--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Time, in general, has always been a…" description: "\"Time, in general, has always been a central obsession of mine - what it does to people, how it can constitute a plot all on its own. So naturally, I am..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/anne-tyler-1837_age_time-in-general-has-always-been-a-centra_256469.png" --- # Time, in general, has always been a central obsession of… ![“Time, in general, has always been a central obsession of mine - what it does to people, how it can constitute a plot all on its own. So naturally, I am interested in old age.” quote by Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/anne-tyler-1837_age_time-in-general-has-always-been-a-centra_256469.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/anne-tyler-1837_age_time-in-general-has-always-been-a-centra_256469.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/anne-tyler-1837_age_time-in-general-has-always-been-a-centra_256469.png) > “Time, in general, has always been a central obsession of mine - what it does to people, how it can constitute a plot all on its own. So naturally, I am interested in old age.” [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) ## 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 is fascinated by how time influences people and can serve as a narrative engine, especially regarding aging. **In simple terms:** Time shapes people and stories. Key Takeaway Explore aging in narratives. Themes aging time storytelling Mood contemplative inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - novel writing - film scripts - personal memoirs - historical biographies Key Concepts chronology character development Questions to Reflect On - How does aging change a character’s goals? - What stories are driven by time? A Different Perspective Time can be abstract, making concrete portrayal challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I suppose that is my central obsession. What we owe to society, what we owe to ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-suppose-that-is-my-central-obsession-what-we-owe-to-society-what-we/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Why should anybody be interested in some old man who was a failure?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/why-should-anybody-be-interested-in-some-old-man-who-was-a-failure/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“It was funny, in her old age, to look back and see for how short a period her nest had NOT been empty. Relatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/it-was-funny-in-her-old-age-to-look-back-and-see-for-how-short-a/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [I'm not so sure that I can teach people how to, you know, write dialogue or create plot or anything like that. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-m-not-so-sure-that-i-can-teach-people-how-to-you-know-write/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be! Passions spin the plot: We are betrayed by what is false within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/in-tragic-life-god-wot-no-villain-need-be-passions-spin-the-plot-we/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [ It's not the plot \[of Valley of Violence\] - the plot is the reason to get all these things to happen, all these character… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti-west/it-s-not-the-plot-of-valley-of-violence-the-plot-is-the-reason-to-get/) [Ti West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ti-west/) > [O poor New England! There is a deep laid plot against your civil and religious liberties, and they will be lost. Your golden days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-whitefield/o-poor-new-england-there-is-a-deep-laid-plot-against-your-civil-and/) [George Whitefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-whitefield/) > [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The first act is the easiest to plot. The second act is always the hardest to plot. Generally a good, you know, sometimes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-cannell/the-first-act-is-the-easiest-to-plot-the-second-act-is-always-the/) [Stephen J. Cannell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-cannell/) > [My writing has always been what you call 'narrative fiction' in the sense that it's got very strong plots and twists at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/my-writing-has-always-been-what-you-call-narrative-fiction-in-the/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [J.K. Rowling said Bellatrix's role was going to be significant in the last one, when I showed some reluctance in playing a tiny bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/j-k-rowling-said-bellatrix-s-role-was-going-to-be-significant-in-the/) [Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [ Steve \[King\] has been incredibly supportive. He's also really good about getting back to me when I have questions about plot or characterization. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-furth/steve-king-has-been-incredibly-supportive-he-s-also-really-good-about/) [Robin Furth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-furth/) > [You can't have a movie with a group of people that are significant players in the story, that push forward the plot, without introducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/you-can-t-have-a-movie-with-a-group-of-people-that-are-significant/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [Story is about pulling the reader in and a plot is a more externalized mechanism of revelation. A plot is more antic, more performative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/story-is-about-pulling-the-reader-in-and-a-plot-is-a-more/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) ## More by Anne Tyler > [Try Jesus, you won't regret it, a billboard read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/try-jesus-you-won-t-regret-it-a-billboard-read/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Every place I go I miss another place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/every-place-i-go-i-miss-another-place/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [I'm falling into disrepair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/i-m-falling-into-disrepair/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [None of my own experiences ever finds its way into my work. However, the stages of my life - motherhood, middle age, etc. -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/none-of-my-own-experiences-ever-finds-its-way-into-my-work-however/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [For my own family, I would always choose the makeshift, surrogate family formed by various characters unrelated by blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/for-my-own-family-i-would-always-choose-the-makeshift-surrogate/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [Mostly it's lies, writing novels. You set out to tell an untrue story and you try to make it believable, even to yourself. Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/mostly-it-s-lies-writing-novels-you-set-out-to-tell-an-untrue-story/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [When I read, I'm purely a reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/when-i-read-i-m-purely-a-reader/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“You wake in the morning, you’re feeling fine, but all at once you think, “Something’s not right. Something’s off somewhere; what is it?” And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/you-wake-in-the-morning-you-re-feeling-fine-but-all-at-once-you-think/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“...that was Julian for you: reckless. A dashing sailor, a speedy driver, a frequenter of single bars, he was the kind of man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/that-was-julian-for-you-reckless-a-dashing-sailor-a-speedy-driver-a/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Disaster followed disaster... the hero stuck in there, though. Macon had long ago noticed that all adventure movies had the same moral: Perseverance pays.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/disaster-followed-disaster-the-hero-stuck-in-there-though-macon-had/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [It struck her all at once that dealing with other human beings was an awful lot of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/it-struck-her-all-at-once-that-dealing-with-other-human-beings-was-an/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Justine hated pantsuits. Whenever she saw one, she had an urge to tell the owner some scandalous fortune, loudly enough to be heard everywhere:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/justine-hated-pantsuits-whenever-she-saw-one-she-had-an-urge-to-tell/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [My family can always tell when I'm well into a novel because the meals get very crummy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/my-family-can-always-tell-when-i-m-well-into-a-novel-because-the/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“She liked to think that she was wearing her beauty out—using it up, she liked to think. She took some satisfaction in it, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/she-liked-to-think-that-she-was-wearing-her-beauty-out-using-it-up/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [It is not how much you love someone, but who you are when you are with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/it-is-not-how-much-you-love-someone-but-who-you-are-when-you-are-with/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) [Explore all 202 Anne Tyler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Time, in general, has always been a central obsession of mine - what it does to people, how it can constitute a plot all on its own. 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