--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Delay is a gun pointed at the temple of…" description: "\"“Delay is a gun pointed at the temple of confidence.”\" — Augusten Burroughs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/augusten-burroughs-603_confidence_delay-is-a-gun-pointed-at-the-temple-of_379929.png" --- # Delay is a gun pointed at the temple of confidence. ![“Delay is a gun pointed at the temple of confidence.” quote by Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/augusten-burroughs-603_confidence_delay-is-a-gun-pointed-at-the-temple-of_379929.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/augusten-burroughs-603_confidence_delay-is-a-gun-pointed-at-the-temple-of_379929.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/augusten-burroughs-603_confidence_delay-is-a-gun-pointed-at-the-temple-of_379929.png) > ““Delay is a gun pointed at the temple of confidence.”” [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Procrastination erodes confidence, like a weapon aimed at one's own self‑belief. **In simple terms:** Delaying harms confidence like a gun to the head. Key Takeaway Act promptly to protect self‑esteem. Themes procrastination confidence self‑sabotage Mood anxious motivational Type psychological inspirational When to use this quote - career tasks - creative projects - health goals - relationships Key Concepts psychology self‑esteem risk Questions to Reflect On - What is the biggest thing you delay? - How does delay affect your confidence? A Different Perspective May cause anxiety if fear of failure dominates. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Procrastination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastination/) ## Related quotes > [This was in San Francisco, in 1987. A bunch of kids were camped out in the Riviera Hotel - boy hustlers and their sugar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-goldberg/this-was-in-san-francisco-in-1987-a-bunch-of-kids-were-camped-out-in/) [Jim Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-goldberg/) > [If I didnt do something perfectly, I had to do it again. I grew up with a glue gun pointed at my head,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-stewart/if-i-didnt-do-something-perfectly-i-had-to-do-it-again-i-grew-up-with/) [Alexis Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-stewart/) > [“I laughed. I laughed while his lips hovered over my mouth and the gun pressed into his body. It was the laughter, not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-laughed-i-laughed-while-his-lips-hovered-over-my-mouth-and-the-gun/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [I personally don't like guns at all, so pointing a gun at someone or having a gun pointed at me makes me feel very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-morley/i-personally-don-t-like-guns-at-all-so-pointing-a-gun-at-someone-or/) [Bob Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-morley/) > [The worst thing that can happen to you in travel is having a gun pointed at you by a very young person. That's happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-worst-thing-that-can-happen-to-you-in-travel-is-having-a-gun/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“But when he crested the hill, the sight that greeted him made him pause. At the bottom of the hill stood Celia in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/but-when-he-crested-the-hill-the-sight-that-greeted-him-made-him/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [I grew up with a glue gun pointed at my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-stewart/i-grew-up-with-a-glue-gun-pointed-at-my-head/) [Alexis Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-stewart/) > [“Luisa was on her knees on the bed, naked, my 9mm in her hands and aimed right at me. I automatically had my gun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/luisa-was-on-her-knees-on-the-bed-naked-my-9mm-in-her-hands-and-aimed/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [“He picked up her gun. Pointed it at her. Pulled the trigger. Isabet jumped like a startled lizard. He handed the gun back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kameron-hurley/he-picked-up-her-gun-pointed-it-at-her-pulled-the-trigger-isabet/) [Kameron Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kameron-hurley/) > [If I didn't do something perfectly, I had to do it again... I grew up with a glue gun pointed at my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-stewart/if-i-didn-t-do-something-perfectly-i-had-to-do-it-again-i-grew-up/) [Alexis Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-stewart/) > [“So now, when three Landers, members of a street gang, approach me in the back alley behind the Library, knives drawn, the silver barrel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-cummings/so-now-when-three-landers-members-of-a-street-gang-approach-me-in-the/) Lindsay Cummings > [If you and i, were in a life or death situation. The gun were to be pointed at you. I already know what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-thomas/if-you-and-i-were-in-a-life-or-death-situation-the-gun-were-to-be/) [Iris Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-thomas/) > [“The sight of Elgie flat on the slimy dock, groaning "My wife, my wife", with a gun pointed at him, and me jumping up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/the-sight-of-elgie-flat-on-the-slimy-dock-groaning-my-wife-my-wife/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [Western civilization is a loaded gun pointed at the head of this planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/western-civilization-is-a-loaded-gun-pointed-at-the-head-of-this/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“There are several ‘givens’ in firearms handling,” Andrew explained. “A gun is never pointed at anything other than what one wishes to shoot. