--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am saying that there is a time to do…" description: "\"“I am saying that there is a time to do, and a time not to do, and that when we are slave to the habit of doing we are unable to distinguish between th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/charles-eisenstein-6748_activism_i-am-saying-that-there-is-a-time-to-do-a_1653285.jpg" --- # I am saying that there is a time to do, and a time not to… ![“I am saying that there is a time to do, and a time not to do, and that when we are slave to the habit of doing we are unable to distinguish between them.” quote by Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/charles-eisenstein-6748_activism_i-am-saying-that-there-is-a-time-to-do-a_1653285.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/charles-eisenstein-6748_activism_i-am-saying-that-there-is-a-time-to-do-a_1653285.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/charles-eisenstein-6748_activism_i-am-saying-that-there-is-a-time-to-do-a_1653285.jpg) > ““I am saying that there is a time to do, and a time not to do, and that when we are slave to the habit of doing we are unable to distinguish between them.”” [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. There are appropriate times for action and inaction; being habitually busy blinds us to discernment. **In simple terms:** Balance doing and not doing; avoid habit‑driven actions. Key Takeaway Pause to assess before acting. Themes balance mindfulness decision‑making Mood contemplative calm Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - workplace - personal life - creative projects Key Concepts philosophy behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - When is it wiser to wait? - How do you break the habit of constant doing? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on activity can lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Sacred-teachings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred-teachings/) [Sacred-wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred-wisdom/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Quotes and notes to self- Divine and Unique Power Find out what my Individual Divine and Unique Power IS and offer it outwards in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-rufus/quotes-and-notes-to-self-divine-and-unique-power-find-out-what-my/) [Allan Rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-rufus/) > [“Note and Quote to Self – What you think, say and do! Your life mainly consists of 3 things! What you think, What you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-rufus/note-and-quote-to-self-what-you-think-say-and-do-your-life-mainly/) [allan rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-rufus/) > [“I wish you all an ego free driven day!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-rufus/i-wish-you-all-an-ego-free-driven-day/) [Allan Rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-rufus/) > [“Quotes and notes to self – Find your inner peace! Don’t be caught up in your outer world. Pay greater attention to your inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-rufus/quotes-and-notes-to-self-find-your-inner-peace-don-t-be-caught-up-in/) [Allan Rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-rufus/) > [“Enlightenment is the Goal - Love is the Game - Taking steps are the rules! - Allan Rufus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-rufus/enlightenment-is-the-goal-love-is-the-game-taking-steps-are-the-rules-2/) [Allan Rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-rufus/) > [“NOTE TO SELF – BOOMERANG EFFECT My words, thoughts and deeds have a boomerang effect. So be-careful what you send out!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-rufus/note-to-self-boomerang-effect-my-words-thoughts-and-deeds-have-a/) [Allan Rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-rufus/) > [“Life is like a sandwich! Birth as one slice, and death as the other. What you put in-between the slices is up to you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-rufus/life-is-like-a-sandwich-birth-as-one-slice-and-death-as-the-other/) [Allan Rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-rufus/) > [“The most incredible architecture Is the architecture of Self, which is ever changing, evolving, revolving and has unlimited beauty and light inside which radiates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-rufus/the-most-incredible-architecture-is-the-architecture-of-self-which-is/) [Allan Rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-rufus/) > [“and continuing happily onward through this sacred forever sky”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-lewis/and-continuing-happily-onward-through-this-sacred-forever-sky/) [Leland Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-lewis/) > [“Do what you are afraid of doing and you will get everyone unable to believe his or her senses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/do-what-you-are-afraid-of-doing-and-you-will-get-everyone-unable-to/) Anyaele Sam Chiyson > [{\_Anyones slave are not habits, Absolutely the man becomes must slave of habit \_}](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/anyones-slave-are-not-habits-absolutely-the-man-becomes-must-slave-of/) Mak\_786 > [ “Augustine reflects that “what made me a slave to it was the habit \[consuetudo\] of satisfying an insatiable lust.”31” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/augustine-reflects-that-what-made-me-a-slave-to-it-was-the-habit/) [Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/) > [If I must be a slave to habit let me be a slave to good habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/if-i-must-be-a-slave-to-habit-let-me-be-a-slave-to-good-habits/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [“Since ancient times, sacred texts from around the world foretold about a time period in human history when a mighty demi-god would appear on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-of-kittim/since-ancient-times-sacred-texts-from-around-the-world-foretold-about/) [Eli Of Kittim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-of-kittim/) > [Even I don't know what I'm saying most of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/even-i-don-t-know-what-i-m-saying-most-of-the-time/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) ## More by Charles Eisenstein > [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [More than a mere alternative strategy, regenerative agriculture represents a fundamental shift in our culture’s relationship to nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/more-than-a-mere-alternative-strategy-regenerative-agriculture/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [Real change doesn't come without crisis. Childbirth doesn't come without crisis. I think that's happening with humanity now. Our growth has generated multiple crises...and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/real-change-doesn-t-come-without-crisis-childbirth-doesn-t-come/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [We sense that ‘normal’ isn’t coming back, that we are being born into a new normal: a new kind of society, a new relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/we-sense-that-normal-isn-t-coming-back-that-we-are-being-born-into-a/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [So much of our politics is stuck in patterns of response that aren't working. When student performance is declining in schools, we implement more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/so-much-of-our-politics-is-stuck-in-patterns-of-response-that-aren-t/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [I'll start with where we are right now. The map that I'll use is this birthing process, this