---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The time flies. The time flies feed on…"
description: "\"The time flies. The time flies feed on rotting clocks.\" — Craig Clevenger"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/craig-clevenger-26929_clock_the-time-flies-the-time-flies-feed-on-ro_2751502.png"
---

#  The time flies. The time flies feed on rotting clocks.

![“The time flies. The time flies feed on rotting clocks.” quote by Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/craig-clevenger-26929_clock_the-time-flies-the-time-flies-feed-on-ro_2751502.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/craig-clevenger-26929_clock_the-time-flies-the-time-flies-feed-on-ro_2751502.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/craig-clevenger-26929_clock_the-time-flies-the-time-flies-feed-on-ro_2751502.png)

> “The time flies. The time flies feed on rotting clocks.”

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Time passes quickly, feeding on decayed moments, suggesting a haunting, relentless progression.

**In simple terms:** Time flies and feeds on old, rotting moments.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the erosion of time.

Themes

time mortality decay

Mood

melancholic thoughtful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- personal contemplation

Key Concepts

existential reflection philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you preserve moments?
- What does “rotting clocks” symbolize for you?

A Different Perspective

Time’s decay may feel oppressive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Clocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clocks/) [Flies Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flies-time-3103430/) [Rotting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rotting/) [Rotting Clocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rotting-clocks-3103429/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time flies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-flies/)

## Related quotes

> [Time flies. Time flies faster every year. Time flies whether you're having fun or not, whether you're living your life big or small, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-cook/time-flies-time-flies-faster-every-year-time-flies-whether-you-re/)

[Claire Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-cook/)

> [“The schoolroom clock was worn raw by stares; and you couldn't look up at the big Puritanical face of it and not feel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-wodicka/the-schoolroom-clock-was-worn-raw-by-stares-and-you-couldn-t-look-up/)

[Tod Wodicka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-wodicka/)

> [How loud clocks can tick when a room is empty, and one is alone!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lowell/how-loud-clocks-can-tick-when-a-room-is-empty-and-one-is-alone/)

[Amy Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lowell/)

> [ In comparing these two writers, he \[Samuel Johnson\] used this expression: "that there was as great a difference between them as between a man… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/in-comparing-these-two-writers-he-samuel-johnson-used-this-expression/)

[James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/)

> [I never wore a watch. I always depend on public clocks, and stores have clocks, but that is strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/i-never-wore-a-watch-i-always-depend-on-public-clocks-and-stores-have/)

[Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/)

> [Laws and institutions, like clocks, must occasionally be cleaned, wound up, and set to true time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/laws-and-institutions-like-clocks-must-occasionally-be-cleaned-wound/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [The steward, according to custom, had stopped all the clocks. This, in the language of Narouz, said "Your stay with us is so brief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-steward-according-to-custom-had-stopped-all-the-clocks-this-in/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [In this world, there are two times. There is mechanical time and there is body time." "They do not keep clocks in their houses.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-this-world-there-are-two-times-there-is-mechanical-time-and-there/)

[Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/)

> [“Do days exist without calendars? Does time pass when there are no human hands left to wind the clocks?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-koch/do-days-exist-without-calendars-does-time-pass-when-there-are-no/)

[Howard Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-koch/)

> [Time flies and draws us with it. The moment in which I am speaking is already far from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-boileau-despreaux/time-flies-and-draws-us-with-it-the-moment-in-which-i-am-speaking-is/)

[Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-boileau-despreaux/)

> [Time meanwhile is flying, flying beyond recall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/time-meanwhile-is-flying-flying-beyond-recall/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [They say time flies, but you keep breaking it’s wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tablo/they-say-time-flies-but-you-keep-breaking-it-s-wings/)

[Tablo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tablo/)

> [“horas volat (time flies)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constantijn-huygens/horas-volat-time-flies/)

[Constantijn Huygens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constantijn-huygens/)

> [Time flies like an arrow, and fruit flies like a banana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-straub/time-flies-like-an-arrow-and-fruit-flies-like-a-banana/)

[Alec Straub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-straub/)

> [“Time flies when you grow fangs and fur.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianna-hardy/time-flies-when-you-grow-fangs-and-fur/)

[Dianna Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianna-hardy/)

## More by Craig Clevenger

> [A person’s life story is equal to what they have plus what they want most in the world, minus what they’re actually willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/a-person-s-life-story-is-equal-to-what-they-have-plus-what-they-want/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [“Candle is an X-ray, it's a matter of wavelength.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/candle-is-an-x-ray-it-s-a-matter-of-wavelength/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [“...what they show tells you what they want to hide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/what-they-show-tells-you-what-they-want-to-hide/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [“I bought a piece of God, ground to dust and mixed with alcohol in a glass bottle the colour of molasses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/i-bought-a-piece-of-god-ground-to-dust-and-mixed-with-alcohol-in-a/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [“I do know that I fell in love with the moment of falling in love and I wanted to keep that moment alive forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/i-do-know-that-i-fell-in-love-with-the-moment-of-falling-in-love-and/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [I learned to pick up each piece, one at a time, from my pile of potential matches and try to fit it from any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/i-learned-to-pick-up-each-piece-one-at-a-time-from-my-pile-of/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [Everything in the universe is everything else. A man is a killer is a saint is a monkey is a cockroach is a goldfish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/everything-in-the-universe-is-everything-else-a-man-is-a-killer-is-a/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [“If no God, there must at least be a pattern-making demiurge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/if-no-god-there-must-at-least-be-a-pattern-making-demiurge/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [“I love you, I said, but not out loud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/i-love-you-i-said-but-not-out-loud/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [“Everyone is the Umbrella Man and he is everyone. Every cough, sneeze, smile and wave means both everything and nothing. The signals are everywhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/everyone-is-the-umbrella-man-and-he-is-everyone-every-cough-sneeze/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [It's taken me years of practice to learn how to act natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/it-s-taken-me-years-of-practice-to-learn-how-to-act-natural/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [“If I'm still conscious to face the consequences of my actions, then at the very least I will know that my actions were real,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/if-i-m-still-conscious-to-face-the-consequences-of-my-actions-then-at/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [When you’re in love, your brain secretes endorphins into your blood. Organic morphine leaks out of a gland in your skull, feels like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/when-you-re-in-love-your-brain-secretes-endorphins-into-your-blood/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [The combination to be on guard for is young and bored, or young and resentful. You can spot them at social gatherings, the grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/the-combination-to-be-on-guard-for-is-young-and-bored-or-young-and/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

> [Imagine the one god himself has reversed his clock and reversed your regrets. Imagine knowing the bone-deep truth that whatever impossibility would make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/imagine-the-one-god-himself-has-reversed-his-clock-and-reversed-your/)

[Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

[Explore all 21 Craig Clevenger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "The time flies. The time flies feed on rotting clocks.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Craig Clevenger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/the-time-flies-the-time-flies-feed-on-rotting-clocks/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Clock"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/the-time-flies-the-time-flies-feed-on-rotting-clocks/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/craig-clevenger-26929_clock_the-time-flies-the-time-flies-feed-on-ro_2751502.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/craig-clevenger-26929_clock_the-time-flies-the-time-flies-feed-on-ro_2751502.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/craig-clevenger-26929_clock_the-time-flies-the-time-flies-feed-on-ro_2751502.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The time flies. The time flies feed on rotting clocks.” — Craig Clevenger",
                "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": "Craig Clevenger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The time flies. The time flies...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/the-time-flies-the-time-flies-feed-on-rotting-clocks/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/the-time-flies-the-time-flies-feed-on-rotting-clocks/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
