Time Quotes: The 25 BEST Quotes About Time (And Using It Wisely)

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It’s About Time: Why Time Is of the Essence

Time is inexorable. Death is inevitable. There are 24 hours in a day.

Those are the facts. Want some more?

You get 700,000 hours in a lifetime (average U.S. life expectancy).

You’ll use 185,000 before you turn 21. You’ll spend 60,000 of them over 70. You’ll sleep through 152,000 of what’s left. You’ll eat and drink 45,000 of the remainder. You’ll poop, wash or groom away 10,000 more.

Which leaves you 248,000 hours to invest in the prime of your life.

That’s 10,000 full days. Or just 35% of the allowance you started with.

In other words… time is short.

And while “time intentionally wasted is never wasted time”…

And while “there’s more to life than increasing its speed”…

We could all use the occasional reminder of how precious and fleeting time is.

Which is why, below, you’ll find my 25 favourite inspiring time quotes.

You’ll find quotes on time management.

You’ll find quotes on wasted time.

You’ll find quotes on passing time; quotes on making time last a bit longer.

I hope they resonate. I hope they inspire. But most of all, I hope these famous quotes about time help you pause, if only for a moment, and decide how to best use it next.

So without further delay…

Here’s The Art of Living‘s collection of the 25 best quotes on time…

Time Quotes: The 25 BEST Quotes About Time

1. Ordinary people think merely of spending time, great people think of…

"Ordinary people think merely of spending time, great people think of using it." - Arthur Schopenhauer Click To TweetArthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher who was among the first thinkers in Western philosophy to share and affirm significant tenets of Indian philosophy. The first of our time quotes reminds us that utilizing time is an indication of greatness. Don’t just spend time willy-nilly!

2. You will never find time for anything. If you want time…

"You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it." - Charles Buxton Click To TweetCharles Buxton was an English brewer, philanthropist, writer and member of Parliament. This time quote reminds us that you rarely find yourself with extra time. Instead, you must choose to make time. If you really want to do something, you must go the extra mile and make time for it.

3. Just like people are billionaires financially if you have more than…

"Just like people are billionaires financially if you have more than a billion seconds left in your life - you're a time billionaire. (A billion seconds is slightly over 31 years)." - Graham Duncan Click To TweetGraham Duncan is an investor and founder of investment firm East Rock Capital. The third of our time quotes encourages us to think about time the same way we think about money. You’re already a time billionaire. Now it’s up to you to invest your time wisely.

4. Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.

"Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend." - Theophrastus Click To TweetTheophrastus was a Greek philosopher who succeeded Aristotle as head of the Athenian Lyceum and the Peripatetic school of philosophy. This quote captures the essence of most time management quotes. Time is valuable. Use it wisely to make it count!

5. Never leave ’till tomorrow which you can do today.

"Never leave 'till tomorrow which you can do today." - Benjamin Franklin Click To TweetBenjamin Franklin was a founding father of the United States and one of the greatest polymaths of all time. His advice about YOUR time is direct – don’t procrastinate, do it today!

6. People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon…

"People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy." - Seneca Click To TweetSeneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman and tutor to the emperor Nero. This time quote reminds us to be frugal with our time. Even more so than with money and other resources.

7. There is never enough time to do everything, but there is…

"There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing." - Brian Tracy Click To TweetBrian Tracy is one of today’s most powerful motivational speakers and self-development authors. #7 in our list of top time quotes reminds us that prioritization is essential to making the most out of your time. Figure out what the most important thing is, and do it first. This applies not only to your work but to your life in general!

8. There’s only one thing more precious than our time and that’s…

"There's only one thing more precious than our time and that's what we spend it on." - Leo Christopher Click To TweetLeo Christopher is an artist and author, best known for his short, meaningful snippets of wisdom on Instagram. This saying about time highlights the fact that being mindful of whom you spend your time with is as important as being mindful of every single second that passes by. Quality over quantity. Time is precious!

9. The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re…

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." - Michael Altshuler Click To TweetMichael Altshuler is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker and sales expert. This quote reminds us that though time flies quickly, you are always in control of it. Steer yourself wisely to ensure that you always get the most mileage out of it.

10. A man who dares to waste one hour of time has…

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life." - Charles Darwin Click To TweetCharles Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution. In the 10th of our best times quotes, he reminds us that time IS life. So don’t waste a second of it!

11. Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right’. Start…

"Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right'. Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." - George Herbert Click To TweetGeorge Herbert was a Welsh-born poet, orator, and priest of the Church of England. This time quote exhorts us to take action. There might never be a perfect time. So act NOW! Take the first step and your progress will look after itself.

12. I don’t have time is just saying it’s not a priority.

"I don't have time is just saying it's not a priority." - Naval Ravikant Click To TweetNaval Ravikant is an Indian-American entrepreneur, investor and co-founder of AngelList. This quote reminds us that we always have time for our priorities and vice versa: how you spend your time shows you what your priorities really are.

13. Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a…

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett Click To TweetWarren Buffett is an American business magnate, philanthropist and one of the greatest investors of all time. This quote reminds us that the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, while the second best time is now. So act now! And the future will take care of itself.

14. Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed, nothing…

"Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed." - Peter Drucker Click To TweetPeter Drucker was an Austrian-American management consultant, educator, author best known for his many books on corporate and self-management (E.g., The Effective Executive). This quote reminds us that time is scarce and that little matters more than its management. Everything else in life depends on how well you manage your time.

15. Life isn’t a matter of milestones but of moments.

"Life isn't a matter of milestones but of moments." - Rose Kennedy Click To TweetRose Kennedy was an American philanthropist, socialite, and a member of the Kennedy family. This entry on our list of time quotes reminds us not to measure life in “milestones” – those come few and far between. Instead, measure life in moments – and make each moment count.

16. Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that…

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." - Benjamin Franklin Click To TweetBenjamin Franklin was a founding father of the United States and one of the greatest polymaths of all time. These famous quotes about time remind us that life is just a series of present moments, one leading up to the next. Every second counts. Don’t waste them!

17. It’s not that we have a little time, but more that…

"It's not that we have a little time, but more that we waste a good deal of it." - Seneca Click To TweetSeneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman and tutor to the emperor Nero. This time quote reminds us that time only seems scarce because so much of it is wasted. One of my favourite time quotes on the list!

18. Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.

"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." - William Penn Click To TweetWilliam Penn was an English writer, thinker and early advocate of democracy and religious freedom. This quote reminds us that most of us aren’t mindful of how we spend our time. We don’t realize that the reason they lack it is that we didn’t really manage it in the first place.

19. The key is not spending time, but in investing it.

"The key is not spending time, but in investing it." - Stephen R. Covey Click To TweetStephen R. Covey was an American educator, author, businessman, and speaker best known for his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This powerful entry in our list of top time quotes reminds us to focus on how much we get back from our time. Treat time like money. Invest it where you’ll get the very best return.

20. My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really…

"My favorite things in life don't cost any money. It's really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time." - Steve Jobs Click To TweetSteve Jobs was an American business magnate, industrial designer, investor and co-founder of Apple. Like most successful people, he recognized that time is the most valuable resource at our disposal.

21. Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but…

"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 Click To TweetHarvey Mackay is a businessman and seven-time, New York Times best-selling self help author. This time quote explores the true nature of time. Time constantly moves forward, and it’s up to you to make the most out of it.

22. The key to not feeling rushed is remembering that lack of…

"The key to not feeling rushed is remembering that lack of time is actually lack of priorities." - Tim Ferriss Click To TweetTim Ferriss is an American entrepreneur, investor, author, podcaster and lifestyle guru best known for his book, The 4 Hour Work Week. This quote reminds us that the reason we find ourselves out of time is that we often haven’t worked out our priorities. Determining priorities is one of the basic tenets of time management.

23. Better three hours too soon than one minute too late.

"Better three hours too soon than one minute too late." - William Shakespeare Click To TweetWilliam Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s greatest dramatist. This quote reminds us that too much time is always better than too little. Time is precious; don’t waste other people’s time by being late and don’t waste your time by not being prepared.

24. If you are not in control of your time, you are…

"If you are not in control of your time, you are not in control of your results." - Brian Moran Click To TweetBrian Moran is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. This quote on time management talks about the relationship between time and your desired output. Take control of your time to ensure that you get the results you want.

25. Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it…

"Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year - and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!" - Tony Robbins Click To TweetTony Robbins is an author, entrepreneur, philanthropist and life coach famous for his “can-do” attitude and philosophies. This final entry in our collection of best time quotes talks about the nature of time. Most people overestimate how much they can do in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade. Keep this in mind as you use your grit to power through the hard times.

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