"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some"
About this Quote
The intent is not self-improvement as hustle; it's attention as ethics. "Be aware" makes wonder an active discipline, not a random lightning strike. Fulghum suggests you don't wait for transcendence, you practice noticing. In an era that rewards specialization and measurable output, his "balanced life" is a refusal of the single-axis identity: the person who is only productive, only cerebral, only creative, only efficient. The list of verbs moves deliberately between mind (learn, think), art (draw, paint, sing, dance), play, and labor. It's a miniature curriculum for being human, and its breathless accumulation mimics the fullness it advocates.
The subtext is anxiety about modern narrowing: the way adulthood trims experience down to obligations and screens and expertise. By insisting on doing "every day some", he rejects the all-or-nothing trap of lifestyle advice. Balance here isn't a perfect equilibrium; it's a daily rebalancing, a small counterweight to whatever is dominating your week.
Context matters: Fulghum's brand is accessible wisdom, born from classrooms, churches, and family life rather than theory. His brilliance is making a radical claim - that wonder deserves a slot on the schedule - sound like common sense.
Quote Details
| Topic | Live in the Moment |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Fulghum, Robert. (2026, January 15). Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/be-aware-of-wonder-live-a-balanced-life-learn-107824/
Chicago Style
Fulghum, Robert. "Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/be-aware-of-wonder-live-a-balanced-life-learn-107824/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/be-aware-of-wonder-live-a-balanced-life-learn-107824/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.











