--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Time is the cruelest force of all." description: "\"“Time is the cruelest force of all.”\" — Cixin Liu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d5/cixin-liu-54052_cruel_time-is-the-cruelest-force-of-all-156883_1568830.jpg" --- # Time is the cruelest force of all. ![“Time is the cruelest force of all.” quote by Cixin Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d5/cixin-liu-54052_cruel_time-is-the-cruelest-force-of-all-156883_1568830.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d5/cixin-liu-54052_cruel_time-is-the-cruelest-force-of-all-156883_1568830.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d5/cixin-liu-54052_cruel_time-is-the-cruelest-force-of-all-156883_1568830.jpg) > ““Time is the cruelest force of all.”” [Cixin Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cixin-liu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time inevitably erodes all things, making urgency essential. **In simple terms:** Time is relentless. Key Takeaway Act before opportunities fade. Themes time urgency impermanence Mood urgent contemplative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - project planning - career moves - personal goals Key Concepts Philosophy physics Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of time shape your priorities? - What actions can you take now? A Different Perspective Time pressure can cause rash decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Time is the cruelest teacher; first she gives the test, then teaches the lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-bernstein/time-is-the-cruelest-teacher-first-she-gives-the-test-then-teaches/) [Leonard Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-bernstein/) > [“Time is the cruelest of physicians, healing All wounds, but always slowly, looping A surgical needle through the mind’s flesh, experiencing Torment again over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-wetch/time-is-the-cruelest-of-physicians-healing-all-wounds-but-always/) [Justin Wetch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-wetch/) > [“She always made sure the bad was outweighed by so much good. I...well, I didn't do that for her. I made it fifty-fifty. Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-jenkins-reid/she-always-made-sure-the-bad-was-outweighed-by-so-much-good-i-well-i/) [Taylor Jenkins Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-jenkins-reid/) > [“The cruelest thing you can do to someone is force them to hurt alone”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/the-cruelest-thing-you-can-do-to-someone-is-force-them-to-hurt-alone/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [The cruelest thing a guy can do to a girl is to let her fall when he doesnt have an intention of catching her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-cruelest-thing-a-guy-can-do-to-a-girl-is-to-let-her-fall-when-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I like to hurt people too. I can make the cruelest choice. The difference is, sometimes I don't, and you always do, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-like-to-hurt-people-too-i-can-make-the-cruelest-choice-the/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“February is the cruelest month in western Oregon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-nedry/february-is-the-cruelest-month-in-western-oregon/) Judy Nedry > [“Fate is the cruelest of masters, taking Life when it pleases or at random, handing Rigged decks to whom it pleases, cheating All alike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-wetch/fate-is-the-cruelest-of-masters-taking-life-when-it-pleases-or-at/) [Justin Wetch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-wetch/) > [The grossest, the cruelest, the most selfish, the most easily pervertible and perverted thing in this world, is government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/the-grossest-the-cruelest-the-most-selfish-the-most-easily/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [One of the cruelest things you can do to another person is pretend you care about them more than you really do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/one-of-the-cruelest-things-you-can-do-to-another-person-is-pretend/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Tricking someone into grief is one of the cruelest tricks a person can play, and its been played on me twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/tricking-someone-into-grief-is-one-of-the-cruelest-tricks-a-person/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“That can be the cruelest part of happiness--its tendency to disguise itself as boredom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-helene-bertino/that-can-be-the-cruelest-part-of-happiness-its-tendency-to-disguise/) [Marie-Helene Bertino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-helene-bertino/) > [“So many mistakes. So many errors. So much tragedy as a result. In that moment I understood that the cruelest words in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/so-many-mistakes-so-many-errors-so-much-tragedy-as-a-result-in-that/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [It is a fact of big cities that one girl's darkest how is always another's moment of shining triumph, and New York is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-godbersen/it-is-a-fact-of-big-cities-that-one-girl-s-darkest-how-is-always/) [Anna Godbersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-godbersen/) > [Failing to differentiate among employees — and holding on to bottom-tier performers — is actually the cruelest form of management there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/failing-to-differentiate-among-employees-and-holding-on-to-bottom/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) ## More by Cixin Liu > [“That's right. Different people see things differently. The inhabitants of World III said it was a happy paradise - though I don't know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cixin-liu/that-s-right-different-people-see-things-differently-the-inhabitants/) [Cixin Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cixin-liu/) > [“Without