--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Slow down you're doing fine You can't be…" description: "\"Slow down you're doing fine You can't be everything you want to be Before your time Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight Too bad but it'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/billy-joel-1000_borderline_slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be_1237375.png" --- # Slow down you're doing fine You can't be everything you… ![“Slow down you're doing fine You can't be everything you want to be Before your time Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight Too bad but it's the life you lead You're so ahead of yourself That you forfeit what you need Though you can see when you're wrong” quote by Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/billy-joel-1000_borderline_slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be_1237375.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/billy-joel-1000_borderline_slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be_1237375.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/billy-joel-1000_borderline_slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be_1237375.png) > “Slow down you're doing fine You can't be everything you want to be Before your time Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight Too bad but it's the life you lead You're so ahead of yourself That you forfeit what you need Though you can see when you're wrong” [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He cautions against overreaching before readiness, urging patience and acceptance of one's pace. **In simple terms:** Don't rush; accept your timing. Key Takeaway Respect your own timeline. Themes patience self‑acceptance growth Mood thoughtful encouraging Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - creative projects - relationship milestones - skill learning Key Concepts personal development timing Questions to Reflect On - What area of your life needs more patience? - How does waiting improve outcomes? A Different Perspective Rushing can cause burnout and missed depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Borderline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borderline/) [Borderline Tonight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borderline-tonight-3849588/) [Doing Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-fine/) [Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fast/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Forfeit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forfeit/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Romantic Borderline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic-borderline-3849587/) [Slow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow/) [Slow Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow-doing-980684/) [Slow down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow-down/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tonight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tonight/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [Slow down you're doing fine You can't be everything you want to be before your time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be-everything-you-want-to-be/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Lol. That's Funny!XD But You Feel Slow For Doing That.!;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheby-ridgill/lol-that-s-funny-xd-but-you-feel-slow-for-doing-that/) [Sheby Ridgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheby-ridgill/) > [The South Vietnamese were perhaps a little bit slow in doing things, they jump on, on the problem and they try to do themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bui-diem/the-south-vietnamese-were-perhaps-a-little-bit-slow-in-doing-things/) [Bui Diem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bui-diem/) > [I lived right on the borderline of a black neighborhood. So I could go into the black area and then there'd be these ghetto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-lived-right-on-the-borderline-of-a-black-neighborhood-so-i-could-go/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [“            Tempting as it may be to draw one conclusion or another from my story and universalize it to apply to another's experience, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-reiland/tempting-as-it-may-be-to-draw-one-conclusion-or-another-from-my-story/) [Rachel Reiland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-reiland/) > [Sports is so hard for me to wrap my head around. I never played any sports, I don't watch any sports, I hardly know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-clifton/sports-is-so-hard-for-me-to-wrap-my-head-around-i-never-played-any/) [Scott Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-clifton/) > [My brother has a tendency to get quite lyrical when he writes music; he gets so romantic, it's borderline. I make it slightly more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-de-la-baume/my-brother-has-a-tendency-to-get-quite-lyrical-when-he-writes-music/) [Josephine de La Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-de-la-baume/) > [Welcome to the psychiatric hotline: if you are obsessive compulsive press one repeatedly. If you are schizophrenic listen closely and a little voice will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-oakley/welcome-to-the-psychiatric-hotline-if-you-are-obsessive-compulsive/) [Barbara Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-oakley/) > [To my mind, nothing is as important as good writing, because in literature, the walls between people and cultures are broken down, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bausch/to-my-mind-nothing-is-as-important-as-good-writing-because-in/) [Richard Bausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bausch/) > [“So at family gatherings… I try to stick to the acceptable script. Indeed, I discover that the less I say, the happier everyone seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiera-van-gelder/so-at-family-gatherings-i-try-to-stick-to-the-acceptable-script/) [Kiera Van Gelder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiera-van-gelder/) > [“When you fall in love, everything is impregnated with new meaning. It is as if you suddenly have borderline personality disorder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-thurlow/when-you-fall-in-love-everything-is-impregnated-with-new-meaning-it/) [Chloe Thurlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-thurlow/) > [The real problem with big issues like Medicare is that both parties have to be brave at the same time. Every pollster will tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/the-real-problem-with-big-issues-like-medicare-is-that-both-parties/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [Working is the best thing for me because I'm borderline ADHD, so I need some kind of focus or I go a bit extreme.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-winstone/working-is-the-best-thing-for-me-because-i-m-borderline-adhd-so-i/) [Jaime Winstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-winstone/) > [I don't know if my mother was a narcissist - or bi-polar or borderline. Those were words she tossed around over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/i-don-t-know-if-my-mother-was-a-narcissist-or-bi-polar-or-borderline/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) ## More by Billy Joel > [Everybody is different. Some writers can write reams of great books and then J. D. Salinger wrote just a few. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/everybody-is-different-some-writers-can-write-reams-of-great-books/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Only the good die young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/only-the-good-die-young/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [In a way, we are magicians. We are alchemists, sorcerers and wizards. We are a very strange bunch. But there is great fun in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/in-a-way-we-are-magicians-we-are-alchemists-sorcerers-and-wizards-we/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I don't want some pretty face to tell me pretty lies, all I want is someone to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-don-t-want-some-pretty-face-to-tell-me-pretty-lies-all-i-want-is/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I've always said about 50% of what happens at a concert has to do with the audience. If you play for a dead audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-ve-always-said-about-50-of-what-happens-at-a-concert-has-to-do-with/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [She's the quiet type who's into heavy metal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/she-s-the-quiet-type-who-s-into-heavy-metal/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Rock and roll just used to be for kicks, now a days it's politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks-now-a-days-it-s-politics/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Don't make music for some vast, unseen audience or market or ratings share or even for something as tangible as money. Though it's crucial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/don-t-make-music-for-some-vast-unseen-audience-or-market-or-ratings/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Usually when I'm writing, I try to write fairly quickly. If a song sits around too long, it starts to take on a stink.