--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We've lost our way, we have lost our…" description: "\"We've lost our way, we have lost our centeredness. We don't have the time, literally, to think during the day. To listen to ourselves think. To think a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/877/alan-lightman-2270_centeredness_we-ve-lost-our-way-we-have-lost-our-cent_2562986.png" --- # We've lost our way, we have lost our centeredness. We… ![“We've lost our way, we have lost our centeredness. We don't have the time, literally, to think during the day. To listen to ourselves think. To think about where we are going, who we are, what's important. I would bet most people don't have thirty minutes in a day where they can just sit down and…” quote by Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/877/alan-lightman-2270_centeredness_we-ve-lost-our-way-we-have-lost-our-cent_2562986.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/877/alan-lightman-2270_centeredness_we-ve-lost-our-way-we-have-lost-our-cent_2562986.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/877/alan-lightman-2270_centeredness_we-ve-lost-our-way-we-have-lost-our-cent_2562986.png) > “We've lost our way, we have lost our centeredness. We don't have the time, literally, to think during the day. To listen to ourselves think. To think about where we are going, who we are, what's important. I would bet most people don't have thirty minutes in a day where they can just sit down and think. Or maybe they don't have to be sitting, they can be walking.” [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern life’s pace erodes reflective thought, leaving little time for self‑inquiry or purposeful planning. **In simple terms:** Busy lives limit time for reflection and planning. Key Takeaway Create regular moments for quiet contemplation. Themes mindfulness reflection time purpose Mood contemplative urgent Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - daily journaling - mindful walks - scheduled breaks Key Concepts psychology attention digital distraction Questions to Reflect On - How can we protect thinking time? - What activities foster mindful awareness? A Different Perspective Distractions and obligations often crowd out reflective time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Centeredness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centeredness/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [So much of the world's suffering results from the sinful action or inaction of ourselves and others. For example, people look at a famine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/so-much-of-the-world-s-suffering-results-from-the-sinful-action-or/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [We are unlikely to cease making gods or inventing ceremonies to please them for as long as we are afraid of death, or of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/we-are-unlikely-to-cease-making-gods-or-inventing-ceremonies-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I have no self-centeredness or ego about being a movie star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrukh-khan/i-have-no-self-centeredness-or-ego-about-being-a-movie-star/) [Shahrukh Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrukh-khan/) > [The whole story of the Father's Christ-exalting plan of redeeming love, from eternity to eternity, must be told, or the radical reorientation of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/the-whole-story-of-the-father-s-christ-exalting-plan-of-redeeming/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [Insecure leaders think everything is about them, and as a result, every action, every piece of information, every decision is put through their filter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/insecure-leaders-think-everything-is-about-them-and-as-a-result-every/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Human cultures are all experiments in trying to find a form that will fit the matter of our immediacy; but it is absolutely not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/human-cultures-are-all-experiments-in-trying-to-find-a-form-that-will/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [Immensity is always there, but we so often become numb to it, or deceive ourselves into thinking our own lives and selves are what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/immensity-is-always-there-but-we-so-often-become-numb-to-it-or/) [Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/) > [To be politically activated is to dare to care about the happiness of others and that is just about the most important activity anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/to-be-politically-activated-is-to-dare-to-care-about-the-happiness-of/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Peace is a condition of the heart. It's a state of mind, of tranquility, of calmness, and of centeredness. It's an understanding of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/peace-is-a-condition-of-the-heart-it-s-a-state-of-mind-of-tranquility/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [Self-centeredness will bring on the destruction of our world. National pride separates people. All people need the same thing. When you really get down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/self-centeredness-will-bring-on-the-destruction-of-our-world-national/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [I think we've become a TV culture, where we forget the live performer in front of us can see us. I think there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-benanti/i-think-we-ve-become-a-tv-culture-where-we-forget-the-live-performer/) [Laura Benanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-benanti/) > [Anxiety is the experience of growth itself. In any endeavor, how do you feel when you go from one stage to the next? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-koestenbaum/anxiety-is-the-experience-of-growth-itself-in-any-endeavor-how-do-you/) [Peter Koestenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-koestenbaum/) > [Raising or caring for children requires sacrifice and service, which, I believe, heals us from the destructive forces of self-centeredness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/raising-or-caring-for-children-requires-sacrifice-and-service-which-i/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [We must get away from this limited \*I did this and I did that\* and the self-centeredness, that dominates our society Today. It must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/we-must-get-away-from-this-limited-i-did-this-and-i-did-that-and-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [I think that may be the biggest difference between Americans and people elsewhere. Unlike Americans, Canadians know that there are places just as real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/i-think-that-may-be-the-biggest-difference-between-americans-and/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) ## More by Alan Lightman > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“I've decided that has been the great achievement of our age: to so thoroughly flood the planet with megabits that every image and fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-ve-decided-that-has-been-the-great-achievement-of-our-age-to-so/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Every reader gets something different from a book and every reader, in a sense, completes it in a different way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/every-reader-gets-something-different-from-a-book-and-every-reader-in/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > ["The Diagnosis" is by far my most ambitious book. I such great hopes for it... there was so much I wanted to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/the-diagnosis-is-by-far-my-most-ambitious-book-i-such-great-hopes-for/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [As long as God does not intervene in the contemporary universe in such a way as to violate