by Mace Moulton Spiegel

Created on: November 09, 2010

"Be magnificent."

The best advice I've ever heard was "be magnificent." In other words, live with a vengeance; be larger than life. You may know the phrase from Doctor Who, where I first heard it; but actually, like so many philosophical gems, we inherited that one from the Ancient Greeks. The magnificent person is the one who loves the beautiful and the good, and lives to make the world a brighter place for everyone. The term 'magnificent,' in Aristotle's Ethics, means 'larger than life.' The word itself is not Greek, but derives from a Latin phrase associated with the Greek word Aristotle actually used. The Latin? "Magnum facere." That literally means 'doing great things,' but I think 'magnum' pretty much speaks for itself.

The textbook example of magnificence is Lorenzo de Medici, who ruled Florence in the late 1400s, at the height of the Italian Renaissance. He was known as 'Lorenzo the Magnificent' because of his generosity to his people and his support of learning and art. He bought paintings and sculptures, and had books from his private library copied and sent all over Europe. Among the artists he supported were Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Their works still delight viewers five hundred years later-and it's partly because of Lorenzo's support that they were able to create those masterpieces. Magnificent indeed.

"Fill up the page."

But magnificence isn't just about power and influence, or about buying art. Magnificence is about personal empowerment. It's about thinking big. It's about going as far as you can-and maybe just a little further. The best way I can explain it is by quoting the first art teacher I ever had, a fierce, brilliant woman who used to wear a lot of noisy silver bracelets. "I don't want any peanut drawings," she used to tell us. "Use all of the paper you have. Fill up the page." And then she would spread her arms wide until the bracelets jingled and shone, and say, "Draw right out to the edges of the paper. Don't be afraid to go over."

It was good advice for art, and good advice for life. Every day is like a blank sheet of paper, and so is every friendship. I strive to fill my days with color and motion and my friendships with love and forgiveness. Sometimes I run out of time, and don't finish what I'm doing; sometimes friendships go sour, and I run out of patience. But I know that tomorrow is a new page-and it will be magnificent.

"Don't be afraid."

Magnificence is following your dreams. It is going further each day, in spite of the risk of failure. There is beauty to boldness. We admire the athlete who goes fastest, the explorer who goes furthest, and the pilot who flies highest. We admire the lover who gives his heart unconditionally. All of these are magnificent. They aren't afraid to stretch out and reach for the limits of possibility, no matter the risks. They aren't to fall; they aren't afraid of failure. They are willing to live on the edge.

To be magnificent is to live with your arms spread wide, like wings. Magnificence embraces the world. And I am not afraid to go over the edge. I know if I keep my arms spread wide, and live magnificently, I will not fall. I will fly.

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