---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As long as there's such a thing as time…"
description: "\"As long as there's such a thing as time, everybody's damaged in the end, changed into something else. It always happens, sooner or later.\" — Haruki Mur..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/haruki-murakami-21_changed_as-long-as-there-s-such-a-thing-as-time_2038664.jpg"
---

#  As long as there's such a thing as time, everybody's…

![“As long as there's such a thing as time, everybody's damaged in the end, changed into something else. It always happens, sooner or later.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/haruki-murakami-21_changed_as-long-as-there-s-such-a-thing-as-time_2038664.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/haruki-murakami-21_changed_as-long-as-there-s-such-a-thing-as-time_2038664.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/haruki-murakami-21_changed_as-long-as-there-s-such-a-thing-as-time_2038664.jpg)

> “As long as there's such a thing as time, everybody's damaged in the end, changed into something else. It always happens, sooner or later.”

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Life inevitably alters everyone; time inevitably leads to change and loss, reshaping identity.

**In simple terms:** Time changes everyone; we all become different.

Key Takeaway

Accept change as inevitable.

Themes

change impermanence identity growth

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- grief
- personal growth
- coping with loss
- adapting to new roles
- reflecting on past selves

Key Concepts

existentialism transformation mortality

Questions to Reflect On

- How have you changed over time?
- What can you learn from your past self?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook resilience and the possibility of positive transformation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/) [Changed Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed-happens-1452350/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Everybody Damaged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody-damaged-1920831/) [Happens Sooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens-sooner-1664637/) [Later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Sooner or later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sooner-or-later/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Everybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-everybody-267964/)

## Related quotes

> [There is not a more prudent maxim, than to live with one's enemies as if they may one day become one's friends; as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/there-is-not-a-more-prudent-maxim-than-to-live-with-one-s-enemies-as/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Everybody is damaged goods. Everybody got bumps and dents, ja? But sometimes two people fit together, and the bumps go into the dents, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-quarrington/everybody-is-damaged-goods-everybody-got-bumps-and-dents-ja-but/)

[Paul Quarrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-quarrington/)

> [“Everybody’s damaged. It’s just a question of how badly, and whether you’re healing or still bleeding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-n-blount/everybody-s-damaged-it-s-just-a-question-of-how-badly-and-whether-you/)

[Angela N. Blount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-n-blount/)

> [“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it. (Popular misquote of "You may not control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-can-be-changed-by-what-happens-to-me-but-i-refuse-to-be-reduced-by-2/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Everybody's damaged by something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/everybody-s-damaged-by-something/)

[Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/)

> [I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-be-changed-by-what-happens-to-me-but-i-refuse-to-be-reduced-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.-Maya Angelou”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-russell/i-can-be-changed-by-what-happens-to-me-but-i-refuse-to-be-reduced-by-3/)

[Debra Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-russell/)

> [Wit will always stand the test of time. That's why everybody loved Big L.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-the-butcher/wit-will-always-stand-the-test-of-time-that-s-why-everybody-loved-big/)

[Benny the Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-the-butcher/)

> [For a very long time everybody refuses and then almost without a pause almost everybody accepts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/for-a-very-long-time-everybody-refuses-and-then-almost-without-a/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [I think that with these streaming shows, sometimes it takes a little time for everybody to - because they know they have time, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/i-think-that-with-these-streaming-shows-sometimes-it-takes-a-little/)

[Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/)

> [There comes a time for everybody when words and reasons can become such a great weariness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/there-comes-a-time-for-everybody-when-words-and-reasons-can-become/)

[Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/)

> [Don't give anybody up. . . or leave anybody out. . . . There's room for everything, and time for everybody, if you take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/don-t-give-anybody-up-or-leave-anybody-out-there-s-room-for/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [Nearly a decade of time is enough for everybody to change, quite a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-bledel/nearly-a-decade-of-time-is-enough-for-everybody-to-change-quite-a-bit/)

[Alexis Bledel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-bledel/)

> [I have three friendships that have lasted a long time, but everybody else has come and gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-vega/i-have-three-friendships-that-have-lasted-a-long-time-but-everybody/)

[Alexa Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-vega/)

> [There comes a time in everybody's life when it's no longer enough to point and say he or she should do it, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annegret-kramp-karrenbauer/there-comes-a-time-in-everybody-s-life-when-it-s-no-longer-enough-to/)

[Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annegret-kramp-karrenbauer/)

## More by Haruki Murakami

> [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

[Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## More Changed quotes

> [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [You made me hate my own reflection Question every choice I make So I could try to be perfect But I will try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn/you-made-me-hate-my-own-reflection-question-every-choice-i-make-so-i/)

[Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn/)

> [Everything has changed and nothing has changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/everything-has-changed-and-nothing-has-changed/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Faith is the avenue to salvation. Not intellectual understanding. Not money. Not your works. Just simple faith. How much faith? The faith of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/faith-is-the-avenue-to-salvation-not-intellectual-understanding-not/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [When I became Miss World, I couldn't believe I had won it. I used to sleep with my crown because I was scared someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/when-i-became-miss-world-i-couldn-t-believe-i-had-won-it-i-used-to/)

[Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/)

> [As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-light-changed-from-red-to-green-to-yellow-and-back-to-red/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [It's only a thought and a thought can be changed. Choose good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-only-a-thought-and-a-thought-can-be-changed-choose-good-ones/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [Working with Rihanna has changed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibi-bourelly/working-with-rihanna-has-changed-my-life/)

[Bibi Bourelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibi-bourelly/)

> [The international game has changed for bidding cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ueberroth/the-international-game-has-changed-for-bidding-cities/)

[Peter Ueberroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ueberroth/)

> [You changed my life, don't know what you're doing to me with your love. You got me feeling super human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-changed-my-life-don-t-know-what-you-re-doing-to-me-with-your-love/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm not changing because I'm part of a hit. People around me have changed in their attitude toward me, but I haven't changed. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-penny/i-m-not-changing-because-i-m-part-of-a-hit-people-around-me-have/)

[Joe Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-penny/)

> [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

[Browse all 6,529 Changed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As long as there's such a thing as time, everybody's damaged in the end, changed into something else. It always happens, sooner or later.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Haruki Murakami"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/as-long-as-there-s-such-a-thing-as-time-everybody-s-damaged-in-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Changed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/as-long-as-there-s-such-a-thing-as-time-everybody-s-damaged-in-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/haruki-murakami-21_changed_as-long-as-there-s-such-a-thing-as-time_2038664.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/haruki-murakami-21_changed_as-long-as-there-s-such-a-thing-as-time_2038664.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/haruki-murakami-21_changed_as-long-as-there-s-such-a-thing-as-time_2038664.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As long as there's such a thing as time, everybody's damaged in the end, changed into something else. It…” — Haruki Murakami",
                "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": "Haruki Murakami",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As long as there's such a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/as-long-as-there-s-such-a-thing-as-time-everybody-s-damaged-in-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/as-long-as-there-s-such-a-thing-as-time-everybody-s-damaged-in-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
