It’s not an exaggeration to refer to time as the most important asset in life. Look around you. Most people complain that they never have enough time to do all they want. We could agree with them. However, what should we say about other people who are continually achieving everything they desire in life within the same 24-hour time frame?
For some people, the concept of time can seem clear, while for others it can be a mystery. Nonetheless, famous thinkers throughout history have looked at time from different perspectives, and in the end, their quotes about time encourage us to move forward and reach new horizons.
In this article, we have collected the deepest and most thought-provoking time quotes for life from the world’s greatest figures that cover many topics, including:
- Value of time quotes
- Time management quotes
- Wasting time quotes
- Philosophy quotes about time
- Quote about time passing
- Positive quotes about time
Say no more, let’s explore the legendary time sayings to gain some motivation!
5 Best Time Quotes
Out of the variety of thoughts on time, our team have collected five best deep meaningful time quotes to share with our audience.
1. “Do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” — Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a multifaceted individual who invented, wrote, and contributed hugely to science, politics, and philosophy.
Franklin argues that time is the essence of life itself. Squandering time equals squandering opportunities to achieve goals and feel the fullness of life. Every moment spent unproductively is a life to be gone forever.
His teaching encourages us to respect and use the moment for better purposes, thus allowing Ford or those present to join in, if such opportunity arises.
2. “Time is a created thing. To say, ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.’” — Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu was a prehistoric Chinese philosopher most famous for establishing Taoism. His statements, found in the “Tao Te Ching”, are the principles that have been used by most of the philosophers and spiritual leaders for centuries.
Lao Tzu suggests that “not having time” is often an excuse for lack of willingness. Time is a human construct, and what truly matters is prioritization. Claiming to be too busy often means unwillingness to allocate time toward something we deem less important.
His quote encourages reflecting on our true intentions and priorities.
3. “Time moves slowly but passes quickly.” — Alice Walker
Alice Walker is an American novelist, poet, and activist who has won numerous accolades. Her acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Color Purple” is her most notable work.
Walker calls our attention to the paradox of time. While we go slowly through moments, time appears so rapid when we try to trace it back. The observation she makes stimulates us to live the present and become careful of the moments that constitute our existence, so we are not disoriented by a life that seems to have been spent quite quickly.
Walker’s quote sparks up the idea of us being mindful while the “now” is happening and thus gaining pleasure from the present life.
4. “I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” — Jack London
Jack London (1876-1916) was a well-known American novelist and traveler, he is known for writing novels such as “The Call of the Wild” and “White Fang”.
The full quotation begins with the words: “The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.” Thus, London does not suggest the idea of ‘continuity’, but rather, believes in the purposeful using of our earthly existence.
The essence and positive moments of life are defined by thinking about how long you may be alive or letting things go that don’t bring any value.
5. “Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.” — Theophrastus
Theophrastus (371–287 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher and one of the students of Aristotle, known for his contributions to botany and ethics.
Theophrastus states that even the most valuable resources in the world, like money, cannot be exchanged for time, which, according to him, is worth much more. Time cannot be renewed; it is finite that is why it is a real and ultimate value in the achievement of not only success but also happiness and getting to know our inner selves.
His saying is the open door for us to ask ourselves how wise we are with the time we have.
Value of Time Quotes
Time is indeed one of the most precious things, but unfortunately, many of us tend to overlook it.
Here are some life value of time quotes that will concisely explain why exactly the time is a priceless resource, and how to make the most of it.
6. “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.”
Harvey Mackay
7. “We must use time as a tool, not as a couch.”
John F. Kennedy
8. “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”
William Shakespeare
9. “He who every morning plans the transactions of the day and follows that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through a labyrinth of the most busy life.”
Victor Hugo
10. “Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.”
Peter Drucker
11. “A wise person does at once, what a fool does at last. Both do the same thing; only at different times.”
Lord Acton
12. “As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.”
Henry David Thoreau
13. “Time is the wisest counselor of all.”
Pericles
14. “Time passes so quickly. One day you’re twenty-one, staying up all night, and then suddenly you’re forty-five, and you wonder where it all went.”
Cecelia Ahern
15. “There is more to life than simply increasing its speed.”
Mahatma Gandhi
16. “You may delay, but time will not.”
Benjamin Franklin
17. “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
Andy Warhol
18. “Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne
19. “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
Marthe Troly-Curtin
20. “How did it get so late so soon?”
Dr. Seuss
21. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
Steve Jobs
Time Management Quotes for Work and Life
Some of us suffer from the lack of organization that leads to lower efficiency and worse results. The main reason of this is the inability to keep track of time and control daily tasks.
Let’s have a quick look at the famous quotes on time management to better understand the issue.
22. “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
Michael Altshuler
23. “Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves.”
Lord Chesterfield
24. “The shorter way to do many things is to only do one thing at a time.”
Mozart
25. “A plan is what, a schedule is when. It takes both a plan and a schedule to get things done.”
