--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ..how we seek to spend our time may…" description: "\"“..how we seek to spend our time may depend on how much time we perceive ourselves to have. When you are young and healthy, you believe you will live f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/atul-gawande-1871_brighter-future_how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend_62174.jpg" --- # ..how we seek to spend our time may depend on how much… ![“..how we seek to spend our time may depend on how much time we perceive ourselves to have. When you are young and healthy, you believe you will live forever. You do not worry about losing any of your capabilities. People tell you "the world is your oyster," "the sky is the limit," and so on. And…” quote by Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/atul-gawande-1871_brighter-future_how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend_62174.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/atul-gawande-1871_brighter-future_how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend_62174.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/atul-gawande-1871_brighter-future_how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend_62174.jpg) > ““..how we seek to spend our time may depend on how much time we perceive ourselves to have. When you are young and healthy, you believe you will live forever. You do not worry about losing any of your capabilities. People tell you "the world is your oyster," "the sky is the limit," and so on. And you are willing to delay gratification-- to invest years, for example, in gaining skills and resources for a brighter future. You seek to plug into bigger streams of knowledge and information. You widen your networks of friends and connections, instead of hanging out with your mother. When horizons are measured in decades, which might as well be infinity to human beings, you most desire all that stuff at the top of Maslow's pyramid-- achievement, creativity, and other attributes of "self-actualization." But as your horizons contract-- when you see the future ahead of you as finite and uncertain-- your focus shifts to the here and now, to everyday pleasures and the people closest to you.”” [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Perceived lifespan shapes priorities: youth fuels long‑term ambition and self‑actualization, while awareness of limited time redirects focus to present joys and close relationships. **In simple terms:** Time perception drives goal orientation. Key Takeaway Aging shifts from future‑oriented achievement to present‑oriented fulfillment. Themes Temporal perception Motivation Self‑actualization Aging Priorities Life stages Mood reflective nostalgic contemplative Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - career planning - retirement preparation - midlife crisis - family gatherings - personal development Key Concepts Maslow's hierarchy Future discounting Social networks Psychological time Practical Applications - coaching for life transitions - designing age‑responsive wellness programs Questions to Reflect On - How does your sense of time influence your daily choices? - What strategies can balance future goals with present well‑being? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brighter future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brighter-future/) [Knowledge and information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge-and-information/) [Live forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-forever/) [Sky is the limit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky-is-the-limit/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World Is Your Oyster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-is-your-oyster/) ## Related quotes > [The more you take responsibility for your past and present, the more you are able to create the future you seek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-more-you-take-responsibility-for-your-past-and-present-the-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more you take responsibility for the past you create, the more you're able to create the future you seek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/the-more-you-take-responsibility-for-the-past-you-create-the-more-you/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) > [A related aspect of intelligent consciousness is delay of gratification: the wisdom to accurately predict whether delay rather than acting on impulse will yield…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/a-related-aspect-of-intelligent-consciousness-is-delay-of/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [Economists say the inability to delay gratification is a primary predictor of economic failure in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/economists-say-the-inability-to-delay-gratification-is-a-primary/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/the-ability-to-discipline-yourself-to-delay-gratification-in-the/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [“It seems that the one characteristic most closely correlated with success in life, which has persisted over the decades, is the ability to delay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/it-seems-that-the-one-characteristic-most-closely-correlated-with/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [America's greatest sin is the refusal to delay gratification.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/america-s-greatest-sin-is-the-refusal-to-delay-gratification/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [We know – it has been measured in many experiments – that children with strong impulse control grow to be better adjusted, more dependable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/we-know-it-has-been-measured-in-many-experiments-that-children-with/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > […goal directed self-imposed delay of gratification is perhaps the essence of emotional self-regulation: the ability to deny impulse in the service of a goal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/goal-directed-self-imposed-delay-of-gratification-is-perhaps-the/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The ability to delay gratification has implications not only for a person's life, but also for a community, for a people, for a country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joachim-de-posada/the-ability-to-delay-gratification-has-implications-not-only-for-a/) Joachim