---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I glance at my wristwatch. It has gotten…"
description: "\"“I glance at my wristwatch. It has gotten so late that it is now September 11, and there I am standing in a patch of blue and empty sky.”\" — Hugh Howey"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/hugh-howey-841_september-11_i-glance-at-my-wristwatch-it-has-gotten_2512003.png"
---

#  I glance at my wristwatch. It has gotten so late that it…

![“I glance at my wristwatch. It has gotten so late that it is now September 11, and there I am standing in a patch of blue and empty sky.” quote by Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/hugh-howey-841_september-11_i-glance-at-my-wristwatch-it-has-gotten_2512003.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/hugh-howey-841_september-11_i-glance-at-my-wristwatch-it-has-gotten_2512003.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/hugh-howey-841_september-11_i-glance-at-my-wristwatch-it-has-gotten_2512003.png)

> ““I glance at my wristwatch. It has gotten so late that it is now September 11, and there I am standing in a patch of blue and empty sky.””

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

## About This Quote

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

The narrator feels disoriented by time and setting, highlighting a surreal, detached observation of a moment.

**In simple terms:** Feeling detached from time and place.

Key Takeaway

Notice when you feel out of sync.

Themes

disorientation time place surrealism

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal introspection
- creative writing
- science fiction world

Key Concepts

existential reflection temporal perception

Questions to Reflect On

- How does time affect your perception?
- What does the blue sky symbolize?

A Different Perspective

The line may be metaphorical, not literal.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“It was late in September and a little more than twenty degrees, so what the hell were people smiling for? They ought to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jussi-adler-olsen/it-was-late-in-september-and-a-little-more-than-twenty-degrees-so/)

[Jussi Adler-Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jussi-adler-olsen/)

> [“It might be late September, but is was hot as the six shades of hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/it-might-be-late-september-but-is-was-hot-as-the-six-shades-of-hell/)

[Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/)

> [Youre going away in late September, but heres a thanks for a summer Ill always remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/youre-going-away-in-late-september-but-heres-a-thanks-for-a-summer/)

Azgraybebly Joslan

> [“There is a time in late September when the leaves are still green, and the days are still warm, but somehow you know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/there-is-a-time-in-late-september-when-the-leaves-are-still-green-and/)

[Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/)

> [If any of you have ever lived down south of the Mason-Dixon line, you know that late September still means summer heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-porter/if-any-of-you-have-ever-lived-down-south-of-the-mason-dixon-line-you/)

[Scott Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-porter/)

> [“I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-weber/i-wish-to-wash-my-irish-wristwatch/)

[Riley Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-weber/)

> [As I pointed out in The Art of the Motor and elsewhere, from now on we need two watches: a wristwatch to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/as-i-pointed-out-in-the-art-of-the-motor-and-elsewhere-from-now-on-we/)

[Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/)

> [Dogs lead a nice life. You never see a dog with a wristwatch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/dogs-lead-a-nice-life-you-never-see-a-dog-with-a-wristwatch/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [When a guy takes off his coat, he's not going to fight. When a guy takes off his wristwatch, watch out!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-mcguire/when-a-guy-takes-off-his-coat-he-s-not-going-to-fight-when-a-guy/)

[Al McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-mcguire/)

> [In a wristwatch, imagine the battery is in the strap and there's a medical sensor in there connected to the internet. If someone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sadoway/in-a-wristwatch-imagine-the-battery-is-in-the-strap-and-there-s-a/)

[Donald Sadoway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sadoway/)

> [When I started running, a gadget was a wristwatch with a secondhand on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/when-i-started-running-a-gadget-was-a-wristwatch-with-a-secondhand-on/)

[Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/)

> [Rahel’s toy wristwatch had the time painted on it. Ten to two. One of her ambitions was to own a watch on which she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/rahel-s-toy-wristwatch-had-the-time-painted-on-it-ten-to-two-one-of/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [“Time is relative, Einstein tells us. It’s an artificial construct that we have created to remind us that we are finite, mortal. The universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-robinson/time-is-relative-einstein-tells-us-it-s-an-artificial-construct-that/)

Glen Robinson

> [“It is September 11, 2013. Twelve years have gone by. I’m on a flight from San Francisco to Ft. Lauderdale, a cross-country flight loaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/it-is-september-11-2013-twelve-years-have-gone-by-i-m-on-a-flight/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [I am about to die. It is September 11, and every cell in my body is acutely aware of my looming demise. The certainty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-am-about-to-die-it-is-september-11-and-every-cell-in-my-body-is/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

