--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would I could stand on a busy corner…" description: "\"I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours.\" — Bernard Berenson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/bernard-berenson-14318_busy_i-would-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-h_178262.jpg" --- # I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and… ![“I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours.” quote by Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/bernard-berenson-14318_busy_i-would-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-h_178262.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/bernard-berenson-14318_busy_i-would-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-h_178262.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/bernard-berenson-14318_busy_i-would-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-h_178262.jpg) > “I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours.” [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A yearning to collect other people’s wasted time, symbolizing a desire for shared experience or meaning. **In simple terms:** Wants to gather others’ idle moments. Key Takeaway Seek meaningful ways to spend time together. Themes time loneliness meaning connection Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - urban observation - personal reflection - artistic expression Key Concepts existential yearning social commentary Questions to Reflect On - What does “wasted hours” mean to you? - How can we honor others’ time? A Different Perspective May overlook the value of productive time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of people cry and complain and put their hand out and beg. It never goes well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/a-lot-of-people-cry-and-complain-and-put-their-hand-out-and-beg-it/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [I wish I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours. If all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-herold/i-wish-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-hat-in-hand-and-beg-people-to/) [Don Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-herold/) > [“Remember this, if you can--there is nothing, nothing more precious than time. You probably feel you have a measureless supply of it, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-wouk/remember-this-if-you-can-there-is-nothing-nothing-more-precious-than/) [Herman Wouk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-wouk/) > [“Why, I suddenly wondered, had I wasted all those hours I could have spent with her? Why hadn’t I gone with them, to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/why-i-suddenly-wondered-had-i-wasted-all-those-hours-i-could-have/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [I have wasted my hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/i-have-wasted-my-hours/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [I grew up completely overwhelmed by TV, and part of the reason why I have gone into television is as a way to justify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/i-grew-up-completely-overwhelmed-by-tv-and-part-of-the-reason-why-i/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [Never beg people to stay against their will. Sometimes the gift of goodbye opens another door for you. Move on, and create the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-beg-people-to-stay-against-their-will-sometimes-the-gift-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't beg from people what they're not willing to give you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-hasselbeck/you-can-t-beg-from-people-what-they-re-not-willing-to-give-you/) [Elisabeth Hasselbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-hasselbeck/) > [“I thieve love. I beg for it. People want what they cannot have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merri-lisa-johnson/i-thieve-love-i-beg-for-it-people-want-what-they-cannot-have/) [Merri Lisa Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merri-lisa-johnson/) > [Never beg people to stay against their will. Move on and create the next chapter in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewshycrazyness/never-beg-people-to-stay-against-their-will-move-on-and-create-the/) [EwshyCrazyness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewshycrazyness/) > [Never beg people to stay in your life. There's no point in holding on to someone who has let go of you. Move on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fash/never-beg-people-to-stay-in-your-life-there-s-no-point-in-holding-on/) Fash > [“Don’t make me beg, Kitten. Don’t make me beg in front of all these people. It’s embarrassing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sterling/don-t-make-me-beg-kitten-don-t-make-me-beg-in-front-of-all-these/) [J. Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sterling/) > [I love to work in football, so for me it's not work. I'm not here first in the morning and last in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-farke/i-love-to-work-in-football-so-for-me-it-s-not-work-i-m-not-here-first/) [Daniel Farke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-farke/) > [I remember till 997th film, but after that I got so busy with multiple projects; I'm not sure which one released as my 1,000th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brahmanandam/i-remember-till-997th-film-but-after-that-i-got-so-busy-with-multiple/) [Brahmanandam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brahmanandam/) > [Success doesn't have a downside for me. I'm busy, but I've always been busy whatever job I've had. My very first job working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-derbyshire/success-doesn-t-have-a-downside-for-me-i-m-busy-but-i-ve-always-been/) Victoria Derbyshire ## More by Bernard Berenson > [The ultimate justification of the work of art is to help the spectator to become a work of art himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/the-ultimate-justification-of-the-work-of-art-is-to-help-the/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [Boast is always a cry of despair, except in the young it is a cry of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/boast-is-always-a-cry-of-despair-except-in-the-young-it-is-a-cry-of/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [I would willingly stand at street corners, hat in hand, begging passerby to drop their unused minutes into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/i-would-willingly-stand-at-street-corners-hat-in-hand-begging/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [Literature in its most comprehensive sense is the autobiography of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/literature-in-its-most-comprehensive-sense-is-the-autobiography-of/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [From childhood on I have had the dream of life lived as a sacrament... the dream implied taking life ritually as something holy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/from-childhood-on-i-have-had-the-dream-of-life-lived-as-a-sacrament/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [The artist, depicting man disdainful of the storm and stress of life, is no less reconciling and healing than the poet who, while endowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/the-artist-depicting-man-disdainful-of-the-storm-and-stress-of-life/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [The Renaissance had resulted in the emancipation of the individual, in