--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I write by stealing time. The hours in…" description: "\"I write by stealing time. The hours in the day have never felt as if they belonged to me. The greatest number has belonged to my day job as a physician..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/abraham-verghese-1533_belonged_i-write-by-stealing-time-the-hours-in-th_1998964.png" --- # I write by stealing time. The hours in the day have never… ![“I write by stealing time. The hours in the day have never felt as if they belonged to me. The greatest number has belonged to my day job as a physician and professor of medicine - eight to 12 hours, and even more in the early days.” quote by Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/abraham-verghese-1533_belonged_i-write-by-stealing-time-the-hours-in-th_1998964.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/abraham-verghese-1533_belonged_i-write-by-stealing-time-the-hours-in-th_1998964.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/abraham-verghese-1533_belonged_i-write-by-stealing-time-the-hours-in-th_1998964.png) > “I write by stealing time. The hours in the day have never felt as if they belonged to me. The greatest number has belonged to my day job as a physician and professor of medicine - eight to 12 hours, and even more in the early days.” [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author feels that his professional duties consume most of his time, leaving little personal ownership over his day. **In simple terms:** Work dominates his schedule, limiting personal time. Key Takeaway Protect personal time for creative work. Themes work-life balance creativity time management Mood reflective determined Type advice personal growth When to use this quote - physician writing - academic responsibilities - personal projects Key Concepts professional duty personal autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How can you carve out creative time amidst a busy schedule? - What boundaries protect personal time? A Different Perspective Even with a demanding job, personal time can be reclaimed with boundaries. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Greatest number](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-number/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Physician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physician/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a very obsessive type. If I do get into it, I'll soon be there 12 hours a day. 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Our”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-callaway/we-re-stealing-time-from-those-who-love-us-and-giving-it-to-those-who/) [Phil Callaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-callaway/) > [“At moments like this, his misanthropy sensitized him to the people packed tight around him, no longer fellow travelers but adversaries, competitors in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/at-moments-like-this-his-misanthropy-sensitized-him-to-the-people/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Coffee is a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to your older self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/coffee-is-a-way-of-stealing-time-that-should-by-rights-belong-to-your/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The bottom line: health care reform is about the patient, not about the physician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/the-bottom-line-health-care-reform-is-about-the-patient-not-about-the/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [My desire to be a physician had a lot to do with that sense of medicine as a ministry of healing, not just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/my-desire-to-be-a-physician-had-a-lot-to-do-with-that-sense-of/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [As a young physician in the mid-'80s, caring for people who had contracted H.I.V., I lost two of my patients to suicide at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/as-a-young-physician-in-the-mid-80s-caring-for-people-who-had/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“The reader, knowing nothing about the ‘dark continent,’ filled in the blanks. 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