Time is Precious. These 15 Inspiring Quotes Prove It!

We only get so many moments in our lifetime, and we can’t relive a single one. All we can do is grab ahold of the present and make it count. These inspirational quotes prove that time is precious and help motivate us to squeeze every last bit of joy we can out of the moments we have left on this earth.

15 Inspirational Quotes that Prove Time is Precious

One of the greatest lessons that time teaches us is that every last moment matters. These quotes below really drive home the message that time is precious.  I hope they inspire you to make the most of every second that you have and live a more meaningful life. Enjoy!

Time is free, but it’s priceless

Time is the one thing that even the richest man can’t own. It’s absolutely free, but also beyond priceless.

It’s far more valuable than money

They say time is money, but it’s far more valuable than dollars and cents. No one can actually buy time.  Oh sure, maybe you can buy gadgets to speed up boring tasks or hire people to do them for you, but you’re not really buying time. You’re buying ways to better spend it.

Time doesn’t give you “roll-over” minutes

The fact is, we all start off each morning with the same exact number of seconds. No one, no matter how rich they are, can buy extra “time credits,” so to speak, and there are no “roll-over” minutes. Every second is a “use it or lose it” deal.

If you lose it, you can never get it back

Have you ever really thought about how much precious time we waste on things that don’t really matter? How many hours have we spent arguing politics with people that we don’t even know on social media (or worse, with people we DO know and love)? How many days, months or years did we lose with loved ones because we were holding grudges? How much of our lifetime did we devote to anger, animosity, and misery? Every last one of those moments is something that we’ll never, ever, ever get back. After all, as Franklin said, lost time is never found again.

Time flows by like a river

Time truly is like a river. Sometimes, it’s a lazy flow, slow and steady. We can hop on a raft and just drift along. Other times, like after a storm, it’s a raging river. All we can do is throw on our life vests and hope we don’t get pulled under. Whether it’s flowing fast or slow, though, you can never reach in and touch the same water twice.

It’s the universe’s greatest paradox.

The universe is full of mysteries, but none are quite so baffling as time. It’s one of the only things I can think of that is happening right now yet is both over and yet to come.

Time moves both too fast and too slow. It’s over in a blink and lasts an eternity.

Inconsistency is the only thing that’s consistent about time. We all experience a minute differently. A minute spent in pain seems to last a lifetime, while one spent in bliss is over in an instant. But as Henry Van Dyke says, for those who love, time is an eternity. After all, while time is short, love never ends.

If we pay attention, time will show us what we really care about

Look back to those days that flew right on by. What were you doing and who were you with? Those happy memories are time’s way of teaching you what matters most to you.

You’ll never regret the moments spent cherishing loved ones…

Anyone who has ever lost a loved one suddenly can tell you that tomorrow is never promised. When they’re gone, you’ll regret every last second that you spent being angry at them, arguing with them, or not speaking to them. You’ll never, ever, ever regret the moments that you spent cherishing them, though.

…or doing something that brings you joy!

You’ll also never regret moments that you spent doing something that you love! It doesn’t matter if you’re chasing your dreams, playing games with your kids, or just passing a lazy day re-reading your favorite book for the 50th time. If you’re happy, then it’s time well spent!

So count your days by sensation and not seconds.

I want you to think back to yesterday and try something. Grab a calculator and start with 1440 (the number of minutes in a day). Subtract the time you spent sleeping (since it’s really neither positive nor negative). Next, subtract every moment that you spent doing something that made you miserable, or that you spent making someone else miserable. What’s left over is the amount of time you spent truly living. Are you happy with that number?

Don’t waste time living someone else’s life…

This is one of my favorite “time is precious” quotes because it’s a good reminder to write our own stories. We waste so much of our lives living by someone else’s rules and worrying about how others are judging us. We blast their opinions so loud in our heads that we can’t hear our own. Our lives would be so much richer and more meaningful if we actually lived our own lives. 

…or telling yourself that you don’t have enough of it to do what you love.

I was conflicted about including this one because it’s only sort of true. I don’t think that saying “I don’t have time” is the same thing as saying “I don’t want to.” For some people, it really is a matter of time. When you’re working 18 hours a day just to keep up with rising food and housing costs, there really isn’t much left over to pursue your passions. But I do think that we can take the spirit of the quote to inspire us to prioritize our time. If we can carve out even an hour a week to pursue our goals, it’s still a start!

Use the time we have left to leave the world a better place than we found it

This quote from the Lord of the Rings series really hits hard during times like these. There are so many things going on that we wish “need not have happened” in our time. We can’t change the past or undo what’s been done. We can only decide how to use the time we have left to make sure that our children and grandchildren have a better future.

We never realize how fast time flies until it’s gone

I’ll leave you with one last simple quote from the late, great Dr. Seuss: How did it get so late so soon? It’s something we all wonder at the end of every wonderful day and at the close of every one of life’s most epic chapters. Time is precious, and we never realize how fast it all flies by until it’s gone. So make the very most out of each fleeting moment. Hold onto your most cherished memories from the past and let the rest go. Look forward to your future and work towards making your dreams come true. But most important of all, live- truly LIVE- right there in the present. This precise moment right now is the only one that’s guaranteed.

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