The Minecraft end poem appears during the end credits of the game Minecraft. It speaks about travel and living one’s life to the fullest. It has gained popularity due to Minecraft’s incredibly high userbase. (The game has amassed around 141 million players worldwide.)
Minecraft End Poem Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Origins of Minecraft End Poem
The Minecraft end poem features this short quote. It originates from a sweet book of sayings by Horace Jackson Browne Jr. titled P.S. I Love You.
H. Jackson Brown Jr. is an American author who is remembered for his collections of inspirational quotes. His best-known is ‘Life’s Little Instruction Book.’ It featured on the New York Times Best Seller list for a period of time. The follow-up to this popular volume is also featured on this same list.
Brown’s second collection, P.S. I Love You, was a chronicle of quotes his father and mother shared with him throughout his life. Interestingly, sometimes, the Minecraft quote is misquoted as having been first used by Mark Twain. Brown died on November 30th, 2021.
Summary
The Minecraft end poem is a short quote that speaks about the importance of living one’s life to the fullest and exploring everything the world has to offer.
The Minecraft end poem begins with the speaker directing the words to “you.” The speaker is considering your future and how you were going to feel about the things you did and the things that you didn’t do.
They believe that twenty years from now, “you” are going to be more disappointed by what you “didn’t do” than by any mistakes you may have made. The following lines are a series of short sentences, some of which are only one word, that utilizes sailing imagery to emphasize the speaker’s belief in exploring and dreaming.
Literary Devices
Throughout this quote, the writer makes use of several literary devices. These include but are not limited to:
- Alliteration: can be seen when the poet repeats the same consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. For example, “disappointed” and “didn’t do” in the first part of the quote.
- Accumulation: occurs when the poet includes several elements, in the same way, within in a poem. In this case, the short statements in the second part of the quote and those in the third part work together to inspire the reader to take action in their life.
- Imagery: occurs when the poet uses particularly interesting descriptions. In this case, the poet uses sailing imagery that should inspire the reader to imagine themselves on a boat at sea.
- Metaphor: occurs when the poet compares two unlike things without using “like” or “as.” In this case, the poet uses a traditional series of images related with exploring and adventure, these work together to create a sailing metaphor that speaks on the importance of stepping outside of one’s comfort zone.
Detailed Analysis
In order to better analyze the Minecraft end poem, it has been split into three parts. When read in full, all three sections are combined into one short paragraph (see above).
Part One
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.
In the first part of this quote, the speaker uses a long sentence to emphasize what they think should be important in “your” life. They take a determined and knowledgeable tone when they suggest that in 20 years “you” are going to be more “disappointment” by what you didn’t do than by what you did do.
Here, the speaker is alluding to how “you” might feel about mistakes you have made in the present or the recent past. These mistakes may, to some extent, deter “you” from trying new things or exploring new places. The speaker does not want this to be the case.
With some knowledge of the context of this quote (the fact that it was shared with Brown via his mother or father), it is easy to interpret a mother or father’s loving and caring tone in the lines.
Part Two
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
In the next section of the quote, the speaker uses three short statements. These are suggestions in the guise of a metaphor. The speaker uses sailing imagery to inspire the reader to throw off the life they have lived so far and step outside their comfort zone or sail away “from the safe harbor.” One should do what they can to find passion and inspiration and follow that wherever it takes them.
In this section, the short statements contain several examples of literary devices. Included alliteration. For example, “So,” “Sail,” “safe,” and “sails.”
Part Three
Explore. Dream. Discover.
The final part of the quote is only three lines long. These three words are simple and easy to understand. They ask the reader to “explore, “dream, and “discover.” If one can do these three things, then they are going to live a life that, 20 years from now, they are not going to regret.
FAQs
This quote was first published in H. Jackson Brown’s 1990 book, P.S. I Love You. Interestingly, the quote is far more often attributed to Mark Twain, who scholars have deduced, never said it.
The end credit poem is meant to inspire and encourage players to continue exploring the world, seeking out new experiences, and challenging themselves (seemingly how they would’ve done so in the game).
H. Jackson Brown Jr., or Horace Jackson Brown Jr., was an American poet who is well-regarded for his books of sayings that he published throughout his life. His P.S. I Love You was published in 1990 and, like other collections, was inspired by sayings he heard from family members.
Similar Poetry
Readers who enjoyed this piece should also consider reading some related poems. For example:
- ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost – is about the choices and opportunities in life. The poem highlights the sensation of regret that accompanies all the roads that a person doesn’t take.
- ‘Swallows Travel To and Fro‘ by Robert Louis Stevenson – describes the freedom of human interconnectedness and the beauty in the similarity of our experiences
- ‘Postcard from a Travel Snob’ by Sophie Hannah – a contemporary poem about travel and change.
