--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man devoted time to what mattered to…" description: "\"“A man devoted time to what mattered to him—to what he deemed worthy of his attention.”\" — Gena Showalter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/gena-showalter-541_focus_a-man-devoted-time-to-what-mattered-to-h_536052.png" --- # A man devoted time to what mattered to him—to what he… ![“A man devoted time to what mattered to him—to what he deemed worthy of his attention.” quote by Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/gena-showalter-541_focus_a-man-devoted-time-to-what-mattered-to-h_536052.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/gena-showalter-541_focus_a-man-devoted-time-to-what-mattered-to-h_536052.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/gena-showalter-541_focus_a-man-devoted-time-to-what-mattered-to-h_536052.png) > ““A man devoted time to what mattered to him—to what he deemed worthy of his attention.”” [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus time on what you deem worthy, ignoring distractions. **In simple terms:** Prioritize what matters. Key Takeaway Invest time wisely. Themes focus values time management Mood contemplative motivational Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - project work - family time - creative pursuits Key Concepts prioritization meaningful engagement Questions to Reflect On - What activities deserve your attention? - How do you decide what's worthy? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The reason I'm so active in politics - literally the reason I've devoted so much time to politics and public service - is because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neera-tanden/the-reason-i-m-so-active-in-politics-literally-the-reason-i-ve/) [Neera Tanden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neera-tanden/) > [There was a time when all that mattered was that you were in a good movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/there-was-a-time-when-all-that-mattered-was-that-you-were-in-a-good/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Thank God I am deemed worthy to be hated by the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/thank-god-i-am-deemed-worthy-to-be-hated-by-the-world/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [“Her letter proved it didn’t matter how much time we had; it mattered what we did with it. Love was one thing time could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steph-nuss/her-letter-proved-it-didn-t-matter-how-much-time-we-had-it-mattered/) Steph Nuss > [“those who are deemed worthy of an abode in heaven shall go there, others shall enjoy the delights of paradise, and others shall possess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-church-fathers/those-who-are-deemed-worthy-of-an-abode-in-heaven-shall-go-there/) The Church Fathers > [“when both are sincere and good, no men so penetrate each other, and so amalgamate with each other, as an old priest and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/when-both-are-sincere-and-good-no-men-so-penetrate-each-other-and-so/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“A man is always devoted to something more tangible than a woman - the idea of her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bauvard/a-man-is-always-devoted-to-something-more-tangible-than-a-woman-the/) [Bauvard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bauvard/) > [In a man devoted to knowledge, pity seems almost ridiculous, like delicate hands on a cyclops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-a-man-devoted-to-knowledge-pity-seems-almost-ridiculous-like/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [For me, whatever you write about should be worthy of your attention, worthy of your gifts. That's very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/for-me-whatever-you-write-about-should-be-worthy-of-your-attention/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [I’m a false icon! The media collaborate in promoting my superficial lifestyle as somehow more valid, more worthy of attention than your real lives!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/i-m-a-false-icon-the-media-collaborate-in-promoting-my-superficial/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > ['How much longer will I live?'... Only one thing seems clear to me. Every day should be well-lived. What a simple truth! Still, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/how-much-longer-will-i-live-only-one-thing-seems-clear-to-me-every/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [If a task is worthy of our attention, it is worthy of our best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hyles/if-a-task-is-worthy-of-our-attention-it-is-worthy-of-our-best/) [Jack Hyles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hyles/) > [We cannot love something solely because it has been ignored. It must also be worthy of our attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/we-cannot-love-something-solely-because-it-has-been-ignored-it-must/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [For this reason poetry is something more philosophical and more worthy of serious attention than history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/for-this-reason-poetry-is-something-more-philosophical-and-more/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It isn't always on the front pages, but the horrifying mistreatment and subjugation of women around the globe is very much worthy of more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-perino/it-isn-t-always-on-the-front-pages-but-the-horrifying-mistreatment/) [Dana Perino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-perino/) ## More by Gena Showalter > [“Justin took off in a run. Frosty and Bronx, too. It wasn’t long before Frosty was carrying Kat, Bronx was carrying Reeve and Justin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/justin-took-off-in-a-run-frosty-and-bronx-too-it-wasn-t-long-before/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [You are such a chick.” I widened my eyes in mock surprise. “No way. Are you sure?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/you-are-such-a-chick-i-widened-my-eyes-in-mock-surprise-no-way-are/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [Girl, he wants to dip you in Frosted Flakes and have you for breakfast. That's his favorite cereal, by the way." I...had no words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/girl-he-wants-to-dip-you-in-frosted-flakes-and-have-you-for-breakfast/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [I'm not sure why we want each other," she grumbled. "Nor am I, but the fact remains that we do want each other." "Maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/i-m-not-sure-why-we-want-each-other-she-grumbled-nor-am-i-but-the/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [“Are you gonna kill me?" the kid asked. Kid definitely didn't know who he was. There would be fawning. Wait. He looked that scary?