--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There comes a time in every man's life…" description: "\"There comes a time in every man's life when he is either going to go fishing or do something worse.\" — Havilah Babcock" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/havilah-babcock-63279_every-man_there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-w_1613166.jpg" --- # There comes a time in every man's life when he is either… ![“There comes a time in every man's life when he is either going to go fishing or do something worse.” quote by Havilah Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/havilah-babcock-63279_every-man_there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-w_1613166.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/havilah-babcock-63279_every-man_there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-w_1613166.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/havilah-babcock-63279_every-man_there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-w_1613166.jpg) > “There comes a time in every man's life when he is either going to go fishing or do something worse.” [Havilah Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havilah-babcock/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts a benign activity with a worse alternative, highlighting choices in life. **In simple terms:** It suggests life presents options, some harmless, some harmful. Key Takeaway Choose constructive actions over harmful ones. Themes choice consequence morality Mood reflective serious Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - risk assessment - daily routines Key Concepts decision theory ethical behavior life philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What choices define your current path? - How do you avoid harmful alternatives? A Different Perspective The wording is vague and may not apply universally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Fishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishing/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Man's Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mans-life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [There comes a time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/there-comes-a-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There comes a time in a man's life when he hears the call of the sea. If the man has a brain in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/there-comes-a-time-in-a-man-s-life-when-he-hears-the-call-of-the-sea-2/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [There comes a time in every man's life when he needs his own toilet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-when-he-needs-his-own-toilet/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [There comes a time in every man's life when he's consumed by the desire to spit on his palms, hoist the black flag and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-when-he-s-consumed-by-the/) [H. L. 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Dorcas, the last twenty or thirty years I've been a worthless, no-good parasite.' She yawned again. 'Everybody knows that.' Nevermind the flattery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/yes-boss-dorcas-the-last-twenty-or-thirty-years-i-ve-been-a-worthless/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [From birth to death, anyone can fish. I just think it's fantastic to see old people going fishing with young people and teaching them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-hunt/from-birth-to-death-anyone-can-fish-i-just-think-it-s-fantastic-to/) [Rex Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-hunt/) > [I used to love going fishing. I think it was really about the clothes. Nothing says real man like a vest with 38 pockets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-used-to-love-going-fishing-i-think-it-was-really-about-the-clothes/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [Between the age of 30 and going fishing, none of my friendships had any of that magic dust of when you were young. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mortimer/between-the-age-of-30-and-going-fishing-none-of-my-friendships-had/) [Bob Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mortimer/) > [Until we see something that is actually wrongdoing, we're probably not going to go on a fishing trip to go see look at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-chaffetz/until-we-see-something-that-is-actually-wrongdoing-we-re-probably-not/) [Jason Chaffetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-chaffetz/) > [I thoroughly enjoy getting away from the game and going out fishing because it's so relaxing, so quiet and peaceful. I mean, there's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-woods/i-thoroughly-enjoy-getting-away-from-the-game-and-going-out-fishing/) [Tiger Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-woods/) > [I have so many memories of going fishing and camping as a kid, and my dad had season tickets to watch the Marlins -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-martinez/i-have-so-many-memories-of-going-fishing-and-camping-as-a-kid-and-my/) [J. D. Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-martinez/) > [I hear there are plenty of fish in the sea. that's why I put on my waders, grabbed my tackle box and pole! I'M…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/i-hear-there-are-plenty-of-fish-in-the-sea-that-s-why-i-put-on-my/) [Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/) > [“A man's life is about keeping rules, breaking them, and making new ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogwo-david-emenike/a-man-s-life-is-about-keeping-rules-breaking-them-and-making-new-ones/) [Ogwo David Emenike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogwo-david-emenike/) ## More by Havilah Babcock > [It is always disillusioning to weigh your fish and measure your golf drives. Smart men estimate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havilah-babcock/it-is-always-disillusioning-to-weigh-your-fish-and-measure-your-golf/) [Havilah Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havilah-babcock/) > [To take advantage of the last precious minutes, you've got to stay afield as late as the birds do, regardless of a houseful of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havilah-babcock/to-take-advantage-of-the-last-precious-minutes-you-ve-got-to-stay/) [Havilah Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havilah-babcock/) > [Be not the first to take up the new, nor the last to cast the old aside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havilah-babcock/be-not-the-first-to-take-up-the-new-nor-the-last-to-cast-the-old-aside/) [Havilah Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havilah-babcock/) > [The unvarnished truth is that a trained dog is a perishable commodity. Few things are so subject to deterioration. It is almost as hard-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havilah-babcock/the-unvarnished-truth-is-that-a-trained-dog-is-a-perishable-commodity/) [Havilah Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havilah-babcock/) [Explore all 5 Havilah Babcock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havilah-babcock/) ## More Every man quotes > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. 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This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“The old intergenerational give-and-take of the country-that-used-to-be, when everyone knew his role and took the rules dead seriously, the acculturating back-and-forth that all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-old-intergenerational-give-and-take-of-the-country-that-used-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [Every man who is high up likes to think that he has done it all himself, and the wife smiles and lets it go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-who-is-high-up-likes-to-think-that-he-has-done-it-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [All religions must be tolerated for every man must get to heaven in his own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-religions-must-be-tolerated-for-every-man-must-get-to-heaven-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity, the less they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/use-every-man-according-to-his-desert-and-who-should-scape-whipping/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“China reminds me most of America at its own moment of transformation—the period that Mark Twain and Charles Warner named the Gilded Age, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-osnos/china-reminds-me-most-of-america-at-its-own-moment-of-transformation/) [Evan Osnos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-osnos/) > [Every man is a missionary, now and forever, for good or for evil, whether he intends or designs it or not. He may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/every-man-is-a-missionary-now-and-forever-for-good-or-for-evil/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [“John, let me make one thing clear,” Jim said, cutting me off in his most stern, evangelical voice. “Every man is blessed with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/john-let-me-make-one-thing-clear-jim-said-cutting-me-off-in-his-most/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Every man's heart one day beats its final beat. His lungs breathe a final breath. And if what that man did in his life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-ultimate-warrior/every-man-s-heart-one-day-beats-its-final-beat-his-lungs-breathe-a/) [The Ultimate Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-ultimate-warrior/) Browse all 3,342 Every man quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There comes a time in every man's life when he is either going to go fishing or do something worse.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Havilah Babcock" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havilah-babcock/there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-when-he-is-either-going-to-go/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Every man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havilah-babcock/there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-when-he-is-either-going-to-go/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/havilah-babcock-63279_every-man_there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-w_1613166.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/havilah-babcock-63279_every-man_there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-w_1613166.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/havilah-babcock-63279_every-man_there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-w_1613166.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There comes a time in every man's life when he is either going to go fishing or do something worse.” — Havilah Babcock", "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": "Havilah Babcock", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havilah-babcock/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There comes a time in every...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havilah-babcock/there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-when-he-is-either-going-to-go/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havilah-babcock/there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-when-he-is-either-going-to-go/#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 } } ] } ```