--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was a favorite expression of…" description: "\"It was a favorite expression of Theophrastus that time was the most valuable thing that a man could spend.\" — Diogenes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/diogenes-4214_expression_it-was-a-favorite-expression-of-theophra_1412912.png" --- # It was a favorite expression of Theophrastus that time was… ![“It was a favorite expression of Theophrastus that time was the most valuable thing that a man could spend.” quote by Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/diogenes-4214_expression_it-was-a-favorite-expression-of-theophra_1412912.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/diogenes-4214_expression_it-was-a-favorite-expression-of-theophra_1412912.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/diogenes-4214_expression_it-was-a-favorite-expression-of-theophra_1412912.png) > “It was a favorite expression of Theophrastus that time was the most valuable thing that a man could spend.” [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time is the most precious resource, and how we allocate it defines our life's value. **In simple terms:** Time is our most valuable asset. Key Takeaway Use time wisely. Themes time management value priorities Mood reflective urgent Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal planning - career decisions - financial budgeting - health routines Key Concepts philosophy stoicism Questions to Reflect On - How do you prioritize your time daily? - What activities waste your most valuable moments? A Different Perspective Time cannot be regained once spent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Expression Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression-theophrastus-4983697/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theophrastus-4983698/) [Theophrastus Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theophrastus-time-4983696/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-valuable/) [Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable/) [Valuable thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable-thing/) ## Related quotes > [“Time is the most valuable thing that a man can spend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/time-is-the-most-valuable-thing-that-a-man-can-spend/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [“Time is valuable. For all the time we've lost by not being together, it has made you the most valuable thing to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-peppernell/time-is-valuable-for-all-the-time-we-ve-lost-by-not-being-together-it/) [Courtney Peppernell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-peppernell/) > [Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/time-is-the-most-valuable-thing-a-man-can-spend/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [Time is the most valuable thing you have - and I'm not just talking about the minutes for which you're paid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/time-is-the-most-valuable-thing-you-have-and-i-m-not-just-talking/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [Time is a valuable thing. Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings. Watch it count down to the end of the day; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linkin-park/time-is-a-valuable-thing-watch-it-fly-by-as-the-pendulum-swings-watch-2/) [Linkin Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linkin-park/) > [Time is a valuable thing. Watch it count down to the end of the day; the clock ticks life away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linkin-park/time-is-a-valuable-thing-watch-it-count-down-to-the-end-of-the-day/) [Linkin Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linkin-park/) > [“Never forget that time is the most valuable thing we can spend, so don't throw it away!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-oneal/never-forget-that-time-is-the-most-valuable-thing-we-can-spend-so-don/) [Kerry ONeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-oneal/) > [Time is the most valuable thing in the world. Give it to the people that want it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajat-dogra/time-is-the-most-valuable-thing-in-the-world-give-it-to-the-people/) [Rajat DOGRA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajat-dogra/) > [Time is the most valuable thing we have. Be very careful how you spend your time because that is one thing you cannot get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-sinha/time-is-the-most-valuable-thing-we-have-be-very-careful-how-you-spend/) [Anil Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-sinha/) > [time is the most valuable thing that we have, because it is the most irrevocable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/time-is-the-most-valuable-thing-that-we-have-because-it-is-the-most/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Time is one of our most valuable possessions. Use it wisely. Remind yourselves often that things that matter most should not be left to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-leslie-stone/time-is-one-of-our-most-valuable-possessions-use-it-wisely-remind/) [O. Leslie Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-leslie-stone/) > [Anyone who thinks that his time is too valuable to spend keeping quiet will eventually have no time for God and his brother, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/anyone-who-thinks-that-his-time-is-too-valuable-to-spend-keeping/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [A rose on time is more valuable than a $1,000 gift that's too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-rose-on-time-is-more-valuable-than-a-1-000-gift-that-s-too-late/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it and spend it rather than invest it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/time-is-our-most-valuable-asset-yet-we-tend-to-waste-it-kill-it-and/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Time is the most valuable thing on earth: time to think, time to act, time to extend our fraternal relations, time to become better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gompers/time-is-the-most-valuable-thing-on-earth-time-to-think-time-to-act/) [Samuel Gompers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-gompers/) ## More by Diogenes > [Dogs and philosophers do the greatest good and get the fewest rewards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/dogs-and-philosophers-do-the-greatest-good-and-get-the-fewest-rewards/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [Perdiccas threatened to put him to death unless he came to him, "That's nothing wonderful," Diogenes said, "for a beetle or a tarantula would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/perdiccas-threatened-to-put-him-to-death-unless-he-came-to-him-that-s/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [If only it was as easy to banish hunger by rubbing the belly as it is to masturbate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/if-only-it-was-as-easy-to-banish-hunger-by-rubbing-the-belly-as-it-is/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [He has the most who is most content with the least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/he-has-the-most-who-is-most-content-with-the-least/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/in-a-rich-man-s-house-there-is-no-place-to-spit-but-his-face/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [Chilo advised, "not to speak evil of the dead."