Live like you'll die tomorrow, work like you don't need the

The master of stage and motion, Bob Fosse, once uttered the immortal words: “Live like you’ll die tomorrow, work like you don’t need the money, and dance like nobody’s watching.” In this triad of wisdom he gives a law for the soul, a summons to passion, integrity, and freedom. To live as if each day were the last is to strip away hesitation, to banish fear, and to embrace the sacred fire of existence with courage and gratitude. For tomorrow is not promised, and the gift of today must be seized as though it were the final sunrise.

To work as though one does not hunger for coin is to discover the nobility of labor. True greatness in effort is born not of greed, but of devotion to craft, to calling, to purpose. The hands that toil only for silver grow weary, but the hands that work with love and pride are inexhaustible. Fosse’s teaching reminds us that work becomes worship when it is freed from the chains of mere necessity, for then it flows from the heart, not from the weight of survival.

And to dance as if unseen is to move in the purest freedom of the soul. When no eyes judge, no whispers condemn, and no crowd measures worth, the body becomes a vessel of joy unbound. Dance here is not merely the art of steps and rhythm, but the symbol of self-expression, of daring to be fully alive without shame. To dance like nobody’s watching is to reclaim innocence, to taste again the freedom of the child who moves simply because life itself compels it.

Together, these three commands form a path of liberation. Live with urgency, so that regret cannot bind you. Work with integrity, so that your labor becomes an offering, not a chain. Dance with freedom, so that your spirit remembers its wings. In these, Fosse gives us not mere advice, but a heroic creed: to walk the earth in fire, in joy, and in authenticity.

So let this wisdom endure through the ages: do not waste your days in fear, nor your hands in greed, nor your soul in shame. Live, for time is short. Work, for honor is greater than wealth. Dance, for joy is the truest freedom. In this way, life itself becomes a masterpiece, as radiant and eternal as the stars.