physical laws, science has no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/as-long-as-god-does-not-intervene-in-the-contemporary-universe-in/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Except for a God who sits down after the universe begins, all other gods conflict with the assumptions of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/except-for-a-god-who-sits-down-after-the-universe-begins-all-other/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Each person who gets stuck in time gets stuck alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/each-person-who-gets-stuck-in-time-gets-stuck-alone/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [A writer is someone who has a one-man tent in the desert and occasionally he sees the footprint of an other writer - in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/a-writer-is-someone-who-has-a-one-man-tent-in-the-desert-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Time is a rigid, bonelike structure, extending infinitely ahead and behind, fossilizing the future as well as the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/time-is-a-rigid-bonelike-structure-extending-infinitely-ahead-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [For me, spirituality includes the belief in things larger than ourselves, an appreciation of nature and beauty, a sensitivity to the world, a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/for-me-spirituality-includes-the-belief-in-things-larger-than/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Writers are a loosely knit community - community is an overstated word. Writers don't see each other very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/writers-are-a-loosely-knit-community-community-is-an-overstated-word/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Imagine a world in which there is no time. Only images.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/imagine-a-world-in-which-there-is-no-time-only-images/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Time is the clarity for seeing right and wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/time-is-the-clarity-for-seeing-right-and-wrong/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [In this world, time has three dimensions, like space. Just as an object may move in three perpendicular directions, corresponding to horizontal, vertical, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-this-world-time-has-three-dimensions-like-space-just-as-an-object/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [In this world, there are two times. There is mechanical time and there is body time." "They do not keep clocks in their houses.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-this-world-there-are-two-times-there-is-mechanical-time-and-there/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) [Explore all 174 Alan Lightman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) ## More Centeredness quotes > [So much of the world's suffering results from the sinful action or inaction of ourselves and others. For example, people look at a famine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/so-much-of-the-world-s-suffering-results-from-the-sinful-action-or/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [We must get away from this limited \*I did this and I did that\* and the self-centeredness, that dominates our society Today. It must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/we-must-get-away-from-this-limited-i-did-this-and-i-did-that-and-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Raising or caring for children requires sacrifice and service, which, I believe, heals us from the destructive forces of self-centeredness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/raising-or-caring-for-children-requires-sacrifice-and-service-which-i/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [Anxiety is the experience of growth itself. In any endeavor, how do you feel when you go from one stage to the next? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-koestenbaum/anxiety-is-the-experience-of-growth-itself-in-any-endeavor-how-do-you/) [Peter Koestenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-koestenbaum/) > [I think we've become a TV culture, where we forget the live performer in front of us can see us. I think there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-benanti/i-think-we-ve-become-a-tv-culture-where-we-forget-the-live-performer/) [Laura Benanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-benanti/) > [Self-centeredness will bring on the destruction of our world. National pride separates people. All people need the same thing. When you really get down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/self-centeredness-will-bring-on-the-destruction-of-our-world-national/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Peace is a condition of the heart. It's a state of mind, of tranquility, of calmness, and of centeredness. It's an understanding of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/peace-is-a-condition-of-the-heart-it-s-a-state-of-mind-of-tranquility/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [To be politically activated is to dare to care about the happiness of others and that is just about the most important activity anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/to-be-politically-activated-is-to-dare-to-care-about-the-happiness-of/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Immensity is always there, but we so often become numb to it, or deceive ourselves into thinking our own lives and selves are what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/immensity-is-always-there-but-we-so-often-become-numb-to-it-or/) [Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/) > [Human cultures are all experiments in trying to find a form that will fit the matter of our immediacy; but it is absolutely not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/human-cultures-are-all-experiments-in-trying-to-find-a-form-that-will/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [Insecure leaders think everything is about them, and as a result, every action, every piece of information, every decision is put through their filter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/insecure-leaders-think-everything-is-about-them-and-as-a-result-every/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [The whole story of the Father's Christ-exalting plan of redeeming love, from eternity to eternity, must be told, or the radical reorientation of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/the-whole-story-of-the-father-s-christ-exalting-plan-of-redeeming/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [I have no self-centeredness or ego about being a movie star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrukh-khan/i-have-no-self-centeredness-or-ego-about-being-a-movie-star/) [Shahrukh Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrukh-khan/) > [We are unlikely to cease making gods or inventing ceremonies to please them for as long as we are afraid of death, or of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/we-are-unlikely-to-cease-making-gods-or-inventing-ceremonies-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I think that may be the biggest difference between Americans and people elsewhere. Unlike Americans, Canadians know that there are places just as real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/i-think-that-may-be-the-biggest-difference-between-americans-and/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) [Browse all 67 Centeredness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centeredness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We've lost our way, we have lost our centeredness. We don't have the time, literally, to think during the day. To listen to ourselves think. To think about where we are going, who we are, what's important. I would bet most people don't have thirty minutes in a day where they can just sit down and think. 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