Quotes about time: If you enjoy what you do, time disappears. If you don’t, time becomes a mental trap. 15 powerful quotes about time. This post contains ads by Monumetric.
Time is the most valuable asset of all.
Like bitcoin, time is limited.
The difference with time, though, is that it cannot be stored like other assets.
Time expires.
Once time runs out, there is nothing left.
Hence why time is the most important asset of all.
Even though financial independence seekers mostly talk about money, unless they are doing it wrong, the reason behind the money is to acquire time.
Rather than acquire material possessions or status to hide insecurities, financial independence seekers acquire time. They store it up and use it how they want until it expires.
Another way to describe financial independence is time acquisition.
To gain a better understanding of how important time is, I gathered the following 15 quotes about time.
Please be advised that some of the quotes about time are blunt and paint a harsh reality about how short life is. The majority of these quotes were personally selected from Good Reads.
Quotes About Time
“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” ― Marthe Troly-Curtin, Phrynette Married
This quote is key to understanding how to perceive financial independence.
Financial independence is not about the money, it’s about enjoying your time.
Although a status-holding job may seem appealing from the outside, the day-to-day work is often gruelling and unfulfilling. Even though the pay is good and you can brag about your job, the work is terrible. And you dread every day because it crushes your soul.
On the other hand, time you enjoy wasting, even if it pays less, is not wasted time.
Try to measure time by how enjoyable the moment is instead of pursuing status or material possessions.
Simply put, you will enjoy life more.
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” – Charles Darwin
At first, this quote is seemingly in contrast with the previous quote.
But if you stop and think about it, it’s actually suggesting the same—spend time on what you enjoy.
Don’t waste time on what you do not enjoy.
Life is too short.
“The trouble is, you think you have time.” – Jack Kornfield
You might think there is enough time to procrastinate, but you are wrong.
The world is moving faster than ever before.
If you fail to build new skills, you won’t be able to find employment in 10 years.
And if you think you are young, consider that you only get to celebrate 80 to 90 Christmas holidays in your lifetime.
Before you know it, you will be a mid-thirties wannabe like me (just joking).
But in all seriousness, by the time you are 35, you basically have 20 prime career years to make money. That time will go by remarkably fast.
So, whatever you are waiting for, you should just start doing it now.
“There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want.” – Bill Watterson
If you like books, you will never have enough time to read all the books you want.
If you are a basketball player, there is only so much training your body can take in 24 hours.
As a stock investor, the stock market is only open during business hours 5 days per week.
The point is—there is already not enough time left to do what you want.
A year goes by fast.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
Do you want to know why I blog, dividend invest, and work part-time?
It’s because…
What else?
What else am I supposed to do with this life? I’m conscious so I have to do something.
The alternative is just working a regular job and waiting to die.
Because my time is limited, I am attempting to spend as much time as possible doing what I enjoy.
“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” – Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace.
Although I have yet to read Leo Tolstoy’s novels, I think some of his personal quotes are absolutely brilliant.
For instance, the quote above regarding the two most powerful warriors.
It is perfectly relatable for investors, as the most powerful warriors of investing are patience and time.
“They must understand that we can only lose by taking the offensive. Patience and time are my warriors, my champions”. —Leo Tolstoy
Another powerful quote on time by Leo Tolstoy.
This quote praises patience and time and alludes to them as “champions.”
Time is fleeting, but it is also powerful.
Essentially, it’s important to make the right short-term decisions because they will build up to something magnificent over the long term.
“How did it get so late so soon?” ― Dr. Seuss
Another quote about time alluding to how fast it escapes us.
Think about how fast your weekend goes by.
Or how fast the time goes by when you are doing something you enjoy.
If you spend time on what you enjoy, time disappears.
Meanwhile, if you spend time on what you don’t enjoy, time becomes a mental trap.
“Don’t waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.” ― Paulo Coelho
I have learned when and when not to talk as I have matured.
For example, when I was younger, I could get caught up in a petty argument.
But now that I’m older, I really don’t have the time. I have e-mails in my inbox to answer, and a checklist of tasks to complete.
Frankly, some people are not worth your explanation. If someone is not willing to be open-minded enough, or if you sense you are in a one-sided conversation, bow out.
It’s not worth your time to get caught up in stuff that doesn’t directly benefit your life.
“The timeless in you is aware of life’s timelessness. And knows that yesterday is but today’s memory and tomorrow is today’s dream.” ― Khalil Gibran, The Prophet
To be completely honest, I kind of like how this quote on time sounds. It’s masterfully written.
But you really have to think about it to understand what it means.
My interpretation is that each moment is important.
“Three o’clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do.” ― Jean-Paul Sartre , Nausea
As a night owl, this quote is especially relevant to me.
Now that I’m working from home because of Covid, I routinely find myself up until three, four, five, or even six in the morning. Sometimes I just have to force myself to bed.
Anyways, the point is to not let time limit you.
If the regular nine to five does not work for you, look for more flexible work arrangements.
If you prefer to work during the night, work during the night.
As Einstein said, “time is an illusion.”
“The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” ― C.S. Lewis
At the end of the day, we all have an equal amount of time.
If someone else happened to allocate their time better than you did and now they are successful, be happy for them. Also, learn from them and begin to allocate your time better as well.
Instead of complaining about someone else, use your next sixty minutes better than someone else.
If you don’t want to, accept your results.
“There is more to life than simply increasing its speed.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
If I was ever granted the opportunity of a lifetime to become a CEO of a Canadian bank, I would work for four months and then retire.
Hence why I will never get the opportunity.
Simply put, I am not greedy enough to want $12 million per year. So I’d work one quarter for $4 million and then quit.
Life isn’t about ladder climbing or just about more money. A bigger title will be no more fulfilling than your first job.
The best part about life are the moments in between.
“The wisest are the most annoyed at the loss of time.” ― Dante Alighieri
The older I get the more anxious I become about wasting time.
In truth, I’m not even that old. I could work for 21 more years and still retire a decade early.
But when I’m doing something that doesn’t add to what I want to accomplish, I get anxious about wasting time.
For example, going to a club was fun when I was 19. However, now the idea of being inebriated around a bunch of degenerates and feeling hungover the next day seems like a complete waste of time.
Fortunately, I have great people in my life that add balance naturally.
Anyways, this quote resonated with me because of that.
“If you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you’ll spend your life completely wasting your time. You’ll be doing things you don’t like doing in order to go on living, that is to go on doing thing you don’t like doing, which is stupid.” ― Alan Watts
Of course, I believe that getting money is important.
Getting money allows you to acquire assets.
In turn, you can create your own income streams to do what you want.
But the other side of the coin is a decision on how to spend your time.
If you chase money entirely, your day-to-day life might turn you to be gruelling and awful.
As such, if you are not brilliant enough or frugal enough to become financially independent in five years or less, you might be better off finding work that you enjoy, even if it pays less.
Related: Why Pursue Barista FIRE?
Quotes About Time – Concluding Thoughts
In conclusion, I hope these quotes about time help you understand how powerful time is.
It’s not just a number on a clock.
If you enjoy what you do, time disappears in an instance.
Alternatively, if you despise how you spend time, time becomes a mental trap.
Moreover, time is the most valuable asset of all because it has an expiry date. It should be coveted more than anything else.
Related Posts
Why Working 3 Days Per Week Is An Optimal FI Solution
Short On Time? 7 Ways To Create More Time Before Financial Independence
How to Live an Early Retired Lifestyle in 5 Years (Without Retiring)
FI-RE is NOT a Sacrifice–It’s Buying Time
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