Context

This line was spoken by Buffy Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) in the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, written by Joss Whedon (1997-2003).

"Carpe diem" or "seize the day" is a great philosophical line that originated with the Roman writer Horace and was adopted by Robin Williams' character in Dead Poets Society. Another student in the "carpe diem" school of thought is the Southern California teenager and slayer of the undead, Buffy Summers. It's a little sad in retrospect, because Slayers don't tend to have a long lifespan, and she dies twice in the course of the TV show.

But, in this case, this line acts as a nice little pep talk from Buffy to her new friend, the nerdy hacker and future lesbian witch Willow Rosenberg (played by Alyson Hannigan). Willow moons over affable slacker Xander Harris, but Buffy tells her to ask him out if she wants to and take her destiny into her own hands.

Buffy is one smart Slayer.

Where you've heard it

This may have been advice you have gotten from a friend, family member, or mentor. Hopefully, they worded it in a less morbid way.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

This is a non-pretentiously worded piece of excellent advice from one of fiction's greatest female heroes.