Vive hodie
“Live today.”
Martial, Epigrams 1.15.12
What does “Vive hodie” mean?
Vive hodie translates as “Live today.”
Do not postpone your life until tomorrow. The moment to live is now.
“Vive hodie” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Vive | live! | a command (imperative) of vivo, “to live”; addressed to one person. To a group: vivite |
| hodie | today | an adverb meaning “on this day”, from hoc die; it does not change its form |
How to pronounce “Vive hodie”
The main difference is the opening sound: Classical has a w in vive, Church Latin a v, and Church Latin drops the h in hodie. The stress falls on the first syllable of both words.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “live today”. It comes from the Roman poet Martial (Marcus Valerius Martialis, first century AD), who wrote short, sharp poems called epigrams.
The phrase closes Epigram 1.15, a poem addressed to a friend. It ends on the thought that tomorrow’s life comes too late, so the time to live is today.
The line belongs to the same tradition as Horace’s “carpe diem”: enjoy the present and do not put off living. In English it is often quoted as a short, plain motto.
How to use “Vive hodie”
Suits a tattoo, a desk motto or a card to someone who keeps postponing things. As a caption it works for a trip, a new start or any day you decided not to wait.
- Latin
- Vive hodie
- English
- Live today.
- Source
- Martial, Epigrams 1.15.12
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Time
Common mistakes
- It is not a call to reckless pleasure. The sense is not to postpone your life, not to ignore the future.
- Speaking to several people? Use the plural vivite hodie, not vive hodie.
- Hodie is spelled with an h and ends in -e. Forms such as “hodia” or “vive hodié” are wrong.
- It is often confused with “carpe diem”, which is Horace (Odes 1.11), not Martial.
Questions about “Vive hodie”
What does “Vive hodie” mean literally?
“Live today”. Vive is a command to one person and hodie means “today”.
Who said “Vive hodie”?
It comes from the Roman poet Martial, Epigrams 1.15, the last line of a poem to a friend.
How do you pronounce “Vive hodie”?
Classical Latin: WEE-weh HOH-dee-eh. Church Latin: VEE-veh OH-dee-eh, without the h sound.
Is “Vive hodie” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, it is correct Latin, addressed to one person. If you want to address a group, use “Vivite hodie”.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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