--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A time comes when you need to stop…" description: "\"A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be.\" — Bruce Springsteen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/bruce-springsteen-546_he-man_a-time-comes-when-you-need-to-stop-waiti_1773343.jpg" --- # A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you… ![“A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be.” quote by Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/bruce-springsteen-546_he-man_a-time-comes-when-you-need-to-stop-waiti_1773343.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/bruce-springsteen-546_he-man_a-time-comes-when-you-need-to-stop-waiti_1773343.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/bruce-springsteen-546_he-man_a-time-comes-when-you-need-to-stop-waiti_1773343.jpg) > “A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be.” [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. You must stop postponing personal growth and actively embody the person you aspire to be now. **In simple terms:** Stop waiting, start becoming. Key Takeaway Act now to shape your identity. Themes self‑development action identity growth self‑acceptance Mood determined empowering Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career transition - relationship building - habit formation - creative projects Key Concepts personal agency self‑actualization mindset shift Questions to Reflect On - What qualities are you avoiding? - How can you begin embodying them today? A Different Perspective Change requires confronting fear of failure and external expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > ['VERY WELL,' I SAID ANGRILY, 'START THE MAN, AND I'LL START THE SAME DAY FOR SOME OTHER NEWSPAPER AND BEAT HIM.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/very-well-i-said-angrily-start-the-man-and-i-ll-start-the-same-day/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [“No matter how long you have been waiting, the man God has for you will surpass your expectations. You will meet him when god…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-mckinney-hammond-2/no-matter-how-long-you-have-been-waiting-the-man-god-has-for-you-will/) Michelle McKinney-Hammond > [I keep waiting for a man who has more balls than I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/i-keep-waiting-for-a-man-who-has-more-balls-than-i-do/) [Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/) > [“I am waiting for a man to come in here and fuck me sideways with a beautiful line like that”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-marber/i-am-waiting-for-a-man-to-come-in-here-and-fuck-me-sideways-with-a/) [Patrick Marber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-marber/) > [“They were all waiting for a man. Men were going to scoop them up in a net and take them home and put them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/they-were-all-waiting-for-a-man-men-were-going-to-scoop-them-up-in-a/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [She was no stranger to waiting, after all. Her man had always made her wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-was-no-stranger-to-waiting-after-all-her-man-had-always-made-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'm waiting' for my man, Got twenty-six dollars in my hand. He's never early, he's always late, First thing you learn is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-waiting-for-my-man-got-twenty-six-dollars-in-my-hand-he-s-never/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [I start where the last man left off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-start-where-the-last-man-left-off/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Start with the man in the mirror. Start with yourself. Dont be looking at all the other things. Start with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/start-with-the-man-in-the-mirror-start-with-yourself-dont-be-looking/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [“If you want to break any negative cycles start with the man in the mirror”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabiso-monkoe/if-you-want-to-break-any-negative-cycles-start-with-the-man-in-the/) [Thabiso Monkoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabiso-monkoe/) > [I start where the last man left off. What the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of a man can achieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-start-where-the-last-man-left-off-what-the-mind-of-man-can-conceive/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I have a lot to prove, because to be honest my start at Man United is not so good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-onana/i-have-a-lot-to-prove-because-to-be-honest-my-start-at-man-united-is/) [Andre Onana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-onana/) > [Start with the man in the mirror. Start with yourself. Don't be looking at all the other things. Start with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/start-with-the-man-in-the-mirror-start-with-yourself-don-t-be-looking/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [Stop trying to be THE MAN & start becoming A MAN. Too many GROWN boys walking around!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-trying-to-be-the-man-start-becoming-a-man-too-many-grown-boys/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This is your life do wat you love, and do it often. if you don't like something, change it. if you don't like your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiea/this-is-your-life-do-wat-you-love-and-do-it-often-if-you-don-t-like/) Amiea ## More by Bruce Springsteen > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [When I die throw my body in the back and drive me to the junk yard in my Cadillac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-i-die-throw-my-body-in-the-back-and-drive-me-to-the-junk-yard-in/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-you-start-talking-about-elections-being-rigged-you-re-pushing/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I got Mary pregnant and man that's all she wrote. And for my 19th birthday, I got a union card and a factory coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-got-mary-pregnant-and-man-that-s-all-she-wrote-and-for-my-19th/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ I don't know if I know anyone, with the exception of the early inventors of rock music \[who wasn't influenced by something\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-don-t-know-if-i-know-anyone-with-the-exception-of-the-early/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [People see you onstage and, yeah, I'd want to be that guy.I want to be that guy myself very often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/people-see-you-onstage-and-yeah-i-d-want-to-be-that-guy-i-want-to-be/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [You know, my music utilizes things from the past, because that's what the past is for. It's to learn from. It's not to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/you-know-my-music-utilizes-things-from-the-past-because-that-s-what/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [From the town of Lincoln Nebraska with a sawed off .410 on my lap, through the Badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/from-the-town-of-lincoln-nebraska-with-a-sawed-off-410-on-my-lap/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I want a thousand guitars . