Excerpt from "The River of Bees" by W.S. Merwin

“On the door it says what to do to survive

But we were not born to survive

Only to live”

          The full poem tells of a man’s dream in which he walks around a house of some sort. He goes to each room in the house asking questions about what he should say, and how he should live, but never really gets an answer. This man seems a bit upset by it, but still keeps walking, searching for answers in the next room. He asks for directions on what he should do and still no answer. Finally, he reaches the last room and “on the door it says what to do to survive, but we were not born to survive, only to live.” 

          These lines relate to survival, but the real meaning isn’t "try to survive" or anything like that, but to enjoy your time and live and be happy. This poem was not very influential in history, but I feel that its meaning is influential no matter what time. It is more of optimistic advice that everyone should take. It's not about thinking what is going to happen next or what the outcome will be. People should live in the moment and not worry.