



This style is simple and only includes the actual words without any other imagery which is perhaps why most people opt to go for it.Ĭhoice of font will depend on the position you want the tattoo, and some common classical fonts include gothic or calligraphy.Ĭalligraphy is more flowing and consists of narrower strokes with curves, this makes it usable in any location of the body because you can easily size the tattoo.įor the more gothic fonts, text is heavily shaded and as a result the tattoo is almost always quite large, so placement becomes a bit more challenging. To make a classical design of this tattoo, you only need to be creative with fonts and patterns. It is in these interpretations that different types of these tattoos have arose, and of course, you can always create your own imagery that is going to be meaningful to you. The meaning of the phrase always remains the same, but it can be applied to various aspects of life. The tattoo will remind them of the fleeting nature of life, and perhaps encourage them not to give up but instead take the day as it is. Right now, it is a call to others by the wearer to do the same, to let go of life’s stresses.Īpart from the appealing meaning, it can also be used to motivate someone who has been through some kind of loss. The actual, literal, interpretation would be “Pluck the day (as it is ripe)”, which is what the poet intended. The first word, carpe, means enjoy, and the second, diem, day. The phrase was then carried forward over generations, just like many other phrases, through art until it was finally included in the English dictionary.Ī common replacement in today’s culture is YOLO (you only live once) which means the same thing, though not as poetic. From a Carpe Diem tattoo on the wrist with the classic letters in handwriting style, to some composition of old letters somewhere more original on the body, such as a side of the back or a tattoo with the Carpe Diem on the chest, which can also generate an attractive aesthetic effect that will not go unnoticed.The phrase was first used in one of Horace’s Odes in English literature back in 23 BC. If you prefer a discreet and simple tattoo, it is also possible to generate your own personal creation by playing with a great variety of fonts and places on the body. It can be something as minimalist as the phrase itself, but also as complex as a work of art capable of encompassing the entire back. One of the best ways to keep this message persistent is through a Carpe Diem tattoo. In its purest meaning, it could be translated as “take the day”, although it has also been linked to a wide variety of phrases, which essentially evoke the same idea of making the most of the moment, and living intensely in the present.ĭuring the Middle Ages, and with particular influence on the Renaissance, this phrase also became an emblem of identity, and a reminder of the importance of always enjoying the moment, and of living each day as if it were the last. Despite being a simple composition of two words and nine letters, the Latin locution Carpe Diem, attributed to a legendary Roman poet, has become one of the most famous phrases of our times, also able to express itself in tattoos Carpe Diem through an infinity of designs and styles.