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-want-a-thousand-guitars/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [In America everything's about who's number one today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/in-america-everything-s-about-who-s-number-one-today/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [A pop song is a condensed version of a life in three minutes, whereas, when you go to write your prose, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/a-pop-song-is-a-condensed-version-of-a-life-in-three-minutes-whereas/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-walked-a-thousand-miles-just-to-slip-this-skin/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The moment you begin to depend on audience reaction, you're doing the wrong thing. You're doin' it wrong, it's a mistake, it's not right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-moment-you-begin-to-depend-on-audience-reaction-you-re-doing-the/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The name 'Boss' started with people that worked for me... It was not meant like Boss, capital B, it was meant like 'Boss, where's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-name-boss-started-with-people-that-worked-for-me-it-was-not-meant/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The country we carry in our hearts is waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-country-we-carry-in-our-hearts-is-waiting/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) [Explore all 484 Bruce Springsteen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## More He man quotes > [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. 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There go the street lights bringing on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-seger/here-comes-old-rosie-she-s-looking-mighty-fine-here-comes-hot-nancy/) [Bob Seger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-seger/) > [My idea for 'BoneMan's Daughters' came from the loss of my own daughter when she left home to live with a monster at age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/my-idea-for-boneman-s-daughters-came-from-the-loss-of-my-own-daughter/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [Happy (if mortals can be) is the man,Who, not by priest but Reason, rules his span:Reason, to its possessor a sure guide,Reason, a thorn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton/happy-if-mortals-can-be-is-the-man-who-not-by-priest-but-reason-rules/) [Thomas Chatterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton/) > [What does the future, that half of time, matter to the man who is infatuated with eternity?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/what-does-the-future-that-half-of-time-matter-to-the-man-who-is/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [It's woman's spirit and mood a man has to stimulate in order to make sex interesting. The real lover is the man who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-woman-s-spirit-and-mood-a-man-has-to-stimulate-in-order-to-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can show you who's the man Let me show you with my hands I just want you close to me I'll get you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eamon/i-can-show-you-who-s-the-man-let-me-show-you-with-my-hands-i-just/) [Eamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eamon/) > [Forgiving the men who killed my parents and brother was a process, a journey into deeper and deeper prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immaculee-ilibagiza/forgiving-the-men-who-killed-my-parents-and-brother-was-a-process-a/) [Immaculee Ilibagiza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immaculee-ilibagiza/) > [You know what really made me sick? I was in Washington, D.C. at another time reading in a paper where the U.S. gives Byron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/you-know-what-really-made-me-sick-i-was-in-washington-d-c-at-another/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [Most women you know are very much interested in the man who is reputed to be deeply admired by other women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-desmond/most-women-you-know-are-very-much-interested-in-the-man-who-is/) [Arthur Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-desmond/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) Browse all 4,439 He man quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Springsteen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/a-time-comes-when-you-need-to-stop-waiting-for-the-man-you-want-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "He man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/a-time-comes-when-you-need-to-stop-waiting-for-the-man-you-want-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/bruce-springsteen-546_he-man_a-time-comes-when-you-need-to-stop-waiti_1773343.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/bruce-springsteen-546_he-man_a-time-comes-when-you-need-to-stop-waiti_1773343.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/bruce-springsteen-546_he-man_a-time-comes-when-you-need-to-stop-waiti_1773343.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want…” — Bruce Springsteen", "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": "Bruce Springsteen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A time comes when you need...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/a-time-comes-when-you-need-to-stop-waiting-for-the-man-you-want-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/a-time-comes-when-you-need-to-stop-waiting-for-the-man-you-want-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 } } ] } ```