The
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Ken Stabler was once being interviewed by Sports
Illustrated when the journalist recited a quote from the author, Jack
London that was near to London’s statue in Oakland:
“I would rather be
ashes than dust!
I would rather that my
spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by
dry-rot.
I would rather be a
superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and
permanent planet.
The function of man is
to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my
days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.”
When sked
what these words meant to him personally, Stabler replied with the gritty
confidence of a veteran, “Throw deep.”
