• Meaning: "Remember that you are mortal" or "Remember death."
• Origin: Medieval Western Christianity.
• Purpose:
  • To reflect on mortality.
  • To contemplate the illusion of the world and the transience of all material and secular endeavors.
• Comparison: Often compared to the art of dying (Latin: ars moriendi) and similar literature.
• Etymology:
  • "Memento" means "to remember."
  • "Mori" means "to die."

Carpe Diem

• Meaning: "Seize the day."
• Origin: From Book 1 of the Roman poet Horace's work Odes (23 BC).
• Purpose:
  • To encourage enjoying the present moment.
  • To exploit opportunities while they are available.
• Etymology:
  • "Carpe" means "to pick or pluck" and is used by Horace to mean "to enjoy, to seize, to use, to exploit."
  • "Diem" is the accusative form of "dies," meaning "day."
  • Thus, a more literal translation is "to seize the moment [when it is ripe]," emphasizing the importance of making the most of the present.