Learn English – How to idiomatically suggest someone should live the day and forget about tomorrow

idiom-requestidioms

In Arabic, we literally say:

Give me life today, and kill me tomorrow.

We use it to say we should only care about the present time and forget about the future. For example, when my mother advises me against spending a lot of money on a single day, I would use this expression in response. How would you normally go about this in English?

Best Answer

An old Latin expression can be used in these situations: "Carpe Diem", which literally translated means "pluck/pick the day", but a more idiomatic translation would be "seize the day". It is a rather sophisticated expression.

the enjoyment of the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future

(source: Merriam Webster)

The Wikipedia article mentions another applicable expression which is currently very popular among young people all over the world, also in non-English countries: YOLO, an abbreviation meaning "You Only Live Once". I agree with @Eddie in the comments, it's rather vulgar, though probably less so if you write it out in full, instead of using only the abbreviation.