--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is so short that it is not wise to…" description: "\"Life is so short that it is not wise to take roundabout ways, nor can we spend much time in waiting… We have not got half-way to dawn yet.\" — Henry Dav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f2/henry-david-thoreau-20_dawn_life-is-so-short-that-it-is-not-wise-to_2197449.jpg" --- # Life is so short that it is not wise to take roundabout… ![“Life is so short that it is not wise to take roundabout ways, nor can we spend much time in waiting… We have not got half-way to dawn yet.” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f2/henry-david-thoreau-20_dawn_life-is-so-short-that-it-is-not-wise-to_2197449.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f2/henry-david-thoreau-20_dawn_life-is-so-short-that-it-is-not-wise-to_2197449.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f2/henry-david-thoreau-20_dawn_life-is-so-short-that-it-is-not-wise-to_2197449.jpg) > “Life is so short that it is not wise to take roundabout ways, nor can we spend much time in waiting… We have not got half-way to dawn yet.” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is brief; avoid indirect paths and waiting, as dawn is not yet half‑gone. **In simple terms:** Live directly, avoid unnecessary delays. Key Takeaway Act promptly, pursue purpose. Themes time efficiency purpose impermanence Mood reflective urgent Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal goal setting - career decisions - spiritual practice Key Concepts existentialism mindfulness life philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What prevents us from taking direct action? - How can we balance patience with urgency? A Different Perspective Procrastination can still arise despite urgency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dawn/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Half way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-way/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Life is so short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-so-short/) [Life Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-short/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Roundabout Ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roundabout-ways-4812221/) [Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-waiting-251239/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Wise Roundabout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-roundabout-4812222/) ## Related quotes > [Life is so short that it is not wise to take roundabout ways, nor can we spend muchtime in waiting… We have not got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-so-short-that-it-is-not-wise-to-take-roundabout-ways-nor-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is too short to whaste time waiting for other people's approval on how you live it...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-too-short-to-whaste-time-waiting-for-other-people-s-approval/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is so short. 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They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Men say they know many things; But lo! they have taken wings, — The arts and sciences, And a thousand appliances; The wind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-say-they-know-many-things-but-lo-they-have-taken-wings-the-arts/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. 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You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Concord's little arch does not span all our fate, nor is what transpires under it law for the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/concord-s-little-arch-does-not-span-all-our-fate-nor-is-what/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The lumberers rarely trouble themselves to put out their fires, such is the dampness of the primitive forest; and this is one cause, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-lumberers-rarely-trouble-themselves-to-put-out-their-fires-such/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-he-has-obtained-those-things-which-are-necessary-to-life-there/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Explore all 3,376 Henry David Thoreau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More Dawn quotes > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Those nights lying alone are not discontinuous with this cold hectic dawn. It is who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/those-nights-lying-alone-are-not-discontinuous-with-this-cold-hectic/) [Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/) > [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [May dawn, as the proverb goes, bring happy tidings coming from her mother night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/may-dawn-as-the-proverb-goes-bring-happy-tidings-coming-from-her/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Slow buds the pink dawn like a rose From out night's gray and cloudy sheath; Softly and still it grows and grows, Petal by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-chauncey-woolsey/slow-buds-the-pink-dawn-like-a-rose-from-out-night-s-gray-and-cloudy/) [Sarah Chauncey Woolsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-chauncey-woolsey/) > [“Another dawn flung itself across the river; a belated taxi hurried along the street, its lamps still shining like burning eyes in a face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/another-dawn-flung-itself-across-the-river-a-belated-taxi-hurried/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [When there's doom and gloom, don't forget there's darkness before dawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-jhunjhunwala/when-there-s-doom-and-gloom-don-t-forget-there-s-darkness-before-dawn/) [Rakesh Jhunjhunwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-jhunjhunwala/) > [I just wanna stay weird till dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozavzi-jason-trespect/i-just-wanna-stay-weird-till-dawn/) [Ozavzi Jason Trespect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozavzi-jason-trespect/) > [After my final Breaking Dawn scene, I felt like I could shoot up into the night sky and every pore of my body would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/after-my-final-breaking-dawn-scene-i-felt-like-i-could-shoot-up-into/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [My father kept me busy from dawn to dusk when I was a kid. 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