Peter Turla
26. “You cannot manage time, but you can embrace its management.”
Richie Norton
27. “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”
Peter Drucker
28. “There’s never enough time to do everything, but there’s always enough time to do the most important thing.”
Brian Tracy
Wasting Time Quotes
Procrastination and taking a healthy rest are two sides of the same coin that are usually difficult to distinguish. Let’s look at some quotes about not wasting time to better understand what is what.
29. “We all waste time, use it poorly, and regret what we didn’t do. It’s part of being human.”
Mitch Albom
30. “Lost time is never found again.”
Benjamin Franklin
31. “Wasting time is robbing oneself.”
Estonian Proverb
32. “You may delay, but time will not.”
Benjamin Franklin
33. “If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality.”
Benjamin Franklin
34. “The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”
Jack London
35. “Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.”
Coco Chanel
36. “Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves.” – Lord Chesterfield
37. “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altshuler
38. “A plan is what, a schedule is when. It takes both a plan and a schedule to get things done.” – Peter Turla
39. “There’s never enough time to do everything, but there’s always enough time to do the most important thing.” – Brian Tracy
40. “Make good use of today. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not guaranteed.” – Les Brown
41. “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
Mother Teresa
42. “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
43. “The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
44. “Time is the coin of your life. Be careful, lest you let other people spend it for you.” – Carl Sandburg
45. “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” – Jim Rohn
46. “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”
Leo Tolstoy
47. “Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet.” – Sarah Louise Delany
48. “Time waits for no one.” – Folkloric Saying
49. “You cannot manage time, but you can embrace its management.” – Richie Norton
50. “Life is short, and time is swift.” – Proverb
51. “The trouble is, you think you have time.” – Jack Kornfield
52. “Learn as if you were not going to live long; live as if you were going to live forever.”
Mahatma Gandhi
53. “Life is short, and we never have too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.”
Henri-Frédéric Amiel
Philosophical Quotes about Time
The main goal of philosophy is to encourage people to think outside the box. Time is one of the philosophical categories that has been explored since the time humanity started reflecting on itself.
What famous people thought about time? Let’s take a look at some vivid philosophical quotes about time.
54. “Time is the devourer of all things.”
Ovid
55. “Time and space are modes by which we think and not conditions in which we live.”
Albert Einstein
56. “What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it, I do not know.”
Saint Augustine
57. “There is never enough time to do all the nothing you want.”
Calvin & Hobbes (Bill Watterson)
58. “Time is an illusion.”
Albert Einstein
59. “Boredom with the infinite is a modern luxury.”
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
60. “The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”
Albert Einstein
Quotes about Time Passing
Realising that time is slipping away truly hurts. As this article’s goal is to show all aspects of time, that’s why we have included some inspiring passage of time quotes.
61. “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” – Marthe Troly-Curtin
62. “Time passes so quickly. One day you’re twenty-one, staying up all night, and then suddenly you’re forty-five, and you wonder where it all went.”
Cecelia Ahern
63. “No matter how busy you are, how much tomorrow looms, today is where you forever live.”
Bill Watterson
64. “Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.”
Kurt Vonnegut
65. “It’s funny how time flies and life changes.”
Beyonce
66. “How time flies when one has fun.”
Samuel Beckett
67. “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
Michael Altshuler
68. “Time doesn’t seem to pass, it just is. But when it’s gone, it’s gone. It’s all we have.”
Terry Pratchett
Positive Quotes about Time
When we spend time in the way that we enjoy it most, we rarely consider it a waste. So do many historical figures have thought, and this is evident when reading their positive quotes about time passing.
69. “The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.”
Stephen R. Covey
70. “There’s only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it on.”
Leo Christopher
71. “An inch of time is an inch of gold, but you can’t buy that inch of time with an inch of gold.”
Chinese Proverb
72. “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
Abraham Lincoln
73. “What we sow in time, we reap in eternity.”
Charles Spurgeon
74. “Time spent with a cat is never wasted.”
Colette
More Time Quotes
Seems like there are still some noteworthy phrases about time that we haven’t included in any category. So, here they are:
75. “Where your attention goes, your time goes” – Idowu Koyenikan
76. “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altshuler
77. “Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you.” – Carl Sandburg
78. “If you don’t write when you don’t have time for it, you won’t write when you do have time for it.” –Katerina Stoykova Klemer.
79. “Procrastination is the foundation of all disasters.” – Pandora Poikilos
80. “You can’t make up for lost time. You can only do better in the future.” –Ashley Ormon
81. “You get to decide where your time goes. You can either spend it moving forward, or you can spend it putting out fires. You decide. And if you don’t decide, others will decide for you.” –Tony Morgan.
82. “The problem with procrastination is it’s been around since the beginning of time it seems.” –Stephen Richards
83. “A precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones: for life is short.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
84. “Stop sleeping, Get to work! You will have much time to sleep when you die.” – Michael Bassey Johnson
85. “The time for action is now. It’s never too late to do something.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
