--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I figured I had seconds, maybe minutes to…" description: "\"I figured I had seconds, maybe minutes to live.\" — Curtis Sliwa" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/curtis-sliwa-30198_figured_i-figured-i-had-seconds-maybe-minutes-to_379825.jpg" --- # I figured I had seconds, maybe minutes to live. ![“I figured I had seconds, maybe minutes to live.” quote by Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/curtis-sliwa-30198_figured_i-figured-i-had-seconds-maybe-minutes-to_379825.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/curtis-sliwa-30198_figured_i-figured-i-had-seconds-maybe-minutes-to_379825.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/curtis-sliwa-30198_figured_i-figured-i-had-seconds-maybe-minutes-to_379825.jpg) > “I figured I had seconds, maybe minutes to live.” [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels time is running out, creating urgency and heightened awareness of mortality. **In simple terms:** He perceives his remaining time as very short. Key Takeaway Act decisively while you can. Themes mortality urgency awareness Mood urgent introspective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - personal health decisions - career planning - legacy projects Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What would you prioritize if time were limited? - How does urgency affect decision‑making? A Different Perspective Urgency can lead to panic rather than thoughtful action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Figured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figured/) [Figured Seconds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figured-seconds-3447298/) [Maybe Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-minutes-3447299/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Seconds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seconds/) [Seconds Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seconds-maybe-3040243/) ## Related quotes > [“I figured I only had about two seconds to live. It’s amazing how many thoughts you can have in two seconds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-katt/i-figured-i-only-had-about-two-seconds-to-live-it-s-amazing-how-many/) [Dinah Katt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-katt/) > [If you could just get off of my mind for 10 seconds...Maybe I could fall asleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-could-just-get-off-of-my-mind-for-10-seconds-maybe-i-could/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Time I have only just a minute. Only sixty seconds in it. Forced upon me, can't refuse it. Didn't seek it, didn't choose it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-warren/time-i-have-only-just-a-minute-only-sixty-seconds-in-it-forced-upon/) [Christine Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-warren/) > [With 'Philharmonics,' I had to do a lot of interviews, and it was like I was corrupting something. In many ways, I've said everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-obel/with-philharmonics-i-had-to-do-a-lot-of-interviews-and-it-was-like-i/) [Agnes Obel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-obel/) > [A few months into my research, General Petraeus, who was then leading Central Command, invited me to go for a run with him and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/a-few-months-into-my-research-general-petraeus-who-was-then-leading/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [I work very closely with my publisher and just give them tons and tons of music, and then they link that with different songwriters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sitek/i-work-very-closely-with-my-publisher-and-just-give-them-tons-and/) [Dave Sitek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sitek/) > [Well, we promised our fans that we'd put out records faster, and that's what we're doing. We figured out a way to condense our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/well-we-promised-our-fans-that-we-d-put-out-records-faster-and-that-s/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [I grew up watching 'Star Trek.' I love 'Star Trek.' 'Star Trek' made me want to see alien creatures, creatures from a far-distant world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/i-grew-up-watching-star-trek-i-love-star-trek-star-trek-made-me-want/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [We'd been noticing how much more important the internet had become - once information is out there in the world now, anyone can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/we-d-been-noticing-how-much-more-important-the-internet-had-become/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [I was a manual labourer. I figured out really early on that the value of my life could be determined by my hourly rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-was-a-manual-labourer-i-figured-out-really-early-on-that-the-value/) [Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/) > [Even as a kid, I was a businessman. I figured out that if you plucked all the berries off my neighbor's tree and smashed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/even-as-a-kid-i-was-a-businessman-i-figured-out-that-if-you-plucked/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [No one was like, 'Here's how you swing.' It was just like, 'Let's go hit and figure it out along the way.' I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-yelich/no-one-was-like-here-s-how-you-swing-it-was-just-like-let-s-go-hit/) [Christian Yelich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-yelich/) > [I figured my wife was about to start law school. If that whole baseball pitching thing didn't work out, I had something to fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hudson/i-figured-my-wife-was-about-to-start-law-school-if-that-whole/) [Tim Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hudson/) > [When I heard that the bees were in trouble, the fact that they're disappearing and not coming back to the hive, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-schwartzberg/when-i-heard-that-the-bees-were-in-trouble-the-fact-that-they-re/) [Louie Schwartzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-schwartzberg/) > [Think you figured it out, but you don't have a clue. Think you on top of the world, but the world on top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-jeezy/think-you-figured-it-out-but-you-don-t-have-a-clue-think-you-on-top/) [Young Jeezy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-jeezy/) ## More by Curtis Sliwa > [I've buried six Guardian Angels who have been shot and killed in the line of duty. I was stalked myself, had a gunman go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/i-ve-buried-six-guardian-angels-who-have-been-shot-and-killed-in-the/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [I don't think of myself as being invincible anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-being-invincible-anymore/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [For every good person that comes from Brooklyn or the Bronx, there are some bad people who bring their more criminal-intensive ways to small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/for-every-good-person-that-comes-from-brooklyn-or-the-bronx-there-are/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [Hey, I was lucky twice. I know it's three strikes and you're out. I don't think of myself as being invincible anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/hey-i-was-lucky-twice-i-know-it-s-three-strikes-and-you-re-out-i-don/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [It's a disgrace to see my church giving Holy Communion to a man who helped lead a reign of terror. What is the message?