--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Time is what stops history happening at…" description: "\"Time is what stops history happening at once; time is the speed at which the past disappears.\" — David Mitchell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/david-mitchell-264_clock_time-is-what-stops-history-happening-at_1621923.jpg" --- # Time is what stops history happening at once; time is the… ![“Time is what stops history happening at once; time is the speed at which the past disappears.” quote by David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/david-mitchell-264_clock_time-is-what-stops-history-happening-at_1621923.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/david-mitchell-264_clock_time-is-what-stops-history-happening-at_1621923.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/david-mitchell-264_clock_time-is-what-stops-history-happening-at_1621923.jpg) > “Time is what stops history happening at once; time is the speed at which the past disappears.” [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) ## 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, allowing history to unfold sequentially rather than simultaneously. **In simple terms:** Time makes history happen step by step. Key Takeaway Recognize the value of pacing. Themes time history perception Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - project planning - learning processes - historical analysis Key Concepts Philosophy of time causality Questions to Reflect On - What does “speed at which the past disappears” mean to you? - How does pacing affect outcomes? A Different Perspective May simplify complex temporal dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Time is the speed at which the past decays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/time-is-the-speed-at-which-the-past-decays/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“As the past disappears, I keep getting lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-wong/as-the-past-disappears-i-keep-getting-lost/) [Jan Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-wong/) > [“Clocks measure arbitrary meters of time, but not its speed. Nobody knows if time is speeding up, or slowing down. Nobody knows what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/clocks-measure-arbitrary-meters-of-time-but-not-its-speed-nobody/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“a stationary object moves through time at the speed of light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-thomas/a-stationary-object-moves-through-time-at-the-speed-of-light/) [Andrew Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-thomas/) > [“Time is nothing but the speed at which we capture and process sensory information from the ever-changing world around us. The perceived speed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-zogby/time-is-nothing-but-the-speed-at-which-we-capture-and-process-sensory/) [Jean Paul Zogby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-zogby/) > [The thing that weighs the most on how your final artwork turns out is the amount of time you have and the speed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/the-thing-that-weighs-the-most-on-how-your-final-artwork-turns-out-is/) [Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/) > [“If the human race ever wishes to master time travel then the answer is through chemical and not mechanical means. Speed is time travel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-lavey/if-the-human-race-ever-wishes-to-master-time-travel-then-the-answer/) [Steven LaVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-lavey/) > [Time stops for no one. The Sun 'sets' in one place and 'rises' in another. Th clock moves only one way: forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/time-stops-for-no-one-the-sun-sets-in-one-place-and-rises-in-another/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For most of the day and night, time oppresses me. It is only when I am at work on the innards of a clock-or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/for-most-of-the-day-and-night-time-oppresses-me-it-is-only-when-i-am/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Sometimes our time stops when we see someone who is too innocent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pradip-bendkule/sometimes-our-time-stops-when-we-see-someone-who-is-too-innocent/) [Pradip Bendkule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pradip-bendkule/) > [If everything dies, then time never stops. If everyone can love, then love can never go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenaan/if-everything-dies-then-time-never-stops-if-everyone-can-love-then/) Kenaan > [Life goes on, time stops for no one. Stop wasting time on unnecessary things and people. You'll be better off and more successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/life-goes-on-time-stops-for-no-one-stop-wasting-time-on-unnecessary/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops, and that's true. What they don't tell you is that when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-wallace/they-say-when-you-meet-the-love-of-your-life-time-stops-and-that-s/) [Daniel Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-wallace/) > [All is love...All is love. With love comes understanding. With understanding comes patience. And then time stops. And everything is now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-is-love-all-is-love-with-love-comes-understanding-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Time is precious, Time is precise, Time is powerful, Time can make us, Time can break us, Time never stops, Time never wait, Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/time-is-precious-time-is-precise-time-is-powerful-time-can-make-us/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) ## More by David Mitchell > [“In the next room a freckly girl Julia's age sat in a wheelchair. One of her legs wasn't there. She'd probably love to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/in-the-next-room-a-freckly-girl-julia-s-age-sat-in-a-wheelchair-one/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“I envied my uncritical, unthinking sisters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-envied-my-uncritical-unthinking-sisters/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“... Ethical cyberexplorers are responsible, yeah? We are friendly ghosts in the machine, not poltergeists or hooligans. We are a growing breed. Over sixty-five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/ethical-cyberexplorers-are-responsible-yeah-we-are-friendly-ghosts-in/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“I succumbed. Late-fifteenth-century verb, Old French succomber or Latin succumbere, but a basic necessity of the human condition, especially mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-succumbed-late-fifteenth-century-verb-old-french-succomber-or-latin/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [Your environment affects you wherever you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/your-environment-affects-you-wherever-you-are/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“The second tunnel’s a Ministry of Defence tunnel...dug for a nuclear bomb shelter. The entrance is in the garden center at Woolworth’s in Great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-second-tunnel-s-a-ministry-of-defence-tunnel-dug-for-a-nuclear/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Loyalty looks simple... but it ain't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/loyalty-looks-simple-but-it-ain-t/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Only the trombonist played on. That's trombonists for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/only-the-trombonist-played-on-that-s-trombonists-for-you/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [War's an auction where whoever can pay the most in damage and still be standing wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/war-s-an-auction-where-whoever-can-pay-the-most-in-damage-and-still/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [The human world is made of stories, not people. The people the stories use to tell themselves are not to be blamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-human-world-is-made-of-stories-not-people-the-people-the-stories/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [So little is actually worthy of belief or disbelief. Better to strive to coexist than seek to disapprove . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/so-little-is-actually-worthy-of-belief-or-disbelief-better-to-strive/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [I elbowed my way into the grubby café, bought a pie that tasted of shoe polish and a pot of tea with cork crumbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-elbowed-my-way-into-the-grubby-caf-bought-a-pie-that-tasted-of-shoe/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“A classical LP was playing... ... Jealous and sweet, this music was, sobbing and gorgeous, muddy and crystal. But if the right words existed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/a-classical-lp-was-playing-jealous-and-sweet-this-music-was-sobbing/) [david mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [How lazily "xperts" dismiss what they fail to understand!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/how-lazily-xperts-dismiss-what-they-fail-to-understand/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Writing poetry's,' I looked around the solarium, but Madame Crommelynck's got a tractor beam, 'sort of . . . gay.' '"Gay"? A merry activity?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/writing-poetry-s-i-looked-around-the-solarium-but-madame-crommelynck/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) [Explore all 748 David Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) ## 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 what stops history happening at once; time is the speed at which the past disappears.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Mitchell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/time-is-what-stops-history-happening-at-once-time-is-the-speed-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clock" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/time-is-what-stops-history-happening-at-once-time-is-the-speed-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/david-mitchell-264_clock_time-is-what-stops-history-happening-at_1621923.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/david-mitchell-264_clock_time-is-what-stops-history-happening-at_1621923.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/david-mitchell-264_clock_time-is-what-stops-history-happening-at_1621923.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Time is what stops history happening at once; time is the speed at which the past disappears.” — David Mitchell", "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": "David Mitchell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Time is what stops history happening...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/time-is-what-stops-history-happening-at-once-time-is-the-speed-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/time-is-what-stops-history-happening-at-once-time-is-the-speed-at/#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 } } ] } ```