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/are-you-gonna-kill-me-the-kid-asked-kid-definitely-didn-t-know-who-he/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [She stood, squared her shoulders. “We’ll do it. Together.” And then she did something that shocked them both. She rose on her tiptoes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/she-stood-squared-her-shoulders-we-ll-do-it-together-and-then-she-did/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [To you I belong.My heart beats only for you.No other will tempt me,from this day and beyond.To you I belong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/to-you-i-belong-my-heart-beats-only-for-you-no-other-will-tempt-me/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [I’m not trying to—What do teenagers say nowadays?” he asked my grandmother.“Get all up in her biznez,” Nana said.Without cracking a smile.“That’s right,” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/i-m-not-trying-to-what-do-teenagers-say-nowadays-he-asked-my/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [“For a moment, Strider almost forgot how pissed he was with Amun and Haidee as he savored the fact that he'd just cock-blocked the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/for-a-moment-strider-almost-forgot-how-pissed-he-was-with-amun-and/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [If all we've got to look forward to is disloyalty and treachery, why do we even make friends?" "Again, human nature. Hoping for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/if-all-we-ve-got-to-look-forward-to-is-disloyalty-and-treachery-why/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [“He grunted, then he howled. I guess vinaigrette burns. Ha! I controlled the urge to grin. I leaped atop the dark, glossy table surface—and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/he-grunted-then-he-howled-i-guess-vinaigrette-burns-ha-i-controlled/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [That means life itself is a fairy tale. Like the characters, we all live and love and search for a happily-ever-after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/that-means-life-itself-is-a-fairy-tale-like-the-characters-we-all/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [“That’s my cousin, dickwad,” Agent Jaxon Tremain said from Hector’s left. Had Whacky Jacky been next to Dallas, he would have drilled his knuckles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/that-s-my-cousin-dickwad-agent-jaxon-tremain-said-from-hector-s-left/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [“You are treating that thing as if it is a great treasure," he said. Well, yeah. Because it was. "You have something against cookies?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/you-are-treating-that-thing-as-if-it-is-a-great-treasure-he-said-well/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [“Me: I think we should have sex again. Royce: Bad idea. Me: Why? Royce: I want more from you than sex. Me: Goodbye, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/me-i-think-we-should-have-sex-again-royce-bad-idea-me-why-royce-i/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) [Explore all 476 Gena Showalter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) ## More Focus quotes > [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/) [Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/) > [Music is a job, but I figured out ways to get my mind into a place where I could be creative. 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As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [“This is Galileo,” said Aristotle. “He advocates understanding the world through observation and experiment. He is an unimaginative thinker, but his results demand our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-is-galileo-said-aristotle-he-advocates-understanding-the-world/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [Too many times we flitter our energy into too many goals and in the process don't achieve much. Focus is very important in life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaishali-kasture/too-many-times-we-flitter-our-energy-into-too-many-goals-and-in-the/) [Vaishali Kasture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaishali-kasture/) > [If you ask another competitor, they may tell you they felt very competitive towards me. But I can tell you that my biggest competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kwan/if-you-ask-another-competitor-they-may-tell-you-they-felt-very/) [Michelle Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-kwan/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [All I'm focused on is playing my game. Everything else will take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grigor-dimitrov/all-i-m-focused-on-is-playing-my-game-everything-else-will-take-care/) [Grigor Dimitrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grigor-dimitrov/) > [Focus on being productive instead of busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/focus-on-being-productive-instead-of-busy/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) [Browse all 11,734 Focus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A man devoted time to what mattered to him—to what he deemed worthy of his attention.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gena Showalter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/a-man-devoted-time-to-what-mattered-to-him-to-what-he-deemed-worthy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Focus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/a-man-devoted-time-to-what-mattered-to-him-to-what-he-deemed-worthy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/gena-showalter-541_focus_a-man-devoted-time-to-what-mattered-to-h_536052.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/gena-showalter-541_focus_a-man-devoted-time-to-what-mattered-to-h_536052.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/gena-showalter-541_focus_a-man-devoted-time-to-what-mattered-to-h_536052.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man devoted time to what mattered to him—to what he deemed worthy of his attention.” — Gena Showalter", "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": "Gena Showalter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A man devoted time to what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/a-man-devoted-time-to-what-mattered-to-him-to-what-he-deemed-worthy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/a-man-devoted-time-to-what-mattered-to-him-to-what-he-deemed-worthy/#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 } } ] } ```