money, the secrets of the universe are worth shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cixin-liu/without-money-the-secrets-of-the-universe-are-worth-shit/) [Cixin Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cixin-liu/) > [“There's a strange contradiction revealed by the naivete and kindness demonstrated by humanity when faced with the universe: On Earth, humankind can step onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cixin-liu/there-s-a-strange-contradiction-revealed-by-the-naivete-and-kindness/) [Cixin Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cixin-liu/) > [“The creation myths of the various peoples and religions of the world pale when compared to the glory of the big band. The three-billion-year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cixin-liu/the-creation-myths-of-the-various-peoples-and-religions-of-the-world/) [Cixin Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cixin-liu/) > [“She stared at her father's lifeless body, and the thoughts she could not voice dissolved into her blood, where they would stay with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cixin-liu/she-stared-at-her-father-s-lifeless-body-and-the-thoughts-she-could/) [Cixin Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cixin-liu/) [Explore all 6 Cixin Liu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cixin-liu/) ## More Cruel quotes > [“History has a cruel way of disappointing optimists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thompson/history-has-a-cruel-way-of-disappointing-optimists/) Keith Thompson > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“Don't be so cruel to me. Don't promise me anything. I've got everything that i need. I need love in a good way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tegan-quin/don-t-be-so-cruel-to-me-don-t-promise-me-anything-i-ve-got-everything/) [Tegan Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tegan-quin/) > [Pity is cruel. Pity destroys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/pity-is-cruel-pity-destroys/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Even the cruel feel pain. And even the cruel can change. I hope this changes him. He could do so much, if only he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/even-the-cruel-feel-pain-and-even-the-cruel-can-change-i-hope-this/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [You must learn that to endure cruelty is to become cruel yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bleach/you-must-learn-that-to-endure-cruelty-is-to-become-cruel-yourself/) [Bleach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bleach/) > [“my power is as cruel a joke as it can get? That’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-d-anderson/my-power-is-as-cruel-a-joke-as-it-can-get-that-s/) Katie D. Anderson > [I must be cruel only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-must-be-cruel-only-to-be-kind-thus-bad-begins-and-worse-remains/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Huamns, uregulated, are cruel and capricious; violet and selfish; miserable and quarrelsome. It is only after their instincts and basic emotions have been controlled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/huamns-uregulated-are-cruel-and-capricious-violet-and-selfish/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“You would think those who have endured unkindness would be kinder as a result, intent on sparing others the awful suffering they abhorred firsthand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/you-would-think-those-who-have-endured-unkindness-would-be-kinder-as/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [how cruel, your veins are full of ice-water and mine are boiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/how-cruel-your-veins-are-full-of-ice-water-and-mine-are-boiling/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [There is no kindness more cruel than the kindness which consigns another person to their sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-no-kindness-more-cruel-than-the-kindness-which-consigns/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Vanity can create a very cruel space for you if you don't know how to manage it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/vanity-can-create-a-very-cruel-space-for-you-if-you-don-t-know-how-to/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [Life is cruel and we do terrible things to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/life-is-cruel-and-we-do-terrible-things-to-each-other/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-people-loathe-the-most-is-to-be-orphaned-desolate-unworthy-but/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) Browse all 1,069 Cruel quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Time is the cruelest force of all.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cixin Liu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cixin-liu/time-is-the-cruelest-force-of-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cruel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cixin-liu/time-is-the-cruelest-force-of-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d5/cixin-liu-54052_cruel_time-is-the-cruelest-force-of-all-156883_1568830.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d5/cixin-liu-54052_cruel_time-is-the-cruelest-force-of-all-156883_1568830.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d5/cixin-liu-54052_cruel_time-is-the-cruelest-force-of-all-156883_1568830.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Time is the cruelest force of all.” — Cixin Liu", "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": "Cixin Liu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cixin-liu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Time is the cruelest force of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cixin-liu/time-is-the-cruelest-force-of-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cixin-liu/time-is-the-cruelest-force-of-all/#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 } } ] } ```