## More by Hugh Howey

> [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“The Loud came before the quiet. That was a Rule of the World, for the bangs and shouts need somewhere to echo, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-loud-came-before-the-quiet-that-was-a-rule-of-the-world-for-the/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“People from IT sent to replace those they’d killed. Juliette’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/people-from-it-sent-to-replace-those-they-d-killed-juliette-s/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“a heap of words designed to hinder communication rather than facilitate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-heap-of-words-designed-to-hinder-communication-rather-than/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“That leaves Bravo Company, the expendables who know what they’re doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-leaves-bravo-company-the-expendables-who-know-what-they-re-doing/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“Sleep was a vehicle for passing the time, for avoiding the present. It was a trolley for the depressed, the impatient, and the dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/sleep-was-a-vehicle-for-passing-the-time-for-avoiding-the-present-it/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“Overhead, tangles of wires knotted together in a grand display of unplanned infrastructure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/overhead-tangles-of-wires-knotted-together-in-a-grand-display-of/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“Montana wants to scream, but the thing she is angry at is in the past. The past can’t hear her. This is the thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/montana-wants-to-scream-but-the-thing-she-is-angry-at-is-in-the-past/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“I guess what I'm sayin' is, if you want to give Jules a job, be very careful.” “Why be careful?” Marnes asked. Marck gazed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-guess-what-i-m-sayin-is-if-you-want-to-give-jules-a-job-be-very/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [One of the many things that surprised me about 'Wool' is how many of its fans don't consider themselves science fiction readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/one-of-the-many-things-that-surprised-me-about-wool-is-how-many-of/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“We have allowed a dangerous forest to grow as we try to guard against individual trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/we-have-allowed-a-dangerous-forest-to-grow-as-we-try-to-guard-against/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“You’re . . . a rock,” I tell the rock. “The fuck I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/you-re-a-rock-i-tell-the-rock-the-fuck-i-am/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“I hated Sundays as a kid. From the moment I woke up, I could feel Monday looming,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-hated-sundays-as-a-kid-from-the-moment-i-woke-up-i-could-feel/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

[Explore all 351 Hugh Howey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

## More September 11 quotes

> [Mr. Speaker, on September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked, and Britain stood with us. This was not only an attack against America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vito-fossella/mr-speaker-on-september-11-2001-the-united-states-was-attacked-and/)

[Vito Fossella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vito-fossella/)

> [The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the courageous actions of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq remind us that friends of tyranny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/the-terrorist-attacks-of-september-11th-and-the-courageous-actions-of/)

[Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/)

> [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/)

[Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/)

> [America is stronger than ever. We will forever remember those we lost on September 11, 2001. In honoring their memory, we will remain true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-bayh/america-is-stronger-than-ever-we-will-forever-remember-those-we-lost/)

[Evan Bayh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-bayh/)

> [September 11 was a wake-up call to me. I don't want to contribute to the hate in any shape or form. I now regret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamza-yusuf/september-11-was-a-wake-up-call-to-me-i-don-t-want-to-contribute-to/)

[Hamza Yusuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamza-yusuf/)

> [But the point is to get a whole new generation of people and people in general more re-engaged in news, and this has happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/but-the-point-is-to-get-a-whole-new-generation-of-people-and-people/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/tonight-i-ask-for-your-prayers-for-all-those-who-grieve-for-the/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [Fifteen years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the United States government still has little idea how many foreign travelers overstay their visas annually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-meadows/fifteen-years-after-the-september-11-terrorist-attacks-the-united/)

[Mark Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-meadows/)

> [ \[New York\] is a city largely based on great skyscrapers, and they will always be the essence of New York. That won't change, just… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/new-york-is-a-city-largely-based-on-great-skyscrapers-and-they-will/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [But since September 11, we have made every effort to try to work closely with state and local law enforcement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mueller/but-since-september-11-we-have-made-every-effort-to-try-to-work/)

[Robert Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mueller/)

> [As governor, I came to believe that the death penalty would be a just punishment for certain, especially heinous crimes, such as the murder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/as-governor-i-came-to-believe-that-the-death-penalty-would-be-a-just/)

[Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/)

> [Immediately after the September 11th attacks, I volunteered to go to Afghanistan in any capacity that the CIA wanted me. Four months passed before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/immediately-after-the-september-11th-attacks-i-volunteered-to-go-to/)

[John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/)

> [There will be no going back to the era before September 11th, 2001, to false comfort in a dangerous world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-will-be-no-going-back-to-the-era-before-september-11th-2001-to/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [Last week, the House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring the victims and heroes of September 11th. As we commemorate the anniversary of 9-11,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/last-week-the-house-of-representatives-passed-a-resolution-honoring/)

[Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/)

> [Well before September 11, it was understood that with modern technology, the rich and powerful will lose their near monopoly of the means of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/well-before-september-11-it-was-understood-that-with-modern/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

Browse all 379 September 11 quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I glance at my wristwatch. It has gotten so late that it is now September 11, and there I am standing in a patch of blue and empty sky.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hugh Howey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-glance-at-my-wristwatch-it-has-gotten-so-late-that-it-is-now/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "September 11"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-glance-at-my-wristwatch-it-has-gotten-so-late-that-it-is-now/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/hugh-howey-841_september-11_i-glance-at-my-wristwatch-it-has-gotten_2512003.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/hugh-howey-841_september-11_i-glance-at-my-wristwatch-it-has-gotten_2512003.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/hugh-howey-841_september-11_i-glance-at-my-wristwatch-it-has-gotten_2512003.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I glance at my wristwatch. It has gotten so late that it is now September 11, and there I am standing in a…” — Hugh Howey",
                "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": "Hugh Howey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I glance at my wristwatch. It...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-glance-at-my-wristwatch-it-has-gotten-so-late-that-it-is-now/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-glance-at-my-wristwatch-it-has-gotten-so-late-that-it-is-now/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
