--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Time is that quality of nature that keeps…" description: "\"“Time is that quality of nature that keeps events from happening all at once. Lately it doesn’t seem to be working.”\" — David Allen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b33/david-allen-2835_clock_time-is-that-quality-of-nature-that-keep_1993183.png" --- # Time is that quality of nature that keeps events from… ![“Time is that quality of nature that keeps events from happening all at once. Lately it doesn’t seem to be working.” quote by David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b33/david-allen-2835_clock_time-is-that-quality-of-nature-that-keep_1993183.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b33/david-allen-2835_clock_time-is-that-quality-of-nature-that-keep_1993183.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b33/david-allen-2835_clock_time-is-that-quality-of-nature-that-keep_1993183.png) > ““Time is that quality of nature that keeps events from happening all at once. Lately it doesn’t seem to be working.”” [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time separates events, preventing them from occurring simultaneously; currently it feels chaotic. **In simple terms:** Time spaces events, but feels broken now. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage time's flow. Themes time management productivity chaos Mood reflective concerned Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - project planning - daily scheduling - stress reduction Key Concepts temporal perception efficiency Questions to Reflect On - How do you experience time under pressure? - What habits restore a sense of temporal order? A Different Perspective Time's quality is subjective and can be distorted by overload. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [What has been happening more lately - of course, I also put in my bio, I say I do the voice of Goliath, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-david/what-has-been-happening-more-lately-of-course-i-also-put-in-my-bio-i/) [Keith David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-david/) > [I was 21 when my dad passed away and I always think about it, as the time together we had was quality not quantity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-rose/i-was-21-when-my-dad-passed-away-and-i-always-think-about-it-as-the/) [Justin Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-rose/) > [“A necessary ingredient of a connected relationship is time-quality time and quantity time, and both in abundance. 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I'm in the studio all the time and I've helped to produce a couple of artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-sheik/lately-i-ve-been-a-workaholic-i-m-in-the-studio-all-the-time-and-i-ve/) [Duncan Sheik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-sheik/) > [Some have greatness thrust upon them, but not lately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-dane/some-have-greatness-thrust-upon-them-but-not-lately/) [Frank Dane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-dane/) > [Writing is getting killed by too many chefs. Back in the Bogart days, it started with great scripts. You had a writer, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/writing-is-getting-killed-by-too-many-chefs-back-in-the-bogart-days/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [Lately you are brooding too much about rights. Give up this dangerous habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/lately-you-are-brooding-too-much-about-rights-give-up-this-dangerous/) [Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/) ## More by David Allen > [“Klara Sztucinski, and Elliott Kellman. 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When enough of the right action steps have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/you-don-t-actually-do-a-project-you-can-only-do-action-steps-related/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [You won't see how to do it until you see yourself doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/you-won-t-see-how-to-do-it-until-you-see-yourself-doing-it/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [“It’s the nature of human experience, which is always in some form of motion, to veer off course—sometimes in major, but consistently in minor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/it-s-the-nature-of-human-experience-which-is-always-in-some-form-of/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [“The real challenge is to make good communication a handy and well-used tool. 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Frankly, as soon add you have two things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/everything-you-ve-told-yourself-you-ought-to-do-your-mind-thinks-you/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [“We need ways to validate and support our thinking, no matter how informal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/we-need-ways-to-validate-and-support-our-thinking-no-matter-how/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [“The value of goals is not in the future they describe, but the change in perception of reality they foster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/the-value-of-goals-is-not-in-the-future-they-describe-but-the-change/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [“Taking the inventory of your current work at all levels will automatically produce greater focus, alignment, and sense of priorities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/taking-the-inventory-of-your-current-work-at-all-levels-will/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [“have discovered that one of the major reasons many people haven’t had a lot of success with getting organized is simply that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/have-discovered-that-one-of-the-major-reasons-many-people-haven-t-had/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [Without a gut-level sense that you are ultimately in control of what's happening to you, you won't even consider the option that you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/without-a-gut-level-sense-that-you-are-ultimately-in-control-of-what/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/your-mind-is-for-having-ideas-not-holding-them/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [“you can decide what, specifically, something means to you and what you intend to do about it, if anything; if you can use a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/you-can-decide-what-specifically-something-means-to-you-and-what-you/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) [Explore all 147 David Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) ## 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": "“Time is that quality of nature that keeps events from happening all at once. 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