--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This was what it meant to be human, to…" description: "\"This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.\" — Alice Hoffman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/alice-hoffman-427_changed_this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-kn_34449.png" --- # This was what it meant to be human, to know that time… ![“This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.” quote by Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/alice-hoffman-427_changed_this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-kn_34449.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/alice-hoffman-427_changed_this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-kn_34449.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/alice-hoffman-427_changed_this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-kn_34449.png) > “This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.” [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It reflects the awareness that humanity is defined by the perception of time's passage and inevitable change. **In simple terms:** Humanity is tied to temporal awareness. Key Takeaway Time and change shape our identity. Themes impermanence human condition temporal awareness change existential reflection Mood reflective melancholic thoughtful Type philosophical literary existential When to use this quote - contemplating aging - philosophical discussion - writing about existence - teaching philosophy Key Concepts time change human nature Practical Applications - literary analysis - motivational speaking Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing change influence our actions? - What does it mean to be 'human' beyond biology? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“You know I meant it. I am human. And male. And not remotely blind. Do you want me to say it again? You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/you-know-i-meant-it-i-am-human-and-male-and-not-remotely-blind-do-you/) [Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/) > [“Deep in the recesses of her mind, she knew they were probably watching. They watched everything, after all. Let them watch. Let them see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/deep-in-the-recesses-of-her-mind-she-knew-they-were-probably-watching/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“Nobody knew what it was like to be torn between what it meant to be human and what it meant to be Pack better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynn-barnes/nobody-knew-what-it-was-like-to-be-torn-between-what-it-meant-to-be/) [Jennifer Lynn Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynn-barnes/) > [Haverford was there for me and taught me what it meant to be a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-lutnick/haverford-was-there-for-me-and-taught-me-what-it-meant-to-be-a-human/) [Howard Lutnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-lutnick/) > [What Shakespeare and the Greeks were able to do was radically question what it meant to be a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/what-shakespeare-and-the-greeks-were-able-to-do-was-radically/) [Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/) > [“Or maybe he’d clarify what he had meant by “not human.” Was this some racist slur? Or was Roan actually hinting at an inhuman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-n-crawford/or-maybe-he-d-clarify-what-he-had-meant-by-not-human-was-this-some/) [C.N. Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-n-crawford/) > [“Preserve the spirit of a ‘lost’ age, when time moved slower.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fennel-hudson/preserve-the-spirit-of-a-lost-age-when-time-moved-slower/) [Fennel Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fennel-hudson/) > [One of my favorite stories growing up was A Wrinkle in Time. I loved that book. I still remember the image, so strongly, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-marling/one-of-my-favorite-stories-growing-up-was-a-wrinkle-in-time-i-loved-2/) [Brit Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-marling/) > [“Time moved forward, but the mind was restless and stubborn, and it skipped to wherever it pleased, often to the past: backward, always backward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/time-moved-forward-but-the-mind-was-restless-and-stubborn-and-it/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [“There was a time when I knew what it was like To live without you, to share your pain But time moved on, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-alexander/there-was-a-time-when-i-knew-what-it-was-like-to-live-without-you-to/) [Monica Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-alexander/) > [“...the reality of the days washed away the possibilities of the past, and time moved on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reality-of-the-days-washed-away-the-possibilities-of-the-past-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Time that is moved by little fidget wheels Is not myTime, the flood that does not flow. Between the double and the single bell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-skirving/time-that-is-moved-by-little-fidget-wheels-is-not-mytime-the-flood/) Adam Skirving > [“Time moved for you not in quotidian beats, but in the slow rhythm the ages keep –”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/time-moved-for-you-not-in-quotidian-beats-but-in-the-slow-rhythm-the/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Time that is moved by little fidget wheels Is not my Time,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-slessor/time-that-is-moved-by-little-fidget-wheels-is-not-my-time/) Kenneth Slessor > [“It had by no means been the first time in her life that a man had finished with her, but it was the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-bailey/it-had-by-no-means-been-the-first-time-in-her-life-that-a-man-had/) [Scarlett Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-bailey/) ## More by Alice Hoffman > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“All of the quarters in his hand were tarnished. He had no idea that the silver in a man’s pockets always turns black if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/all-of-the-quarters-in-his-hand-were-tarnished-he-had-no-idea-that/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [But most important of all, she explained that it was all right to say 'No. I disagree.' that was a gift. I understood