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/chilo-advised-not-to-speak-evil-of-the-dead/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [There is a false love that will make you something you are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/there-is-a-false-love-that-will-make-you-something-you-are-not/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [“And at last, becoming a complete misanthrope, he used to live, spending his time in walking about the mountains; feeding on grasses and plants,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/and-at-last-becoming-a-complete-misanthrope-he-used-to-live-spending/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [Most men are within a finger's breadth of being mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/most-men-are-within-a-finger-s-breadth-of-being-mad/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [It takes a wise man to discover a wise man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/it-takes-a-wise-man-to-discover-a-wise-man/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [I am Diogenes the Dog. I nuzzle the kind, bark at the greedy and bite scoundrels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/i-am-diogenes-the-dog-i-nuzzle-the-kind-bark-at-the-greedy-and-bite/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [To become self-educated you should condemn yourself for all those things that you would criticize others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/to-become-self-educated-you-should-condemn-yourself-for-all-those/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [It is the privilege of the gods to want nothing, and of godlike men to want little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/it-is-the-privilege-of-the-gods-to-want-nothing-and-of-godlike-men-to/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [Those who have virtue always in their mouths, and neglect it in practice, are like a harp, which emits a sound pleasing to others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/those-who-have-virtue-always-in-their-mouths-and-neglect-it-in/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [I am looking for a human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/i-am-looking-for-a-human/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) [Explore all 114 Diogenes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) ## More Expression quotes > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Our fashion for us, it's an expression; first of all of life, I put all of myself in my fashion. Sometimes it's good, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefano-gabbana/our-fashion-for-us-it-s-an-expression-first-of-all-of-life-i-put-all/) [Stefano Gabbana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefano-gabbana/) > [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Early experience shapes the structure and function of the brain. This reveals the fundamental way in which gene expression is determined by experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-siegel/early-experience-shapes-the-structure-and-function-of-the-brain-this/) [Daniel J. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-siegel/) > [Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous. And after singing, I think the violin. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/singing-has-always-seemed-to-me-the-most-perfect-means-of-expression/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Nick looked vaguely homicidal, but that was sort of his default expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/nick-looked-vaguely-homicidal-but-that-was-sort-of-his-default/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [The mountain receives our expressions and becomes part of us; we imprint our memories upon it and trust it with out dearest divisions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barcott/the-mountain-receives-our-expressions-and-becomes-part-of-us-we/) [Bruce Barcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barcott/) > [In science, the most exciting expression isn’t ‘Eureka!’ It’s ‘Huh?’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hawley/in-science-the-most-exciting-expression-isn-t-eureka-it-s-huh/) [Michael Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hawley/) > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 5,024 Expression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was a favorite expression of Theophrastus that time was the most valuable thing that a man could spend.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Diogenes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/it-was-a-favorite-expression-of-theophrastus-that-time-was-the-most/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expression" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/it-was-a-favorite-expression-of-theophrastus-that-time-was-the-most/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/diogenes-4214_expression_it-was-a-favorite-expression-of-theophra_1412912.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/diogenes-4214_expression_it-was-a-favorite-expression-of-theophra_1412912.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/diogenes-4214_expression_it-was-a-favorite-expression-of-theophra_1412912.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was a favorite expression of Theophrastus that time was the most valuable thing that a man could spend.” — Diogenes", "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": "Diogenes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It was a favorite expression of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/it-was-a-favorite-expression-of-theophrastus-that-time-was-the-most/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/it-was-a-favorite-expression-of-theophrastus-that-time-was-the-most/#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 } } ] } ```