--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All time is mean young man. It takes and…" description: "\"“All time is mean young man. It takes and does not give, it rushes when you wish it would linger and drags when you wish is would fly. It flows sullenl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf1/catherynne-m-valente-375_clock_all-time-is-mean-young-man-it-takes-and_2781161.jpg" --- # All time is mean young man. It takes and does not give, it… ![“All time is mean young man. It takes and does not give, it rushes when you wish it would linger and drags when you wish is would fly. It flows sullenly, only in one direction, when it might take a thousand turns. You cannot get anything back once time has taken it. Time cheats and steals and lies…” quote by Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf1/catherynne-m-valente-375_clock_all-time-is-mean-young-man-it-takes-and_2781161.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf1/catherynne-m-valente-375_clock_all-time-is-mean-young-man-it-takes-and_2781161.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf1/catherynne-m-valente-375_clock_all-time-is-mean-young-man-it-takes-and_2781161.jpg) > ““All time is mean young man. It takes and does not give, it rushes when you wish it would linger and drags when you wish is would fly. It flows sullenly, only in one direction, when it might take a thousand turns. You cannot get anything back once time has taken it. Time cheats and steals and lies and kills. If anyone could arrest it, they would have time behind bars faster than you can check your watch.”” [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time is unpredictable, moving swiftly or slowly, never returning, and can feel deceptive and relentless. **In simple terms:** Time is fickle and irreversible. Key Takeaway Respect time’s flow. Themes time impermanence change inevitability philosophy Mood reflective poetic melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal planning - career milestones - grief processing - historical analysis Key Concepts Temporal theory existentialism psychology of time Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with time’s unpredictability? - What moments feel timeless to you? A Different Perspective Cannot control time’s pace. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“The planet turns. Time passes. We move forward even when we’re standing still.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/the-planet-turns-time-passes-we-move-forward-even-when-we-re-standing/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [It's almost like he has Dr. Who's Tardis because he always turns up on time. (on Teddy Sheringham)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-pardew/it-s-almost-like-he-has-dr-who-s-tardis-because-he-always-turns-up-on/) [Alan Pardew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-pardew/) > [Poetry is the plough that turns up time in such a way that the abyssal strata of time, its black earth, appear on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osip-mandelstam/poetry-is-the-plough-that-turns-up-time-in-such-a-way-that-the/) [Osip Mandelstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osip-mandelstam/) > [Everyone's light turns on at their own time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-young/everyone-s-light-turns-on-at-their-own-time/) Donald Young > [There is time for everything...& I mean everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russyb/there-is-time-for-everything-i-mean-everything/) Russyb > [“Our words are often only vague, inadequate descriptions of our thoughts. Something gets lost in translation every time we try to express our thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-gaspirtz/our-words-are-often-only-vague-inadequate-descriptions-of-our/) [Oliver Gaspirtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-gaspirtz/) > [I'm afraid of time. I mean, I'm afraid of not having enough time. Not enough time to understand people, how they really are, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-afraid-of-time-i-mean-i-m-afraid-of-not-having-enough-time-not-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What Time Is It? You Mean Now?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/what-time-is-it-you-mean-now/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [“It is said that kids have no use for the word 'then'. It is said that only 'now' and 'this minute' count with kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-said-that-kids-have-no-use-for-the-word-then-it-is-said-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every minute counts. Being on time or not can mean the difference of a win or a loss and even of something positive or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-wawrinka/every-minute-counts-being-on-time-or-not-can-mean-the-difference-of-a/) [Stan Wawrinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-wawrinka/) > [“Almost late and right on time would seem to mean the same thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-robert-cargill/almost-late-and-right-on-time-would-seem-to-mean-the-same-thing/) [C. Robert Cargill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-robert-cargill/) > [When people say " I just don't have enough time " they mean " I prioritized something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/when-people-say-i-just-don-t-have-enough-time-they-mean-i-prioritized/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [I Swear This Time I Mean It.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayday-parade/i-swear-this-time-i-mean-it/) Mayday Parade > [Baseball player: "What time is it?" "You mean now?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/baseball-player-what-time-is-it-you-mean-now/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Hey Yog, what time is it? You mean right now?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/hey-yog-what-time-is-it-you-mean-right-now/) [Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/) ## More by Catherynne M. Valente > [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [We all just keep moving, September. We keep moving until we stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/we-all-just-keep-moving-september-we-keep-moving-until-we-stop/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“You couldn't ever really fix a sad story. You could only make another. And another. And another, until you found the right one at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/you-couldn-t-ever-really-fix-a-sad-story-you-could-only-make-another/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“He considers it for a moment and spits out the seeds, which sprout, quickly, into tiny junkblossoms sizzling with recursive algorithms. The algorithms wriggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/he-considers-it-for-a-moment-and-spits-out-the-seeds-which-sprout/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“Truly, Mallow yearned to know everything. Curiosity was part of her, like her short blond hair and bitten fingernails.