--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every man must patiently bide his time…" description: "\"Every man must patiently bide his time. He must wait -- not in listless idleness but in constant, steady, cheerful endeavors, always willing and fulfil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_cheerful_every-man-must-patiently-bide-his-time-h_1669847.jpg" --- # Every man must patiently bide his time. He must wait… ![“Every man must patiently bide his time. He must wait -- not in listless idleness but in constant, steady, cheerful endeavors, always willing and fulfilling and accomplishing his task, that when the occasion comes he may be equal to the occasion.” quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_cheerful_every-man-must-patiently-bide-his-time-h_1669847.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_cheerful_every-man-must-patiently-bide-his-time-h_1669847.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_cheerful_every-man-must-patiently-bide-his-time-h_1669847.jpg) > “Every man must patiently bide his time. He must wait -- not in listless idleness but in constant, steady, cheerful endeavors, always willing and fulfilling and accomplishing his task, that when the occasion comes he may be equal to the occasion.” [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Patience and steady effort prepare one to meet future challenges successfully. **In simple terms:** Work steadily and be ready for opportunities. Key Takeaway Cultivate consistent effort. Themes patience preparation resilience Mood determined optimistic Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - academic study - personal projects - sports training Key Concepts virtue self‑discipline Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance patience with proactive planning? - What tasks can you improve through steady effort? A Different Perspective May lead to stagnation if not paired with proactive goal setting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cheerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheerful/) [Constant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constant/) [Endeavor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endeavor/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Every man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-man/) [Fulfilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfilling/) [Fulfilling Accomplishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfilling-accomplishing-846079/) [Idleness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idleness/) [Man Patiently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-patiently-846077/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Occasions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasions/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Patience and waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience-and-waiting/) [Patiently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patiently/) [Patiently Bide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patiently-bide-846076/) [Procrastination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastination/) [Steady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steady/) [Tasks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tasks/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time and patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-and-patience/) [Time patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-patience/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing/) [Willing Fulfilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing-fulfilling-846078/) ## Related quotes > [Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. 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Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I guess good things come to those who wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busch/i-guess-good-things-come-to-those-who-wait/) [Kurt Busch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busch/) > [Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/never-make-your-most-important-decisions-when-you-are-in-your-worst/) [Robert H. 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Water does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/remember-that-my-child-remember-you-are-half-water-if-you-can-t-go/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All things come to those who wait,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-fane/all-things-come-to-those-who-wait/) [Violet Fane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-fane/) > [Good things come to those who initiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-roane/good-things-come-to-those-who-initiate/) [Susan RoAne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-roane/) > [“Everywhere in nature we are taught the lessons of patience and waiting. We want things a long time before we get them, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-f-smith/everywhere-in-nature-we-are-taught-the-lessons-of-patience-and/) [Joseph F. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-f-smith/) > [The single biggest advantage a value investor has is not IQ. It's patience and waiting. 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When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/water-does-not-resist-water-flows-when-you-plunge-your-hand-into-it/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All things come to him who waits - even justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/all-things-come-to-him-who-waits-even-justice/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) ## More by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow > [The spring came suddenly, bursting upon the world as a child bursts into a room, with a laugh and a shout and hands full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-spring-came-suddenly-bursting-upon-the-world-as-a-child-bursts/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [In old age our bodies are worn-out instruments, on which the soul tries in vain to play the melodies of youth. 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Alike were they free from   Fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-dwelt-together-in-love-these-simple-acadian-farmers-dwelt-in-the/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [The trees are white with dust, that o'er their sleep Wave their broad curtains in the south-wind's breath, While underneath such leafy tents they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-trees-are-white-with-dust-that-o-er-their-sleep-wave-their-broad/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/heights-by-great-men-reached-and-kept-were-not-obtained-by-sudden/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [All things come round to him who will but wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/all-things-come-round-to-him-who-will-but-wait/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Ah, how skillful grows the hand That obeyeth Love's command! It is the heart, and not the brain, That to the highest doth attain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/ah-how-skillful-grows-the-hand-that-obeyeth-love-s-command-it-is-the/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Thus departed Hiawatha, Hiawatha the Beloved, In the glory of the sunset, In the purple mists of evening, To the regions of the home-wind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-departed-hiawatha-hiawatha-the-beloved-in-the-glory-of-the/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Books are sepulchres of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/books-are-sepulchres-of-thought/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Morality without religion is only a kind of dead reckoning - an endeavor to find our place on a cloudy sea by measuring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/morality-without-religion-is-only-a-kind-of-dead-reckoning-an/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Buried was the bloody hatchet; Buried was the dreadful war-club; Buried were all warlike weapons, And the war-cry was forgotten. Then was peace among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/buried-was-the-bloody-hatchet-buried-was-the-dreadful-war-club-buried/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) [Explore all 755 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) ## More Cheerful quotes > [Cheerfulness in most cheerful people is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/cheerfulness-in-most-cheerful-people-is-the-rich-and-satisfying/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [The best Maxim I know in this life is, to drink your Coffee when you can, and when you cannot, to be easy without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/the-best-maxim-i-know-in-this-life-is-to-drink-your-coffee-when-you/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. 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I'll be glad of some cheerful company."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/well-we-can-ride-together-for-a-while-longer-the-highway-south-is/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [ It's sad if people think that's (homemaking) a dull existance, \[but\] you can't just buy an apartment and furnish it and walk away. It's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/it-s-sad-if-people-think-that-s-homemaking-a-dull-existance-but-you/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [When I was about 17, I had a row with my mother and left home for six months, renting a flat and working as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-robinson/when-i-was-about-17-i-had-a-row-with-my-mother-and-left-home-for-six/) [Anne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-robinson/) > [Children ask better questions than adults. "May I have a cookie?" 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