--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was once being interviewed by Barbara…" description: "\"I was once being interviewed by Barbara Walters. In between two of the segments she asked me: \"But what would you do if the doctor gave you only six mo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6de/isaac-asimov-309_barbara_i-was-once-being-interviewed-by-barbara_1074716.jpg" --- # I was once being interviewed by Barbara Walters. In… ![“I was once being interviewed by Barbara Walters. In between two of the segments she asked me: "But what would you do if the doctor gave you only six months to live?" I said, "Type faster." This was widely quoted, but the "six months" was changed to "six minutes," which bothered me. It's "six…” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6de/isaac-asimov-309_barbara_i-was-once-being-interviewed-by-barbara_1074716.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6de/isaac-asimov-309_barbara_i-was-once-being-interviewed-by-barbara_1074716.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6de/isaac-asimov-309_barbara_i-was-once-being-interviewed-by-barbara_1074716.jpg) > “I was once being interviewed by Barbara Walters. In between two of the segments she asked me: "But what would you do if the doctor gave you only six months to live?" I said, "Type faster." This was widely quoted, but the "six months" was changed to "six minutes," which bothered me. It's "six months."” [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Urgency can sharpen focus; a short deadline forces productivity. **In simple terms:** Deadlines boost speed. Key Takeaway Embrace urgency wisely. Themes productivity time pressure focus Mood inspirational thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - project work - creative writing - academic research - emergency response Key Concepts behavioral economics motivation Questions to Reflect On - What deadline would motivate you most? - How can you balance speed with quality? A Different Perspective Excessive pressure may cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asked Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-doctor-299380/) [Barbara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbara/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbara-walters/) [Bothered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bothered/) [Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Faster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faster/) [Gave Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-months-260211/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Interviewed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviewed-252864/) [Interviewed Barbara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviewed-barbara-2694886/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months/) [Months Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months-changed-380553/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Six months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six-months/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) ## Related quotes > [The Hours Turned To Days,Days To Weeks,And Weeks To Months.Nothing Has Changed,Im Still In Love And YoureStill Gone?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinku-razoria/the-hours-turned-to-days-days-to-weeks-and-weeks-to-months-nothing/) [Tinku Razoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinku-razoria/) > [The Hours Turned into Days. Days into Weeks, And Weeks into Months. Nothing Has Changed... I'm Still In Love And You're Still Gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/the-hours-turned-into-days-days-into-weeks-and-weeks-into-months/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [The Doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn't pay his bill, so the doctor gave him another six months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/the-doctor-gave-a-man-six-months-to-live-the-man-couldn-t-pay-his/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [The hours turned to days, days to weeks, and weeks to months. Nothing has changed, I'm still in love and you're still gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-hours-turned-to-days-days-to-weeks-and-weeks-to-months-nothing-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn't pay his bill, so he gave him another six months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henny-youngman/a-doctor-gave-a-man-six-months-to-live-the-man-couldn-t-pay-his-bill/) [Henny Youngman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henny-youngman/) > [My doctor gave me six months to live, but when I couldn't pay the bill he gave me six months more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-matthau/my-doctor-gave-me-six-months-to-live-but-when-i-couldn-t-pay-the-bill/) [Walter Matthau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-matthau/) > [I'd like more children. I asked the doctor, she said there's still time. I still have the sippy cups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uma-thurman/i-d-like-more-children-i-asked-the-doctor-she-said-there-s-still-time/) [Uma Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uma-thurman/) > [being asked to decide between your passion for work and your passion for children was like being asked by your doctor whether you preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-bevington/being-asked-to-decide-between-your-passion-for-work-and-your-passion/) [Helen Bevington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-bevington/) > [“doctor’s shoulder, through the doorway to sick bay. Alejandra lay on a bed, swaddled in blankets, tubes in her arms, machines monitoring her vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simpson/doctor-s-shoulder-through-the-doorway-to-sick-bay-alejandra-lay-on-a/) [David Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simpson/) > [“Eleanor—“I plan to stay up and read for a while.” “Are you still reading Pamela?” Eleanor asked the doctor. “Volume two. I have three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/eleanor-i-plan-to-stay-up-and-read-for-a-while-are-you-still-reading/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [I asked my doctor how many more years I have left and he said, 'You're too ornery to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-piersall/i-asked-my-doctor-how-many-more-years-i-have-left-and-he-said-you-re/) [Jimmy Piersall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-piersall/) > [“I asked my doctor for the best gift ever: Life. Still, he wouldn’t take one for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-asked-my-doctor-for-the-best-gift-ever-life-still-he-wouldn-t-take/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [A talk show is about having a look at a famous face, a bit of stand-up comedy, knockabout stuff - an interview is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/a-talk-show-is-about-having-a-look-at-a-famous-face-a-bit-of-stand-up/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [Celebrities