A Matter of Time

Quotes, Sayings, and Phrases about Time

"All that really belongs to us is time.  Even he who has nothing else has that." Baltasar Gracian (Spanish Jesuit – 17th century)

As stated in the quote below, everyone has time.  Still, time means something different to everyone.  There is no better way to see how various people from different walks of life and parts of the world view time than to listen to what they have to say about time.  Below is a list of quotes and sayings about time.  Some may have come from a book; others may have come straight from someone’s mouth.  However, all of the quotes convey their own unique messages about the elusive subject that is time.  Following the list of quotes is another list of common time phrases, commonly used by people all over the world.  Depending on where you are from, some of the phrases may be familiar to you, while others you may never have heard before.  As you browse through these powerful words and clever phrases, think about how often ‘time’ comes up in your everyday conversation or reading.

Time Quotes, Sayings, and Proverbs:

"There is a right time for everything:
A time to be born; A time to die;
A time to plant; A time to harvest;
A time to kill; A time to heal;
A time to destroy; A time to rebuild;
A time to cry; A time to laugh;
A time to grieve; A time to dance;
A time for scattering stones; A time for gathering stones;
A time to hug; A time not to hug;
A time to find; A time to lose;
A time for keeping; A time for throwing away;
A time to tear; A time to repair;
A time to be quiet; A time to speak up;
A time for loving; A time for hating;
A time for war; A time for peace;"
– Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

"Time will consume all things including itself."
– Indian proverb

"Time is an appearance which takes the form of day and night."
– Sextus Empiricus (Greek philosopher – 200 A.D.)

"Tempus edax rerum." (Time conquers all)
– Ovid (Roman poet – 40 B.C.)

"Time flees from my hand like sand in the wind."
– Victor Hugo (French writer – 19th century)

"Like the orderly wheels of a clock…"
– Dante’s "Divine Comedy" (Italian poet – 13th century)

"The time of this life is but a moment."
– Pascal (French philosopher – 17th century)

"Man measures time and time measures man."
– Italian proverb

"The last hour sounds for all alike."
– Spanish proverb

"You, yourself, are the time; your senses are your clocks."
– Angelus Silesius (German mystic – 17th century)

"A petal falls.  An instant.  An age."
– Basho (haiku)  (Japanese poet 17th century)

"Time will heal time’s wounds."
– French proverb

"One says: ‘Two hours more.’  The other says: ‘Only forty-five minutes.’  I look at my watch and say to the first: ‘Time lies heavy on your hands’; and to the second: ‘You can hardly wait—according to my watch, there is an hour and a half left.’"
– Pascal (French philosopher – 17th century)

"Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save."
– Will Rogers.

"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (American author 1803-1882)

"You cannot kill time without injuring eternity."
- Henry David Thoreau (American author 1817-1862)

"Time is the wisest counselor of all. "
-Pericles (Athenian statesman – 425B.C.)

"All my possessions for a moment of time."
- Queen Elizabeth 1st last words (British monarch  1558-1603)

Phrases Using Time:

A stitch in time saves nine

Time is everything

It’s about time.

I’m having the time of my life.

No time like the present.

Could you spare some time?

Time’s a-wasting!

Back to top ^