de Posada > [Just as an individual's ability to delay gratification at a young age is a powerful predictor of future academic and professional achievement, discipline is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-blair-henry/just-as-an-individual-s-ability-to-delay-gratification-at-a-young-age/) [Peter Blair Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-blair-henry/) > [The Japanese are hard to understand, but once you do the world is your oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/the-japanese-are-hard-to-understand-but-once-you-do-the-world-is-your/) [Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/) > [I never thought I'd say this, but to any child listening, the world is your oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-clementine/i-never-thought-i-d-say-this-but-to-any-child-listening-the-world-is/) [Benjamin Clementine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-clementine/) > [If you come out of British TV, they're kind of saying, "Here's the keys to the kingdom. You are now going to go off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-webber/if-you-come-out-of-british-tv-they-re-kind-of-saying-here-s-the-keys/) [Peter Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-webber/) > [“Learning how to set and achieve goals is simply a skill. Once you learn this skill, the whole world is your oyster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khoa-bui/learning-how-to-set-and-achieve-goals-is-simply-a-skill-once-you/) Khoa Bui ## More by Atul Gawande > [Don’t let yourself be. Find something new to try, something to change. Count how often it succeeds and how often it doesn’t. Write about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/don-t-let-yourself-be-find-something-new-to-try-something-to-change/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“Wilson spent several days camped out in one government office after another until she had secured an exemption. Unbelievably, she and her husband cleared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/wilson-spent-several-days-camped-out-in-one-government-office-after/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [What is needed, however, isn't just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard--harder than trustworthiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/what-is-needed-however-isn-t-just-that-people-working-together-be/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“8. Chapter 4 describes the birth of the assisted-living facility concept (Park Place), designed by Keren Wilson to provide her disabled mother, Jessie, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/8-chapter-4-describes-the-birth-of-the-assisted-living-facility/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [When we lived in a society where we had large families that lived together, especially in agricultural societies like my grandfather and father grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/when-we-lived-in-a-society-where-we-had-large-families-that-lived/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [My biggest fear, that 27 percent of Americans under 65 have an existing health condition that, without the protections of the Affordable Care Act,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/my-biggest-fear-that-27-percent-of-americans-under-65-have-an/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“I cannot pretend he escaped unscathed. The extended period of low blood pressure damaged an optic nerve and left him essentially blind in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/i-cannot-pretend-he-escaped-unscathed-the-extended-period-of-low/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [The battle of being mortal is the battle to maintain the integrity of one’s life,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/the-battle-of-being-mortal-is-the-battle-to-maintain-the-integrity-of/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“an average of $94,000 during the last year of life with a metastatic breast cancer. Our medical system is excellent at trying to stave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/an-average-of-94-000-during-the-last-year-of-life-with-a-metastatic/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“we need practice to get good at what we do. There is one difference in medicine, though: it is people we practice upon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/we-need-practice-to-get-good-at-what-we-do-there-is-one-difference-in/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [People underestimate the importance of dilligence as a virtue. No doubt it has something to do with how supremely mundane it seems. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/people-underestimate-the-importance-of-dilligence-as-a-virtue-no/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [Developing a skill is painful, though. It is difficult. And that's part of the satisfaction. You will only find meaning in what you struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/developing-a-skill-is-painful-though-it-is-difficult-and-that-s-part/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [Just look at the list of who the lowest-paid people are. Pediatricians are at the bottom. You would also look at internists. You would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/just-look-at-the-list-of-who-the-lowest-paid-people-are-pediatricians/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“When Felix came to this crossroads, the orthopedic shoe to drop wasn’t his. It was Bella’s. Year by year, I witnessed the progression in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/when-felix-came-to-this-crossroads-the-orthopedic-shoe-to-drop-wasn-t/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“The problem with medicine and the institutions it has spawned for the care of the sick and the old is not that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/the-problem-with-medicine-and-the-institutions-it-has-spawned-for-the/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) [Explore all 200 Atul Gawande quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) ## More Brighter future quotes > [“A great vision should paint a picture of a brighter future for your customers. It’s not about you. It’s about them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-banfield/a-great-vision-should-paint-a-picture-of-a-brighter-future-for-your/) [Richard Banfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-banfield/) > [In my books and in romance as a genre, there is a positive, uplifting feeling that leaves the reader with a sense of encouragement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-macomber/in-my-books-and-in-romance-as-a-genre-there-is-a-positive-uplifting/) [Debbie Macomber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-macomber/) > [My computer screen is brighter than my future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/my-computer-screen-is-brighter-than-my-future/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [To show the potentialities of a brighter future we must first resuscitate the visions of a better past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-bernstein/to-show-the-potentialities-of-a-brighter-future-we-must-first/) [Josh Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-bernstein/) > [When I look at President Obama, I see a leader with a cool head, a caring heart and an open mind, a president who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-crist/when-i-look-at-president-obama-i-see-a-leader-with-a-cool-head-a/) [Charlie Crist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-crist/) > [My most profound confidence is however based upon the fact that at the head of Germany there stands a man by his entire development,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-jodl/my-most-profound-confidence-is-however-based-upon-the-fact-that-at/) [Alfred Jodl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-jodl/) > [Forget about the past, it's done. Make yourself a brighter future by focusing on the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forget-about-the-past-it-s-done-make-yourself-a-brighter-future-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Salvation lies in an energetic march onward towards a brighter and clearer future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/salvation-lies-in-an-energetic-march-onward-towards-a-brighter-and/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [“Negative people offer no hope to the person who wants to pursue their goal. They are a hinder to positive thinking and plans for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-j-barrier/negative-people-offer-no-hope-to-the-person-who-wants-to-pursue-their/) [Ellen J. Barrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-j-barrier/) > [“When you haven’t yet had your heart really broken, the gospel isn’t about death and rebirth. It’s about life and more life. It’s about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/when-you-haven-t-yet-had-your-heart-really-broken-the-gospel-isn-t/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [It is time for us to say no, we are not going to backwards, we're going forward into a brighter future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-is-time-for-us-to-say-no-we-are-not-going-to-backwards-we-re-going/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“My commitment is to urge us all toward moderation and good will toward fellow citizens. If we can set aside unworthy emotions that deepen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-rasley/my-commitment-is-to-urge-us-all-toward-moderation-and-good-will/) Jeff Rasley > [My mobile screen is brighter than my future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/my-mobile-screen-is-brighter-than-my-future/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [For too many, the shot for a brighter future is simply out of reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/for-too-many-the-shot-for-a-brighter-future-is-simply-out-of-reach/) [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/) > [We recall the joy and excitement of a nation that had found itself, the collective relief that we had stepped out of our restrictive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-recall-the-joy-and-excitement-of-a-nation-that-had-found-itself/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) [Browse all 113 Brighter future quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brighter-future/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“..how we seek to spend our time may depend on how much time we perceive ourselves to have. When you are young and healthy, you believe you will live forever. You do not worry about losing any of your capabilities. People tell you \"the world is your oyster,\" \"the sky is the limit,\" and so on. And you are willing to delay gratification-- to invest years, for example, in gaining skills and resources for a brighter future. You seek to plug into bigger streams of knowledge and information. You widen your networks of friends and connections, instead of hanging out with your mother. When horizons are measured in decades, which might as well be infinity to human beings, you most desire all that stuff at the top of Maslow's pyramid-- achievement, creativity, and other attributes of \"self-actualization.\" But as your horizons contract-- when you see the future ahead of you as finite and uncertain-- your focus shifts to the here and now, to everyday pleasures and the people closest to you.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Atul Gawande" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend-on-how-much-time-we-perceive/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brighter future" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend-on-how-much-time-we-perceive/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/atul-gawande-1871_brighter-future_how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend_62174.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/atul-gawande-1871_brighter-future_how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend_62174.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/atul-gawande-1871_brighter-future_how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend_62174.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“..how we seek to spend our time may depend on how much time we perceive ourselves to have. When you are…” — Atul Gawande", "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": "Atul Gawande", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“..how we seek to spend our...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend-on-how-much-time-we-perceive/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend-on-how-much-time-we-perceive/#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 } } ] } ```