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wester-anderson/there-are-several-givens-in-firearms-handling-andrew-explained-a-gun/) [Joan Wester Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wester-anderson/) ## More by Augusten Burroughs > [There is nothing about myself that I wouldn't reveal or write about. I don't care how horrendous or ridiculous I may appear in person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/there-is-nothing-about-myself-that-i-wouldn-t-reveal-or-write-about-i/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“We were alone together, we were an us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/we-were-alone-together-we-were-an-us/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [Like every child, I adored her. Until I formed a brain and got to know her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/like-every-child-i-adored-her-until-i-formed-a-brain-and-got-to-know/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“You must hang onto the scraps of the bucking moment as if your sanity and life depended on it - because actually they do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/you-must-hang-onto-the-scraps-of-the-bucking-moment-as-if-your-sanity/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [Real optimism is not the pep talk you give yourself. It is earned through the labor involved in emotional housekeeping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/real-optimism-is-not-the-pep-talk-you-give-yourself-it-is-earned/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [If you hate your life, you haven't' seen enough of it. If you hate your life, it's because your life is too small and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/if-you-hate-your-life-you-haven-t-seen-enough-of-it-if-you-hate-your/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I think writers tend to be experience junkies, and I think they also tend to want to be on the outside looking in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-think-writers-tend-to-be-experience-junkies-and-i-think-they-also/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I think part of the reason I'm attracted to Foster is because he's such a mess. I mean, the people I have loved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-think-part-of-the-reason-i-m-attracted-to-foster-is-because-he-s/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“On typical days, (dust) is simply irritating. On Roid Rage days, it made me want to stomp down to the highway, pull drivers out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/on-typical-days-dust-is-simply-irritating-on-roid-rage-days-it-made/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I'm like the guy who prepares your taxes or a dentist. I'm very conservative and boring in a lot of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-m-like-the-guy-who-prepares-your-taxes-or-a-dentist-i-m-very/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“Nothing surprises me now," I tell him. I am stoic. I am Joan of Arc, with liver damage and an unused penis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/nothing-surprises-me-now-i-tell-him-i-am-stoic-i-am-joan-of-arc-with/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“It's not that I was an outright nitwit of a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/it-s-not-that-i-was-an-outright-nitwit-of-a-child/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [What I really want is to sit next to someone under an L.L. bean blanket on the beach in the fall and drink coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-someone-under-an-l-l-bean/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“My worth depended on where exactly the decimal was placed among the zeroes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/my-worth-depended-on-where-exactly-the-decimal-was-placed-among-the/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“Bookman isn't a stable man. He has a lot of problems that run very, very deep." But he was really good at giving head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/bookman-isn-t-a-stable-man-he-has-a-lot-of-problems-that-run-very/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) [Explore all 448 Augusten Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) ## More Confidence quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [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 ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) Senoraroy > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I look for someone who has confidence. Also someone whose energetic, cause I'm NOT that energetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-look-for-someone-who-has-confidence-also-someone-whose-energetic/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-johnson/i-was-very-confident-on-the-stage-and-i-stood-out-in-a-red-gown/) [Nicole Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-johnson/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Browse all 11,290 Confidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Delay is a gun pointed at the temple of confidence.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Augusten Burroughs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/delay-is-a-gun-pointed-at-the-temple-of-confidence/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confidence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/delay-is-a-gun-pointed-at-the-temple-of-confidence/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/augusten-burroughs-603_confidence_delay-is-a-gun-pointed-at-the-temple-of_379929.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/augusten-burroughs-603_confidence_delay-is-a-gun-pointed-at-the-temple-of_379929.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/augusten-burroughs-603_confidence_delay-is-a-gun-pointed-at-the-temple-of_379929.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Delay is a gun pointed at the temple of confidence.” — Augusten Burroughs", "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": "Augusten Burroughs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Delay is a gun pointed at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/delay-is-a-gun-pointed-at-the-temple-of-confidence/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/delay-is-a-gun-pointed-at-the-temple-of-confidence/#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 } } ] } ```