kind of profound transition that we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/i-ll-start-with-where-we-are-right-now-the-map-that-i-ll-use-is-this/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [An economist says that essentially more for you is less for me, but the lover knows that more for you is more for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/an-economist-says-that-essentially-more-for-you-is-less-for-me-but/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [Joint consumption doesn’t create intimacy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/joint-consumption-doesn-t-create-intimacy/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You could conceive spirituality as the study of the immeasurable, of the qualitative. But that's very different from the way we typically use the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/you-could-conceive-spirituality-as-the-study-of-the-immeasurable-of/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [“We have bigger houses but smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; We have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/we-have-bigger-houses-but-smaller-families-more-conveniences-but-less/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [The holistic acupuncturist and the sea turtle rescuer may not be able to explain the feeling, 'We are serving the same thing,' but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-holistic-acupuncturist-and-the-sea-turtle-rescuer-may-not-be-able/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [“Perhaps the deepest indication of our slavery is the monetization of time. It is a phenomenon with roots deeper than our money system, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/perhaps-the-deepest-indication-of-our-slavery-is-the-monetization-of/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [True discipline is really just self-remembering; no forcing or fighting is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/true-discipline-is-really-just-self-remembering-no-forcing-or/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You can't have community as an add-on to a monetized life. You have to actually need each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/you-can-t-have-community-as-an-add-on-to-a-monetized-life-you-have-to/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) [Explore all 97 Charles Eisenstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) ## More Activism quotes > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“All struggles against oppression in the modern woeld begin by redefining what had previously been consideered private, non-public and non-political issues as matters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyla-benhabib/all-struggles-against-oppression-in-the-modern-woeld-begin-by/) Seyla Benhabib > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Paul Revere earned his living as a silversmith. But what do we remember him for? His volunteer work. All activism is volunteering in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-j-ellis/paul-revere-earned-his-living-as-a-silversmith-but-what-do-we/) Susan J. Ellis > [Being in service and being involved in something that is greater than you is what makes a person complete and whole. The very first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/being-in-service-and-being-involved-in-something-that-is-greater-than/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [“The times do not call for grassroots political activism, as if the next election might be enough to reverse a massive cultural earthquake. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-d-miller/the-times-do-not-call-for-grassroots-political-activism-as-if-the/) Paul D. Miller > [He went to Paris looking for answers to questions that bothered him so. He was impressive, young and aggressive, saving the world on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/he-went-to-paris-looking-for-answers-to-questions-that-bothered-him/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [Poetry is a lousy form of activism; it doesn't really change much. And maybe we can point to one or two historical times when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/poetry-is-a-lousy-form-of-activism-it-doesn-t-really-change-much-and/) [Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/) > [There's a lot of activism that doesn't deal with empowerment, and you have to empower yourself in order to be relevant to any type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/there-s-a-lot-of-activism-that-doesn-t-deal-with-empowerment-and-you/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [“Until you find a cause you can die for, you are not worthy to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/until-you-find-a-cause-you-can-die-for-you-are-not-worthy-to-live/) [Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/) > [Ya'll know what you need to do? Get together, make a We Are The World record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/ya-ll-know-what-you-need-to-do-get-together-make-a-we-are-the-world/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) > [“There is no way to tell if we are the pioneers of a visionary new age, whisking humanity into the high vibrations of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-talat-phillips/there-is-no-way-to-tell-if-we-are-the-pioneers-of-a-visionary-new-age/) [Jonathan Talat Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-talat-phillips/) > [Terence McKenna says, "The culture is not your friend." I am not sure we can change this culture. But I think we can rise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/terence-mckenna-says-the-culture-is-not-your-friend-i-am-not-sure-we/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [“A spirituality that is only private and self-absorbed, one devoid of an authentic political and social consciousness, does little to halt the suicidal juggernaut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-harvey/a-spirituality-that-is-only-private-and-self-absorbed-one-devoid-of/) [Andrew Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-harvey/) [Browse all 820 Activism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I am saying that there is a time to do, and a time not to do, and that when we are slave to the habit of doing we are unable to distinguish between them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Eisenstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/i-am-saying-that-there-is-a-time-to-do-and-a-time-not-to-do-and-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Activism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/i-am-saying-that-there-is-a-time-to-do-and-a-time-not-to-do-and-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/charles-eisenstein-6748_activism_i-am-saying-that-there-is-a-time-to-do-a_1653285.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/charles-eisenstein-6748_activism_i-am-saying-that-there-is-a-time-to-do-a_1653285.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/charles-eisenstein-6748_activism_i-am-saying-that-there-is-a-time-to-do-a_1653285.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am saying that there is a time to do, and a time not to do, and that when we are slave to the habit of…” — Charles Eisenstein", "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": "Charles Eisenstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I am saying that there is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/i-am-saying-that-there-is-a-time-to-do-and-a-time-not-to-do-and-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/i-am-saying-that-there-is-a-time-to-do-and-a-time-not-to-do-and-that/#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 } } ] } ```