--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The sand in the hourglass flows only one…" description: "\"“The sand in the hourglass flows only one way. Don’t waste precious time chasing someone else’s definition of success. Live your life with purpose now...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/bill-strickland-56140_definition-of-succes_the-sand-in-the-hourglass-flows-only-one_2487969.jpg" --- # The sand in the hourglass flows only one way. Don’t waste… ![“The sand in the hourglass flows only one way. Don’t waste precious time chasing someone else’s definition of success. Live your life with purpose now. Look for the things that inspire you, trouble you, make you feel most alive, and trust in those things to shape your future. They will give you all…” quote by bill strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/bill-strickland-56140_definition-of-succes_the-sand-in-the-hourglass-flows-only-one_2487969.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/bill-strickland-56140_definition-of-succes_the-sand-in-the-hourglass-flows-only-one_2487969.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/bill-strickland-56140_definition-of-succes_the-sand-in-the-hourglass-flows-only-one_2487969.jpg) > ““The sand in the hourglass flows only one way. Don’t waste precious time chasing someone else’s definition of success. Live your life with purpose now. Look for the things that inspire you, trouble you, make you feel most alive, and trust in those things to shape your future. They will give you all your heart could ever wish for.”” [bill strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-strickland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Urges focusing on personal purpose rather than external standards, chasing passions that energize you. **In simple terms:** Follow your own purpose, not others' success definitions. Key Takeaway Prioritize what truly inspires you. Themes purpose time success Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - creative projects - personal growth - daily routines Key Concepts self‑actualization mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What defines success for you personally? - How can you protect your time? A Different Perspective External pressures can still distract from inner goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Definition of success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definition-of-success/) [Hourglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hourglass/) [Hourglass Flows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hourglass-flows-934145/) [Inspire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspire/) [Inspire Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspire-trouble-934146/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Live your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-your-life/) [Precious time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precious-time/) [Sand Hourglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sand-hourglass-934144/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Think of your life as an hourglass. You know there are thousands of grains of sand in the top of the hourglass; and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/think-of-your-life-as-an-hourglass-you-know-there-are-thousands-of/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“Never love a woman so much that she has the power to destroy you when she slips between your fingers like sand through an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hati-bell/never-love-a-woman-so-much-that-she-has-the-power-to-destroy-you-when/) [Hati Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hati-bell/) > [Every so often, we all gaze into the abyss. It's a depressing fact of life that eventually the clock expires; eventually the sand in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/every-so-often-we-all-gaze-into-the-abyss-it-s-a-depressing-fact-of/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [I want you to think of your life as an hourglass. You know there are thousands of grains of sand in the top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/i-want-you-to-think-of-your-life-as-an-hourglass-you-know-there-are/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [A physician can sometimes parry the scythe of death, but has no power over the sand in the hourglass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hester-lynch-piozzi/a-physician-can-sometimes-parry-the-scythe-of-death-but-has-no-power/) [Hester Lynch Piozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hester-lynch-piozzi/) > [I'd love to be a movie star. That'd be great. But I lost the looks awhile ago. They slipped right through my hands like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-kreischer/i-d-love-to-be-a-movie-star-that-d-be-great-but-i-lost-the-looks/) [Bert Kreischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-kreischer/) > [The sand in the hourglass runs from one compartment to the other, marking the passage of moments with something constant and tangible.If you watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-sand-in-the-hourglass-runs-from-one-compartment-to-the-other/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [“It was as if he'd suddenly become intimately aware of the fragility of life and how precious time really was. As a result, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-sparks/it-was-as-if-he-d-suddenly-become-intimately-aware-of-the-fragility/) [Micah Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-sparks/) > [“We are satellites, we are made from blood and clay—we are the children of Gods, we are the builders of bridges and the destroyers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henna-lucas/we-are-satellites-we-are-made-from-blood-and-clay-we-are-the-children/) [Henna Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henna-lucas/) > [“Expectations are like grains of sand in the hourglass of time; as they accumulate, they can either build the foundation for success or bury…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erick-the-black-sheep-g/expectations-are-like-grains-of-sand-in-the-hourglass-of-time-as-they/) [Erick "The Black Sheep" G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erick-the-black-sheep-g/) > [One of the gravestones in the cemetery near the earliest church has an anchor on it and an hourglass, and the words In Hope.