# Live and let die



## she-keeps-repeating

Hello people,
 I've been desiging my most recent tattoo and one of the most crucial parts to it is 'live and let die' but I also have memento mori tattood on me and I would like to know the Latin translation for 'live and let die' if anybody knows it?

Thank you!


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## Joca

Vive et sine mori.

PS. Please wait for a probably better solution.


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## Cagey

Joca has offered a good word-for-word translation.

The difficulty is that classical Latin wouldn't say "let die" without indicating who is supposed to be allowed to die.  Could you explain in other words what this means to you?  Are you supposed to allow other people to die?  What is the thought behind it?  In English we let it be vague, but it makes a difference in Latin.


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## Lamb67

vive et reconcila morti(to allow oneself to accept death, I am try to say that to reconcile to death)


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## Joca

Cagey said:


> Joca has offered a good word-for-word translation.
> 
> The difficulty is that classical Latin wouldn't say "let die" without indicating who is supposed to be allowed to die. Could you explain in other words what this means to you? Are you supposed to allow other people to die? What is the thought behind it? In English we let it be vague, but it makes a difference in Latin.


 
I see, Cagey.

Do you think it would make a difference if we put it this longer way?

Vive vitam et sine mortem.


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## Hamlet2508

What about one of the translations below?

[constructions using the imperative]

_Vive mortemque accipe._(Live and accept death)
_Vive mori patere_.(Live and accept to die)

or [construction using the hortatory subjuctive]
_Vivas mori patiaris_(Live and accept to die!)


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## Kevin Beach

"Live and let die" was the title of a James Bond book and film. I always understood that it was a deliberate reversal of the cliché "live and let live". I'm not aware of any previous usage.

In the Ian Fleming books, James Bond was "licensed to kill". I assumed that "Live and let die" meant that Bond (and, frankly, several others in the Bond films) would kill in order to live.

If that's right, then one has to find a translation meaning *Live* _[yourself]_* and let* _[others]_* die*.


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## Cagey

Yes, if we can confirm that this is what it means to the original poster, whose tattoo this will be.


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## Lamb67

To follow James Bond, Vive et moriantur(?)(live and let them die).


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## Kevin Beach

Lamb67 said:


> To follow James Bond, Vive et moriantur(?)(live and let them die).


Oh, I like that!


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## Joca

Lamb67 said:


> To follow James Bond, Vive et moriantur(?)(live and let them die).


 
In this case, *maybe* both verbs should be in the Present Subjunctive, to make it more balanced:

_Vivas et moriantur._

That you may live and that others may die.


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## Hamlet2508

Joca said:


> In this case, *maybe* both verbs should be in the Present Subjunctive, to make it more balanced:
> 
> *Vivas et moriantur.*



Thank you so much for suggesting that.
I was about to, but didn't want to barge in again.


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