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/truly-mallow-yearned-to-know-everything-curiosity-was-part-of-her/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“The cicada lies in the earth for seventeen years. It is warm and dark there, it is soft and wet. 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She’d only just gotten it, and she’d promised to take copious notes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/september-put-her-hand-on-the-grip-of-the-rivet-gun-she-d-only-just/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Just tell yourself a story that'll satisfy you and pretend he told it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/just-tell-yourself-a-story-that-ll-satisfy-you-and-pretend-he-told-it/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“You see, the future is a kind of stew, a soup, a vichyssoise of the present and the past. That's how you get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/you-see-the-future-is-a-kind-of-stew-a-soup-a-vichyssoise-of-the/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Fairy tales have always been about getting through the worst of everything, the darkest and the deepest and the bloodiest of events. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/fairy-tales-have-always-been-about-getting-through-the-worst-of/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“There is a place, September, oh, very far from Pandemonium. A place where it is always autumn, where there is always cider and pumpkin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/there-is-a-place-september-oh-very-far-from-pandemonium-a-place-where/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“I was happy, the sun was high. I had enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/i-was-happy-the-sun-was-high-i-had-enough/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Who are you?" "I am Death," said the creature. "I thought that was obvious." "But you're so small!" "Only because you are small. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/who-are-you-i-am-death-said-the-creature-i-thought-that-was-obvious/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) [Explore all 621 Catherynne M. Valente quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) ## More Clock quotes > [Even Einstein had to rely for his time on his clock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/even-einstein-had-to-rely-for-his-time-on-his-clock/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) > [“Time was never neutral and often felt dangerous. We either think we have all the time in the world or time moves too fast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-reay/time-was-never-neutral-and-often-felt-dangerous-we-either-think-we/) [Katherine Reay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-reay/) > [Before a clock was in the tower, Or e'er a watch was worn; I knew of night the passing hour, And prophesied the morn;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/before-a-clock-was-in-the-tower-or-e-er-a-watch-was-worn-i-knew-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) > [“Time is, to put it in its most impressive and some might say poncy-sounding form, my domain. I can see things that once happened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-rayner/time-is-to-put-it-in-its-most-impressive-and-some-might-say-poncy/) [Jacqueline Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-rayner/) > [Time travel offends our sense of cause and effect - but maybe the universe doesn't insist on cause and effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/time-travel-offends-our-sense-of-cause-and-effect-but-maybe-the/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [Time.The greatest creator, and the worst destroyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levi-keely/time-the-greatest-creator-and-the-worst-destroyer/) Levi Keely > [Steven Spielberg seems to have wanted to be a director from 13. He put his dog in a certain position and made him eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/steven-spielberg-seems-to-have-wanted-to-be-a-director-from-13-he-put/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [No life goes past so swiftly as an eventless one, no clock spins like a clock whose days are all alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/no-life-goes-past-so-swiftly-as-an-eventless-one-no-clock-spins-like/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Those who stop marketing to save money are like those who stop a clock to save time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/those-who-stop-marketing-to-save-money-are-like-those-who-stop-a/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [Time is the nervous system of narration, whether factual or fictive. If it gets confused some of the minutiae of human nature are certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/time-is-the-nervous-system-of-narration-whether-factual-or-fictive-if/) [Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/) > [I don't know if it's just me or everyone, but the whole vibe with skiing is not so much thriving on competition against others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/picabo-street/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-just-me-or-everyone-but-the-whole-vibe-with/) [Picabo Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/picabo-street/) > [Time goes on, even when yer not looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/time-goes-on-even-when-yer-not-looking/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) [Browse all 2,738 Clock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“All time is mean young man. It takes and does not give, it rushes when you wish it would linger and drags when you wish is would fly. It flows sullenly, only in one direction, when it might take a thousand turns. You cannot get anything back once time has taken it. Time cheats and steals and lies and kills. If anyone could arrest it, they would have time behind bars faster than you can check your watch.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Catherynne M. 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