soar 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-tthat-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-tthat-i-may-long-obey-if-short-yet-why/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-tthat-i-m_2322100.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-tthat-i-m_2322100.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/richard-baxter-2985_endless_if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-tthat-i-m_2322100.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If life be long, I will be glad, Tthat I may long obey; If short, yet why should I be sad, To soar 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-tthat-i-may-long-obey-if-short-yet-why/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/if-life-be-long-i-will-be-glad-tthat-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