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/usually-when-i-m-writing-i-try-to-write-fairly-quickly-if-a-song-sits/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [My daughter sent me on a mission to get as many autographs as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/my-daughter-sent-me-on-a-mission-to-get-as-many-autographs-as-possible/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [ I was listening to stuff and I realized that I've had a lot of different lives. You know the theory \[that says\] every seven… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-was-listening-to-stuff-and-i-realized-that-i-ve-had-a-lot-of/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [If you said good-bye to me tonight, There would still be music left to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/if-you-said-good-bye-to-me-tonight-there-would-still-be-music-left-to/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [If I need a cause for celebration, Or a comfort I can use to ease my mind, I rely on my imagination, And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/if-i-need-a-cause-for-celebration-or-a-comfort-i-can-use-to-ease-my/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I'm carrying the weight of all the useless junk and modern man accumulates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-m-carrying-the-weight-of-all-the-useless-junk-and-modern-man/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [What will it take for you to believe in me, the way that I believe in you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/what-will-it-take-for-you-to-believe-in-me-the-way-that-i-believe-in/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) [Explore all 311 Billy Joel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) ## More Borderline quotes > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [I don't know if my mother was a narcissist - or bi-polar or borderline. Those were words she tossed around over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/i-don-t-know-if-my-mother-was-a-narcissist-or-bi-polar-or-borderline/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [Working is the best thing for me because I'm borderline ADHD, so I need some kind of focus or I go a bit extreme.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-winstone/working-is-the-best-thing-for-me-because-i-m-borderline-adhd-so-i/) [Jaime Winstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-winstone/) > [The real problem with big issues like Medicare is that both parties have to be brave at the same time. Every pollster will tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/the-real-problem-with-big-issues-like-medicare-is-that-both-parties/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [“When you fall in love, everything is impregnated with new meaning. It is as if you suddenly have borderline personality disorder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-thurlow/when-you-fall-in-love-everything-is-impregnated-with-new-meaning-it/) [Chloe Thurlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-thurlow/) > [“So at family gatherings… I try to stick to the acceptable script. Indeed, I discover that the less I say, the happier everyone seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiera-van-gelder/so-at-family-gatherings-i-try-to-stick-to-the-acceptable-script/) [Kiera Van Gelder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiera-van-gelder/) > [To my mind, nothing is as important as good writing, because in literature, the walls between people and cultures are broken down, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bausch/to-my-mind-nothing-is-as-important-as-good-writing-because-in/) [Richard Bausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bausch/) > [Welcome to the psychiatric hotline: if you are obsessive compulsive press one repeatedly. If you are schizophrenic listen closely and a little voice will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-oakley/welcome-to-the-psychiatric-hotline-if-you-are-obsessive-compulsive/) [Barbara Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-oakley/) > [My brother has a tendency to get quite lyrical when he writes music; he gets so romantic, it's borderline. I make it slightly more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-de-la-baume/my-brother-has-a-tendency-to-get-quite-lyrical-when-he-writes-music/) [Josephine de La Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-de-la-baume/) > [Sports is so hard for me to wrap my head around. I never played any sports, I don't watch any sports, I hardly know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-clifton/sports-is-so-hard-for-me-to-wrap-my-head-around-i-never-played-any/) [Scott Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-clifton/) > [“            Tempting as it may be to draw one conclusion or another from my story and universalize it to apply to another's experience, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-reiland/tempting-as-it-may-be-to-draw-one-conclusion-or-another-from-my-story/) [Rachel Reiland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-reiland/) > [I lived right on the borderline of a black neighborhood. So I could go into the black area and then there'd be these ghetto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-lived-right-on-the-borderline-of-a-black-neighborhood-so-i-could-go/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [There's no borderline for the things that I can say, do, and create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/there-s-no-borderline-for-the-things-that-i-can-say-do-and-create/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [“The theologian Paul Tillich wrote that "loneliness can be conquered only by those who can bear solitude." Because the borderline finds solitude so difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerold-j-kreisman/the-theologian-paul-tillich-wrote-that-loneliness-can-be-conquered/) [Jerold J. Kreisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerold-j-kreisman/) > [In those sticky summer nights in South London our windows stay open and our tiny apartment becomes our secret garden. The magic of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diriye-osman/in-those-sticky-summer-nights-in-south-london-our-windows-stay-open/) [Diriye Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diriye-osman/) [Browse all 108 Borderline quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borderline/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Slow down you're doing fine You can't be everything you want to be Before your time Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight Too bad but it's the life you lead You're so ahead of yourself That you forfeit what you need Though you can see when you're wrong", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Billy Joel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be-everything-you-want-to-be-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Borderline" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be-everything-you-want-to-be-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/billy-joel-1000_borderline_slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be_1237375.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/billy-joel-1000_borderline_slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be_1237375.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/billy-joel-1000_borderline_slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be_1237375.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Slow down you're doing fine You can't be everything you want to be Before your time Although it's so…” — Billy Joel", "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": "Billy Joel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Slow down you're doing fine You...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be-everything-you-want-to-be-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/slow-down-you-re-doing-fine-you-can-t-be-everything-you-want-to-be-2/#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 } } ] } ```