Stop and smell the roses

To stop and smell the roses means to take time out to appreciate the good things in life. It is thought to be of American origin from the early 20th century, but it is not known who actually coined it. Since the 1980s, however, it sometimes appears as 'wake up and smell the roses'. This is clearly a confusion with 'wake up and smell the coffee', which made its appearance in 1943. See also Wake up and smell the coffee'.