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/one-of-the-gravestones-in-the-cemetery-near-the-earliest-church-has/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I have an hourglass figure too. Mine just contains more sands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/i-have-an-hourglass-figure-too-mine-just-contains-more-sands/) [Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/) > [I don't know, there's something about you. Say there's an hourglass: the sand's about to run out. Someone like you can always be counted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-don-t-know-there-s-something-about-you-say-there-s-an-hourglass-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“As we hypnotically watch the steadily diminishing reserve of sand in life's hourglass, the instincts of a miser surface. Life is now savored, sipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-l-wheeler/as-we-hypnotically-watch-the-steadily-diminishing-reserve-of-sand-in/) [Joe L. Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-l-wheeler/) > [“Yesterday,” she began, speaking to his back, hurrying as though there was some element of him that was part hourglass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-creagh/yesterday-she-began-speaking-to-his-back-hurrying-as-though-there-was/) [Kelly Creagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-creagh/) ## More by bill strickland > [“Commit yourself to a passion that moves you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-strickland/commit-yourself-to-a-passion-that-moves-you/) [Bill Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-strickland/) > [“Most of the white kids in my classes had grown up in stable neighborhoods and had graduated from good schools. They came to Pitt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-strickland/most-of-the-white-kids-in-my-classes-had-grown-up-in-stable/) [Bill Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-strickland/) > [“Trust your passion, identify your dreams, and find the courage to share them with others, no matter how many times they call you a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-strickland/trust-your-passion-identify-your-dreams-and-find-the-courage-to-share/) [Bill Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-strickland/) > [The bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created. Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-strickland/the-bicycle-is-the-most-efficient-machine-ever-created-converting/) [Bill Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-strickland/) > [“What we discovered was that the only thing wrong with poor people is they don't have any money, which happens to be a curable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-strickland/what-we-discovered-was-that-the-only-thing-wrong-with-poor-people-is/) [Bill Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-strickland/) [Explore all 6 bill strickland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-strickland/) ## More Definition of success quotes > [“Without a clear definition of success, board discussions can become disjointed, with members focusing on different priorities and potentially conflicting agendas. 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If you aren't happy then nothing can make you feel successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonu-kakkar/the-definition-of-success-for-me-is-happiness-if-you-aren-t-happy/) [Sonu Kakkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonu-kakkar/) > [“One definition of success is achieving what your haters don't want you to achieve. Them wanting you not to achieve it means it's worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zeyara/one-definition-of-success-is-achieving-what-your-haters-don-t-want/) [Mohammed Zeyara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zeyara/) > [“It is necessary to prepare, to plan, so that we don't fritter away our lives. Without a goal, there can be no real success.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/it-is-necessary-to-prepare-to-plan-so-that-we-don-t-fritter-away-our/) [Thomas S. 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So any definition of success is bound up with time. With other things you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/conclusions-are-based-in-time-we-live-in-time-so-any-definition-of/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I try to be professional; I try to be on time. I don't take anything I have for granted. That's my definition of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena-gomez/i-try-to-be-professional-i-try-to-be-on-time-i-don-t-take-anything-i/) [Selena Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena-gomez/) > [The ultimate definition of success is: you could lose everything that you have and truly be okay with it. Your happiness isn't based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hsieh/the-ultimate-definition-of-success-is-you-could-lose-everything-that/) [Tony Hsieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hsieh/) > [“One woman's definition of success may not be another's. Is success, as the world defines it, an accomplishment in a society this sick?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/one-woman-s-definition-of-success-may-not-be-another-s-is-success-as/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [“Making others' lives easier is my definition of success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-bekoe/making-others-lives-easier-is-my-definition-of-success/) [Marion Bekoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-bekoe/) > [“gratitude noun \\ˈgra-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\\ 1. The word thrown in your face by people who covet what you want and believe that your lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/gratitude-noun-gra-t-t-d-ty-d-1-the-word-thrown-in-your-face-by/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) [Browse all 107 Definition of success quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definition-of-success/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The sand in the hourglass flows only one way. Don’t waste precious time chasing someone else’s definition of success. Live your life with purpose now. Look for the things that inspire you, trouble you, make you feel most alive, and trust in those things to shape your future. 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