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/it-s-a-disgrace-to-see-my-church-giving-holy-communion-to-a-man-who/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [If you do nothing, that just empowers the gangs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/if-you-do-nothing-that-just-empowers-the-gangs/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [What we do best is we target the young men and women who are on the fringe. They could go either way. Maybe they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/what-we-do-best-is-we-target-the-young-men-and-women-who-are-on-the/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [A rotten apple in the Guardian Angels stigmatizes us all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/a-rotten-apple-in-the-guardian-angels-stigmatizes-us-all-over-the/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [Block Watch, Crime Watch, we have hundreds of thousands of Americans, every day and night, risking their lives, going out for no pay as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/block-watch-crime-watch-we-have-hundreds-of-thousands-of-americans/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [I'm a fast healer. I was on the air a week after I got shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/i-m-a-fast-healer-i-was-on-the-air-a-week-after-i-got-shot/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [My wife disagrees with 100 percent of what I say. That's the same marriage I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/my-wife-disagrees-with-100-percent-of-what-i-say-that-s-the-same/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [I'm never in one place. I also have to be careful at public events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/i-m-never-in-one-place-i-also-have-to-be-careful-at-public-events/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [I have the ability to see results six months later and there's no better feeling. We impact on thousands of people in the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/i-have-the-ability-to-see-results-six-months-later-and-there-s-no/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [No one tells me what they think because they're either intimidated by me, or they don't want to upset me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/no-one-tells-me-what-they-think-because-they-re-either-intimidated-by/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [I've been waiting 13 years for justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/i-ve-been-waiting-13-years-for-justice/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) [Explore all 17 Curtis Sliwa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) ## More Figured quotes > [Think you figured it out, but you don't have a clue. Think you on top of the world, but the world on top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-jeezy/think-you-figured-it-out-but-you-don-t-have-a-clue-think-you-on-top/) [Young Jeezy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-jeezy/) > [When I heard that the bees were in trouble, the fact that they're disappearing and not coming back to the hive, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-schwartzberg/when-i-heard-that-the-bees-were-in-trouble-the-fact-that-they-re/) [Louie Schwartzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-schwartzberg/) > [I figured my wife was about to start law school. If that whole baseball pitching thing didn't work out, I had something to fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hudson/i-figured-my-wife-was-about-to-start-law-school-if-that-whole/) [Tim Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hudson/) > [No one was like, 'Here's how you swing.' It was just like, 'Let's go hit and figure it out along the way.' I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-yelich/no-one-was-like-here-s-how-you-swing-it-was-just-like-let-s-go-hit/) [Christian Yelich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-yelich/) > [Even as a kid, I was a businessman. I figured out that if you plucked all the berries off my neighbor's tree and smashed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/even-as-a-kid-i-was-a-businessman-i-figured-out-that-if-you-plucked/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [I was a manual labourer. I figured out really early on that the value of my life could be determined by my hourly rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-was-a-manual-labourer-i-figured-out-really-early-on-that-the-value/) [Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/) > [We'd been noticing how much more important the internet had become - once information is out there in the world now, anyone can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/we-d-been-noticing-how-much-more-important-the-internet-had-become/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [I grew up watching 'Star Trek.' I love 'Star Trek.' 'Star Trek' made me want to see alien creatures, creatures from a far-distant world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/i-grew-up-watching-star-trek-i-love-star-trek-star-trek-made-me-want/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [Well, we promised our fans that we'd put out records faster, and that's what we're doing. We figured out a way to condense our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/well-we-promised-our-fans-that-we-d-put-out-records-faster-and-that-s/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [I work very closely with my publisher and just give them tons and tons of music, and then they link that with different songwriters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sitek/i-work-very-closely-with-my-publisher-and-just-give-them-tons-and/) [Dave Sitek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sitek/) > [A few months into my research, General Petraeus, who was then leading Central Command, invited me to go for a run with him and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/a-few-months-into-my-research-general-petraeus-who-was-then-leading/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [With 'Philharmonics,' I had to do a lot of interviews, and it was like I was corrupting something. In many ways, I've said everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-obel/with-philharmonics-i-had-to-do-a-lot-of-interviews-and-it-was-like-i/) [Agnes Obel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-obel/) > [I did this thing with Trisha Yearwood, a song called 'The Price.' I had been sitting on it for a while, because I figured,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-seger/i-did-this-thing-with-trisha-yearwood-a-song-called-the-price-i-had/) [Bob Seger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-seger/) > [Before babies, I worked very hard to make sure I understood my surroundings and figured out where I fit in the world, whether it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/before-babies-i-worked-very-hard-to-make-sure-i-understood-my/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [“Every time i think i 've got you figured out, Noah, you surprise me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/every-time-i-think-i-ve-got-you-figured-out-noah-you-surprise-me/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) [Browse all 243 Figured quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figured/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I figured I had seconds, maybe minutes to live.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Curtis Sliwa" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/i-figured-i-had-seconds-maybe-minutes-to-live/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Figured" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/i-figured-i-had-seconds-maybe-minutes-to-live/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/curtis-sliwa-30198_figured_i-figured-i-had-seconds-maybe-minutes-to_379825.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/curtis-sliwa-30198_figured_i-figured-i-had-seconds-maybe-minutes-to_379825.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/curtis-sliwa-30198_figured_i-figured-i-had-seconds-maybe-minutes-to_379825.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I figured I had seconds, maybe minutes to live.” — Curtis Sliwa", "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": "Curtis Sliwa", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I figured I had seconds, maybe...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/i-figured-i-had-seconds-maybe-minutes-to-live/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/i-figured-i-had-seconds-maybe-minutes-to-live/#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 } } ] } ```