Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
We are condemned to kill time, thus we die bit by bit.
—Octavio Paz (1914–98) Mexican Poet, Diplomat
A day wasted on others is not wasted on one’s self.
—Charles Dickens (1812–70) English Novelist
Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought.
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830) English Essayist
For disappearing acts, it’s hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work.
—Doug Larson (1926–2017) American Columnist
To choose time is to save time; and an unseasonable motion is but beating the air.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
Time is a great teacher but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.
—Hector Berlioz (1803–69) French Composer, Conductor
An inch of time cannot be bought with an inch of gold.
—Chinese Proverb
No one can be right all of the time, but it helps to be right most of the time.
—Robert Half
Time is not measured by the passing of years, but by what one does, what one feels and what one achieves.
—Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) Indian Head of State
Little by little the time goes by, Short if you sing it, long if you sigh.
—Unknown
Not a day passes over the earth but men and women of no note do great deeds, speak great words, and suffer noble sorrows. Of these obscure heroes, philosophers, and martyrs the greater part will never be known till that hour when many that were great shall be small, and the small great.
—Charles Reade (1814–84) English Novelist, Playwright
Make measurable progress in reasonable time.
—Jim Rohn (1930–2009) American Entrepreneur, Author, Motivational Speaker
Make a good use of the present.
—Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 BCE) Roman Poet
Time is a great healer, but a poor beautician.
—Lucille S. Harper American Freelance Writer
Modern thought has transferred the spectral character of Death to the notion of time itself. Time has become Death triumphant over all.
—John Berger (1926–2017) English Art Critic, Novelist
I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
A day’s impact is better than a month of dead pull.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935) American Jurist, Author
Time is the fairest and toughest judge.
—Edgar Quinet (1803–75) French Historian, Poet
Everything in this life takes longer than you think except life itself.
—Unknown
The moment is freedom.—I couldn’t live by a rigid schedule. I try to live freely from moment to moment, letting things happen and adjusting to them.
—Bruce Lee (1940–73) American Martial Artist, Actor, Philosopher
A person who borrows your watch, tells you what time it is, pockets your watch, and then sends you a bill for it.
—Unknown
The timeless moment.—The ‘moment’ has no yesterday or tomorrow. It is not the result of thought and therefore has no time.
—Bruce Lee (1940–73) American Martial Artist, Actor, Philosopher
No man goes before his time—unless the boss leaves early.
—Groucho Marx (1890–1977) American Actor, Comedian, Singer
He possesses dominion over himself, and is happy, who can every day say, “I have lived.” Tomorrow the heavenly Father may either involve the world in dark clouds, or cheer it with clear sunshine; he will not, however, render ineffectual the things which have already taken place.
—Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 BCE) Roman Poet
Take short views, hope for the best, and trust in God.
—Sydney Smith (1771–1845) English Clergyman, Essayist, Wit
Life is half spent before we know what it is.
—George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh Anglican Poet, Orator, Clergyman
Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.
—Peter Drucker (1909–2005) Austrian-born Management Consultant
You wake up in the morning, and your purse is magically filled with twenty-four hours of un-manufactured tissue of the universe of your life! It is yours. It is the most precious of possessions. No one can take it from you. And no one receives either more or less than you receive.
—Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) British Novelist, Playwright, Critic