it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/but-most-important-of-all-she-explained-that-it-was-all-right-to-say/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“It was after dark when the woods were most filled with magic, when there were fireflies and the mist was rising from the streams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-was-after-dark-when-the-woods-were-most-filled-with-magic-when/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/never-look-back-that-s-what-she-s-told-herself-don-t-think-about/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“She preferred cats to human beings and turned down every offer from the men who fell in love with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-preferred-cats-to-human-beings-and-turned-down-every-offer-from/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I'm a really eclectic reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-m-a-really-eclectic-reader/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [It's not the lie that's the problem; it's the distance the lie forges between you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-s-not-the-lie-that-s-the-problem-it-s-the-distance-the-lie-forges/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Her vision was going, but she could see him, the way people see clouds-beautiful, racing by, casting shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/her-vision-was-going-but-she-could-see-him-the-way-people-see-clouds/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [That's why there are ten gates to pass through before you reach the garden. If life were easy there would be one gate. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-s-why-there-are-ten-gates-to-pass-through-before-you-reach-the/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“...the summer of the gypsy moths when all the trees in their yard were bare, the leaves chewed by caterpillars. You could hear crunching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-summer-of-the-gypsy-moths-when-all-the-trees-in-their-yard-were/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“The best way to die is when you're living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-best-way-to-die-is-when-you-re-living/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Haylin was given a good talking-to by the headmaster and made to write a paper about workers’ rights, which he considered a privilege rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/haylin-was-given-a-good-talking-to-by-the-headmaster-and-made-to/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/my-darling-girl-when-are-you-going-to-realize-that-being-normal-is/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [He'd thought he was lost, but now he recognized that eternity was around him, like salt from a shaker or stars in the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/he-d-thought-he-was-lost-but-now-he-recognized-that-eternity-was/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Explore all 571 Alice Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## More Changed quotes > [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [You made me hate my own reflection Question every choice I make So I could try to be perfect But I will try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn/you-made-me-hate-my-own-reflection-question-every-choice-i-make-so-i/) [Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn/) > [Everything has changed and nothing has changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/everything-has-changed-and-nothing-has-changed/) [Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Faith is the avenue to salvation. Not intellectual understanding. Not money. Not your works. Just simple faith. How much faith? The faith of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/faith-is-the-avenue-to-salvation-not-intellectual-understanding-not/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [When I became Miss World, I couldn't believe I had won it. I used to sleep with my crown because I was scared someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/when-i-became-miss-world-i-couldn-t-believe-i-had-won-it-i-used-to/) [Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/) > [As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-light-changed-from-red-to-green-to-yellow-and-back-to-red/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [It's only a thought and a thought can be changed. Choose good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-only-a-thought-and-a-thought-can-be-changed-choose-good-ones/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Working with Rihanna has changed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibi-bourelly/working-with-rihanna-has-changed-my-life/) [Bibi Bourelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibi-bourelly/) > [The international game has changed for bidding cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ueberroth/the-international-game-has-changed-for-bidding-cities/) [Peter Ueberroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ueberroth/) > [You changed my life, don't know what you're doing to me with your love. You got me feeling super human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-changed-my-life-don-t-know-what-you-re-doing-to-me-with-your-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not changing because I'm part of a hit. People around me have changed in their attitude toward me, but I haven't changed. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-penny/i-m-not-changing-because-i-m-part-of-a-hit-people-around-me-have/) [Joe Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-penny/) > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) Browse all 6,529 Changed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Hoffman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Changed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/alice-hoffman-427_changed_this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-kn_34449.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/alice-hoffman-427_changed_this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-kn_34449.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/alice-hoffman-427_changed_this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-kn_34449.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.” — Alice Hoffman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alice Hoffman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This was what it meant to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```