--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My sense of urgency is very simple,' said…" description: "\"“My sense of urgency is very simple,' said the professor, 'I've remembered that much. It's because what I have to remember has to do with time running ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/doris-lessing-501_anxiety_my-sense-of-urgency-is-very-simple-said_927541.jpg" --- # My sense of urgency is very simple,' said the professor… ![“My sense of urgency is very simple,' said the professor, 'I've remembered that much. It's because what I have to remember has to do with time running out. And that's what anxiety is, in a lot of people. They know they have to do something, they should be doing something else, not just living…” quote by Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/doris-lessing-501_anxiety_my-sense-of-urgency-is-very-simple-said_927541.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/doris-lessing-501_anxiety_my-sense-of-urgency-is-very-simple-said_927541.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/doris-lessing-501_anxiety_my-sense-of-urgency-is-very-simple-said_927541.jpg) > ““My sense of urgency is very simple,' said the professor, 'I've remembered that much. It's because what I have to remember has to do with time running out. And that's what anxiety is, in a lot of people. They know they have to do something, they should be doing something else, not just living hand-to-mouth, putting paint on their faces and decorating their caves and playing nasty tricks on their rivals. No. They have to do something else before they die—and so the mental hospitals are full and the chemists flourishing.”” [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anxiety stems from the pressure of limited time, urging people to act beyond mere survival and avoid wasted potential. **In simple terms:** Time pressure creates anxiety, pushing us to act meaningfully. Key Takeaway Act purposefully before time runs out. Themes anxiety purpose time productivity Mood urgent reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - personal goals - health decisions - creative projects Key Concepts existentialism motivation psychology Questions to Reflect On - What would you do if you knew time was limited? - How can you balance urgency with well‑being? A Different Perspective Many feel paralyzed despite urgency, leading to inaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Sense of urgency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-urgency/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Urgency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urgency/) ## Related quotes > [So many people are on the front lines of this fossil fuel frenzy. It is infused with a sense of urgency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-lewis/so-many-people-are-on-the-front-lines-of-this-fossil-fuel-frenzy-it/) [Avi Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-lewis/) > [Being constantly the hub of a network of potential interruptions provides the excitement and importance of crisis management. As well as the false sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-foley/being-constantly-the-hub-of-a-network-of-potential-interruptions/) [Michael Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-foley/) > [You must take action now that will move you towards your goals. Develop a sense of urgency in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/you-must-take-action-now-that-will-move-you-towards-your-goals/) [H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/) > [IBM needed - an enormous sense of urgency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-gerstner/ibm-needed-an-enormous-sense-of-urgency/) [Lou Gerstner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-gerstner/) > [You feel a sense of urgency, especially at my advanced age, when you're staring into the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/you-feel-a-sense-of-urgency-especially-at-my-advanced-age-when-you-re/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [When I was coming out of the dark places in my life, it's like, 'Man, you've come that close to not being here anymore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-waller/when-i-was-coming-out-of-the-dark-places-in-my-life-it-s-like-man-you/) [Darren Waller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-waller/) > [The sense of urgency has almost completely vanished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleve-jones/the-sense-of-urgency-has-almost-completely-vanished/) [Cleve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleve-jones/) > [I'm a little more measured. That sense of urgency I thought accompanied things - it can take a little longer. You have to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arad/i-m-a-little-more-measured-that-sense-of-urgency-i-thought/) [Michael Arad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arad/) > [Throughout all of human history we've enjoyed certain benign circumstances: an envelope of atmosphere, an envelope of temperature. A kind of resilience that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/throughout-all-of-human-history-we-ve-enjoyed-certain-benign/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [There's a thin line between playing with a sense of urgency and playing a little too tight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-slater/there-s-a-thin-line-between-playing-with-a-sense-of-urgency-and/) [Matthew Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-slater/) > [There's a sense of urgency in understanding that your body is not really your own. We can control it to a certain extent through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/there-s-a-sense-of-urgency-in-understanding-that-your-body-is-not/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [I have a sense of urgency, of time. I am a woman and am always running between work, doctors' appointments, school meetings, filling up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segolene-royal/i-have-a-sense-of-urgency-of-time-i-am-a-woman-and-am-always-running/) [Segolene Royal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/segolene-royal/) > [Develop a sense of urgency in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/develop-a-sense-of-urgency-in-your-life/) [H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/) > [Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/without-a-sense-of-urgency-desire-loses-its-value/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [I just think we want to stay healthy, and I don't think we think about a sense of urgency. We realize how old we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-malone/i-just-think-we-want-to-stay-healthy-and-i-don-t-think-we-think-about/) [Karl Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-malone/) ## More by Doris Lessing > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“In the morning, when she wishes me to wake, she crouches on my chest, and pats my face with her paw. Or, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/in-the-morning-when-she-wishes-me-to-wake-she-crouches-on-my-chest/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [You know, whenever women make imaginary female kingdoms in literature, they are always very permissive, to use the jargon word, and easy and generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-know-whenever-women-make-imaginary-female-kingdoms-in-literature/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but second best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/there-is-only-one-real-sin-and-that-is-to-persuade-oneself-that-the/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“She was using the water as she had used the fruit earlier—to calm herself, to assure herself of the possibility of normality. 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I've been much happier unmarried than married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-do-not-think-that-marriage-is-one-of-my-talents-i-ve-been-much/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I haven't got the energy to write now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-haven-t-got-the-energy-to-write-now/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [What really fascinates me is this need that is so strong now that if you read a work of the imagination you instantly have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-really-fascinates-me-is-this-need-that-is-so-strong-now-that-if/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“The charge that the United Nations are using bacteriological warfare in Korea cannot be dismissed merely because it would be insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-charge-that-the-united-nations-are-using-bacteriological-warfare/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [What I did have, which others perhaps didn't, was a capacity for sticking at it, which really is the point, not the talent at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-i-did-have-which-others-perhaps-didn-t-was-a-capacity-for/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [The human community is evolving... . We can survive anything you care to mention. We are supremely equipped to survive, to adapt and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-human-community-is-evolving-we-can-survive-anything-you-care-to/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [So love is rest? The cosy corner? The little nook? Sometimes it ought to be. Sometimes it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/so-love-is-rest-the-cosy-corner-the-little-nook-sometimes-it-ought-to/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) [Explore all 508 Doris Lessing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/fear-of-seeing-a-police-car-pull-into-the-drive-fear-of-falling/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/i-get-nervous-when-i-don-t-get-nervous-if-i-m-nervous-i-know-i-m/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [“Every invention comes through anxiousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-wadhwani/every-invention-comes-through-anxiousness/) [Rakesh Wadhwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-wadhwani/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing happens on its own, you have to make things happen. If you really want to come out of your stressful situation than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-happens-on-its-own-you-have-to-make-things-happen-if-you/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“I guess if we're talking about my anxiety, the even truthier truth is it started way before that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-winfrey/i-guess-if-we-re-talking-about-my-anxiety-the-even-truthier-truth-is/) [Kerry Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-winfrey/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Anxiety is not to be managed it is a sin that needs to be repented of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/anxiety-is-not-to-be-managed-it-is-a-sin-that-needs-to-be-repented-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My sense of urgency is very simple,' said the professor, 'I've remembered that much. 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