making him feel that the universe had no other purpose than his happiness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/the-renaissance-had-resulted-in-the-emancipation-of-the-individual-in/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [Who will free me from hurry, flurry, the feeling of a crowd pushing behind me, of being hustled and crushed? How can I regain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/who-will-free-me-from-hurry-flurry-the-feeling-of-a-crowd-pushing/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [I walk in the garden, I look at the flowers and shrubs and trees and discover in them an exquisiteness of contour, a vitality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/i-walk-in-the-garden-i-look-at-the-flowers-and-shrubs-and-trees-and/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [“A complete life may be one ending in so full identification with the non-self that there is no self to die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/a-complete-life-may-be-one-ending-in-so-full-identification-with-the/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [Enemies could become the best companions. Companionship is based on a common interest, and the greater the interest the closer the companionship. What makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/enemies-could-become-the-best-companions-companionship-is-based-on-a/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [Pessimism like calumny is easy to do, and attracts immediate attention. The gossiper and the writer may find this out soon enough, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/pessimism-like-calumny-is-easy-to-do-and-attracts-immediate-attention/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [The average European does not seem to feel free until he succeeds in enslaving and oppressing others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/the-average-european-does-not-seem-to-feel-free-until-he-succeeds-in/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [I am only a picture-taster, the way others are wine-or tea-tasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/i-am-only-a-picture-taster-the-way-others-are-wine-or-tea-tasters/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [“Consistency, commonly thought of as a good thing, requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/consistency-commonly-thought-of-as-a-good-thing-requires-you-to-be-as/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) [Explore all 47 Bernard Berenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) ## More Busy quotes > [Success doesn't have a downside for me. I'm busy, but I've always been busy whatever job I've had. My very first job working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-derbyshire/success-doesn-t-have-a-downside-for-me-i-m-busy-but-i-ve-always-been/) Victoria Derbyshire > [I remember till 997th film, but after that I got so busy with multiple projects; I'm not sure which one released as my 1,000th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brahmanandam/i-remember-till-997th-film-but-after-that-i-got-so-busy-with-multiple/) [Brahmanandam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brahmanandam/) > [I love to work in football, so for me it's not work. I'm not here first in the morning and last in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-farke/i-love-to-work-in-football-so-for-me-it-s-not-work-i-m-not-here-first/) [Daniel Farke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-farke/) > [We all have time away from football to get our head down. At the same time it is a very busy schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/we-all-have-time-away-from-football-to-get-our-head-down-at-the-same/) [Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/) > [I am on sabbatical as of right now, been too busy to think of about my OWN needs as of late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-diamond/i-am-on-sabbatical-as-of-right-now-been-too-busy-to-think-of-about-my/) [Jim Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-diamond/) > [“I don't envy "busy." Busy means having a schedule, not living life. What I really covet is leisure and peace of mind. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-don-t-envy-busy-busy-means-having-a-schedule-not-living-life-what-i/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [Focus on being productive instead of busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/focus-on-being-productive-instead-of-busy/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [I have no social life. There is no time for one. Once in a while I may go to dinner with a friend but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-halliday/i-have-no-social-life-there-is-no-time-for-one-once-in-a-while-i-may/) [Liz Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-halliday/) > [I like acting too much and it's too, I'm just too busy doing that and I'm too hungry for it, to get behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-like-acting-too-much-and-it-s-too-i-m-just-too-busy-doing-that-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [The hollow horn plays wasted words, proves to warn that he not busy being born is busy dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-hollow-horn-plays-wasted-words-proves-to-warn-that-he-not-busy/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Films are tricky because for years you're getting told you're about to make it and you're about to be busy for four or six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/films-are-tricky-because-for-years-you-re-getting-told-you-re-about/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Never be too busy for the people you love. Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relationships. Love is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-willis/never-be-too-busy-for-the-people-you-love-never-allow-pursuits-or/) [Dave Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-willis/) > [“Get busy live'n, or get busy die'n”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-shawshank-redemption/get-busy-live-n-or-get-busy-die-n/) The Shawshank Redemption Browse all 3,372 Busy quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bernard Berenson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/i-would-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-hat-in-hand-and-beg-people-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Busy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/i-would-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-hat-in-hand-and-beg-people-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/bernard-berenson-14318_busy_i-would-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-h_178262.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/bernard-berenson-14318_busy_i-would-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-h_178262.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/bernard-berenson-14318_busy_i-would-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-h_178262.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours.” — Bernard Berenson", "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": "Bernard Berenson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I would I could stand on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/i-would-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-hat-in-hand-and-beg-people-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/i-would-i-could-stand-on-a-busy-corner-hat-in-hand-and-beg-people-to/#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 } } ] } ```