--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No, the point is not only does time fly…" description: "\"No, the point is not only does time fly and do we die, but that in these reckless conditions we live at all, and are vouchsafed, for the duration of ce..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/502/annie-dillard-509_certain_no-the-point-is-not-only-does-time-fly-a_1948384.jpg" --- # No, the point is not only does time fly and do we die, but… ![“No, the point is not only does time fly and do we die, but that in these reckless conditions we live at all, and are vouchsafed, for the duration of certain inexplicable moments, to know it.” quote by Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/502/annie-dillard-509_certain_no-the-point-is-not-only-does-time-fly-a_1948384.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/502/annie-dillard-509_certain_no-the-point-is-not-only-does-time-fly-a_1948384.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/502/annie-dillard-509_certain_no-the-point-is-not-only-does-time-fly-a_1948384.jpg) > “No, the point is not only does time fly and do we die, but that in these reckless conditions we live at all, and are vouchsafed, for the duration of certain inexplicable moments, to know it.” [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life persists amid chaos, granting fleeting moments of clarity that reveal our existence. **In simple terms:** We live through chaotic times, gaining brief insight. Key Takeaway Cherish those rare moments of understanding. Themes existence chaos clarity impermanence Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - war zones - natural disasters - everyday stress Key Concepts existentialism mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How do you find meaning in chaotic periods? - What fleeting insight has changed your view? A Different Perspective Such moments are rare and often overlooked, making them hard to rely on. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Die Reckless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-reckless-3146796/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Does Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/does-time-673113/) [Duration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duration/) [Inexplicable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inexplicable/) [Inexplicable Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inexplicable-moments-3146794/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Moments Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments-know-385630/) [Reckless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reckless/) [Reckless Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reckless-conditions-3146795/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time flies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-flies/) [Time Fly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-fly/) ## Related quotes > [Does time fly when you're having sex or was it really just one minute?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/does-time-fly-when-you-re-having-sex-or-was-it-really-just-one-minute/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People wonder if its possible to meet a person, or to just read their name out loud for the first time and within those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-wonder-if-its-possible-to-meet-a-person-or-to-just-read-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Oh if life were made of moments Even now and then a bad one--! But if life were only moments, Then you'd never know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/oh-if-life-were-made-of-moments-even-now-and-then-a-bad-one-but-if/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [There are those moments when you know that you are up against a tricky customer who is not being forthright with the truth, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-maitlis/there-are-those-moments-when-you-know-that-you-are-up-against-a/) [Emily Maitlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-maitlis/) > [There are moments. You will know them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fletcher/there-are-moments-you-will-know-them/) [Susan Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fletcher/) > [The happiest moments we ever know are when we entirely forget ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-happiest-moments-we-ever-know-are-when-we-entirely-forget/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Cherish those precious moments because you never know, they just might be your last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cherish-those-precious-moments-because-you-never-know-they-just-might/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Hold on to and cherish even the smallest of moments... you may not know it yet, but years from now when you look back...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyki-mack/hold-on-to-and-cherish-even-the-smallest-of-moments-you-may-not-know/) [Nyki Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyki-mack/) > [“Precious are the last moments when you do not know they are the last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janell-rhiannon/precious-are-the-last-moments-when-you-do-not-know-they-are-the-last/) [Janell Rhiannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janell-rhiannon/) > [My whole life, I've been preparing for moments and you can only know how you're going to react once you're in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mason/my-whole-life-i-ve-been-preparing-for-moments-and-you-can-only-know/) [Ryan Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mason/) > [I hate those moments where I know something isn't right, but I don't know what went wrong!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-those-moments-where-i-know-something-isn-t-right-but-i-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Have you ever had one of those moments when you know that you're being visited by your own future? They come so rarely and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/have-you-ever-had-one-of-those-moments-when-you-know-that-you-re/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“I think there's a moment in a long stream of moments when you first know someone, and you are finding your way around their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-holczer/i-think-there-s-a-moment-in-a-long-stream-of-moments-when-you-first/) [Tracy Holczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-holczer/) > [I never wanted my kids to have the experience of not knowing me or where they came from. I never want them to wonder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-walters/i-never-wanted-my-kids-to-have-the-experience-of-not-knowing-me-or/) [Ashley Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-walters/) > [When you're going through tough moments, you never know when you're going to have good moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/when-you-re-going-through-tough-moments-you-never-know-when-you-re/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) ## More by Annie Dillard > [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/this-is-a-spendthrift-economy-though-nothing-is-lost-all-is-spent/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The creatures I seek do not want to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-creatures-i-seek-do-not-want-to-be-seen/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Nothing moves a woman so deeply as the boyhood of the man she loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/nothing-moves-a-woman-so-deeply-as-the-boyhood-of-the-man-she-loves/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [We live in all we seek. The hidden shows up in too-plain sight. It lives captive on the face of the obvious - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-live-in-all-we-seek-the-hidden-shows-up-in-too-plain-sight-it/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his sides as though he were singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into-the-air-and-dropped-his-wings/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“Father had stretched out his long legs and was tilting back in his chair. Mother sat with her knees crossed, in blue slacks, smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/father-had-stretched-out-his-long-legs-and-was-tilting-back-in-his/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-frayed-and-nibbled-survivor-in-a-fallen-world-and-i-am-getting/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It should surprise no one that the life of the writer - such as it is - is colorless to the point of sensory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-should-surprise-no-one-that-the-life-of-the-writer-such-as-it-is/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-is-madness-to-wear-ladies-straw-hats-and-velvet-hats-to-church-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The sense impressions of one-celled animals are not edited for the brain. This is philosophically interesting in a rather mournful way, since it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-sense-impressions-of-one-celled-animals-are-not-edited-for-the/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“What can we make of the inexpressible joy of children? It is a kind of gratitude, I think—the gratitude of the ten-year-old who wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/what-can-we-make-of-the-inexpressible-joy-of-children-it-is-a-kind-of/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“If we were to judge nature by its common sense or likelihood, we wouldn't believe the world existed. In nature, improbabilities are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/if-we-were-to-judge-nature-by-its-common-sense-or-likelihood-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [For writing a first draft requires from the writer a peculiar internal state which ordinary life does not induce. ... how to set yourself spinning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/for-writing-a-first-draft-requires-from-the-writer-a-peculiar/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a fugitive and a vagabond, a sojourner seeking signs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-fugitive-and-a-vagabond-a-sojourner-seeking-signs/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Explore all 509 Annie Dillard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) [Riffat Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riffat-hassan/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) [T. H. 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