"I'd make more mistakes next time，" she said. "I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been on this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles， but I'd have fewer imaginary ones."
"You see， I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour， day after day. Oh， I've had my moments， and if I had to do it over again， I'd have more of them. In fact， I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments， one after another， instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer， a hot water bottle， and a raincoat. If I had to do it over again， I would travel lighter than I have.
"If I had my life to live over， I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds and I would pick more daisies."
在肯塔基州路易斯維爾，有位已故的老人，她叫Nadine Stair ，在她85歲高齡的時候，有人問她，如果她再有一次生命的話，她會做些什么。
“下次我犯的錯誤會更多，”她回答到。“我應該會很放松;我會把身子鍛煉得很柔軟;我應該會比現在還傻;我會更加溫和地處理問題;我會抓住更多的機會;我會爬很多高山，游更多的河流;我會吃很多的冰激凌，少吃點大豆;也許，我會碰到很多的現實生活中的麻煩事，但是，一些想象中的麻煩事將不會更多了。”
“你也知道，我是那種每一秒都活得很理性的人。哦，我度過了生命中的光陰，如果再讓我過一次的話，我將會擁有更多的時間。可事實上，除了這些我一無所有。只是幾多片刻，一個接一個地，并不是在每天前已經生活了很多年。如果他們不帶寒暑表，不帶熱水壺，不帶一件雨衣的話，他們就不會去任何地方，我以前曾經就是這幅樣子。但是，如果我可以再走一次人生的話，我就會輕裝上陣，旅行得更遠。
“如果我再有一次生命的話，我就會從早春赤腳到深秋，我會多跳幾次舞，我會多騎幾次旋轉木馬，還有，我會多采些雛菊花……”
