--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was discovering that the most precious…" description: "\"I was discovering that the most precious gift someone can give us is time, because what gives time its value is death.\" — Ingrid Betancourt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/ingrid-betancourt-12395_death_i-was-discovering-that-the-most-precious_546139.png" --- # I was discovering that the most precious gift someone can… ![“I was discovering that the most precious gift someone can give us is time, because what gives time its value is death.” quote by Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/ingrid-betancourt-12395_death_i-was-discovering-that-the-most-precious_546139.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/ingrid-betancourt-12395_death_i-was-discovering-that-the-most-precious_546139.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/ingrid-betancourt-12395_death_i-was-discovering-that-the-most-precious_546139.png) > “I was discovering that the most precious gift someone can give us is time, because what gives time its value is death.” [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time’s value is highlighted by its finiteness; death gives urgency to how we spend it. **In simple terms:** Death makes time precious. Key Takeaway Prioritize meaningful moments. Themes time mortality value priorities Mood thoughtful inspirational somber Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - family gatherings - career decisions - health planning - volunteering Key Concepts Existentialism psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - What would you do if you had unlimited time? - How does awareness of mortality shape your goals? A Different Perspective Fear of death can paralyze action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Discovering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovering/) [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Gift Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift-time-314088/) [Gives Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gives-time-258083/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Precious gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precious-gift/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Gives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-gives-243146/) [Value Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value-death-4555586/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [He who gives money gives some, he who gives time gives more, and he who gives of himself gives all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/he-who-gives-money-gives-some-he-who-gives-time-gives-more-and-he-who/) [Thomas S. 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One thing she said stayed with me, a dagger in my heart: "You know for me the most horrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/i-often-think-about-her-one-thing-she-said-stayed-with-me-a-dagger-in/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [I think there is this sensation of being deprived of something that you are entitled to have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/i-think-there-is-this-sensation-of-being-deprived-of-something-that/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [Sometimes I'm fragile, sometimes too emotional, but I'm putting everything I can on my side to be a happy person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/sometimes-i-m-fragile-sometimes-too-emotional-but-i-m-putting/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [If you believe what you say, words will become reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/if-you-believe-what-you-say-words-will-become-reality/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [I think that the security in the cities is a lot better, but I think that outside the cities the peasants have no security,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/i-think-that-the-security-in-the-cities-is-a-lot-better-but-i-think/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [“I had not suffered enough to find the rage in my guts I needed to struggle to death for my freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/i-had-not-suffered-enough-to-find-the-rage-in-my-guts-i-needed-to/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [Before I was abducted, I think that happiness was related to success. Nowadays happiness is related, for me, to rest, peace, serenity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/before-i-was-abducted-i-think-that-happiness-was-related-to-success/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [“I already knew that I had the ability to free myself from hatred, and I viewed this as my most significant conquest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/i-already-knew-that-i-had-the-ability-to-free-myself-from-hatred-and/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [I was struggling against corruption and the only thing... my only weapon was to put the truth in the medias and of course it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/i-was-struggling-against-corruption-and-the-only-thing-my-only-weapon/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [If my goal is to change Colombia, which it is because I really think Columbia has to change in many, many ways - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/if-my-goal-is-to-change-colombia-which-it-is-because-i-really-think/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [Our life capital is measured in seconds. Once those seconds are gone, we never get them back!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/our-life-capital-is-measured-in-seconds-once-those-seconds-are-gone/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [For me the very important thing was never to forget that they had no right to have me there, that my duty was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/for-me-the-very-important-thing-was-never-to-forget-that-they-had-no/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [People need space to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/people-need-space-to-survive/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [“The book in my hands became my trusted companion. What was written there had so much power that it forced me to stop avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/the-book-in-my-hands-became-my-trusted-companion-what-was-written/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) > [“He had to be okay. We had no choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/he-had-to-be-okay-we-had-no-choice/) [Ingrid Betancourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) [Explore all 47 Ingrid Betancourt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. 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Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) [J. Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/) > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) [Alan W. 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You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was discovering that the most precious gift someone can give us is time, because what gives time its value is death.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ingrid Betancourt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/i-was-discovering-that-the-most-precious-gift-someone-can-give-us-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/i-was-discovering-that-the-most-precious-gift-someone-can-give-us-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/ingrid-betancourt-12395_death_i-was-discovering-that-the-most-precious_546139.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/ingrid-betancourt-12395_death_i-was-discovering-that-the-most-precious_546139.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/ingrid-betancourt-12395_death_i-was-discovering-that-the-most-precious_546139.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was discovering that the most precious gift someone can give us is time, because what gives time its value…” — Ingrid Betancourt", "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": "Ingrid Betancourt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-betancourt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was discovering that the most...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/i-was-discovering-that-the-most-precious-gift-someone-can-give-us-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-betancourt/i-was-discovering-that-the-most-precious-gift-someone-can-give-us-is/#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 } } ] } ```