know I'm not looking for a 'gotcha' moment. I don't want to be Barbara Walters who you come to when you first check…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-mathews/celebrities-know-i-m-not-looking-for-a-gotcha-moment-i-don-t-want-to/) [Ross Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-mathews/) > [When I was on The View, Barbara Walters was asking me about the blood and stuff, and I said, 'Well, you know, that's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/when-i-was-on-the-view-barbara-walters-was-asking-me-about-the-blood/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) ## More by Isaac Asimov > [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Uncertainty that comes from knowledge (knowing what you don't know) is different from uncertainty coming from ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/uncertainty-that-comes-from-knowledge-knowing-what-you-don-t-know-is/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Don't you see? It's Galaxy-wide. It's a worship of the past. It's a deterioration - a stagnation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/don-t-you-see-it-s-galaxy-wide-it-s-a-worship-of-the-past-it-s-a/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/so-the-universe-is-not-quite-as-you-thought-it-was-you-d-better/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“It might seem to you, Peter, that a truck driver, one step above an ape in your view, can't remember. But truck drivers can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-might-seem-to-you-peter-that-a-truck-driver-one-step-above-an-ape/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [When life is so harsh that a man loses all hope in himself, then he raises his eyes to a shining rock, worshipping it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/when-life-is-so-harsh-that-a-man-loses-all-hope-in-himself-then-he/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“You are a military man and should know better. If there is one science into which man has probed continuously and successfully, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-are-a-military-man-and-should-know-better-if-there-is-one-science/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“temperatura constante de mais ou menos 21 graus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/temperatura-constante-de-mais-ou-menos-21-graus/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Human beings can tolerate an immortal robot, for it doesn't matter how long a machine lasts, but they cannot tolerate an immortal human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/human-beings-can-tolerate-an-immortal-robot-for-it-doesn-t-matter-how/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“if people believe this, they would act on that belief. Many a prophecy, by the mere force of its being believed, is transmuted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-people-believe-this-they-would-act-on-that-belief-many-a-prophecy/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [There are many aspects of the universe that still cannot be explained satisfactorily by science; but ignorance implies only ignorance that may someday be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-are-many-aspects-of-the-universe-that-still-cannot-be-explained/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. \[The Second Law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-robot-must-obey-the-orders-given-it-by-human-beings-except-where/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) [Explore all 671 Isaac Asimov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More Barbara quotes > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Work takes me away from my wife, Sue, and my life in Santa Barbara.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/work-takes-me-away-from-my-wife-sue-and-my-life-in-santa-barbara/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [I admire the Elsie Tanners and Barbara Windsors of the world: people who have crawled back from the abyss. I'm quite camp in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-eclair/i-admire-the-elsie-tanners-and-barbara-windsors-of-the-world-people/) [Jenny Eclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-eclair/) > [I had never done a Director's Cut narration on Beaches so I did in time for the release of the DVD. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-marshall/i-had-never-done-a-director-s-cut-narration-on-beaches-so-i-did-in/) [Garry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-marshall/) > [I like to use the hyaluronic acid by Dr. Barbara Sturm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-rowe/i-like-to-use-the-hyaluronic-acid-by-dr-barbara-sturm/) [Camille Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-rowe/) > [As Barbara Streisand discovered, adopting a militaristic posture against a tech-savvy mob of civil libertarians is not going to be of much help: Many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/as-barbara-streisand-discovered-adopting-a-militaristic-posture/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [The postmodern reply to the modern consists of recognizing that the past, since it cannot really be destroyed, because its destruction leads to silence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consists-of-recognizing-that-the/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There's one Baldessari work I genuinely love and would like to own, maybe because of my Midwestern roots and love of driving alone. 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/there-s-one-baldessari-work-i-genuinely-love-and-would-like-to-own/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [I know I'm going to have to get beyond being George H.W. Bush's son and Barbara's son -- for which I'm really proud. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/i-know-i-m-going-to-have-to-get-beyond-being-george-h-w-bush-s-son/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [Throughout her career, Ana Barbara has cultivated endless hits; each of her albums was a true musical surprise... this is why today she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-barbara/throughout-her-career-ana-barbara-has-cultivated-endless-hits-each-of/) [Ana Barbara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-barbara/) > [I mean, the actors that I admired were Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, an actress named Barbara Harris. And Greta Garbo. They were great actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-de-niro/i-mean-the-actors-that-i-admired-were-marlon-brando-montgomery-clift/) [Robert De Niro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-de-niro/) > [I've published many biographies over the years and enjoyed working with writers on their research, discussing it, thinking about it and how it revealed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-wilson/i-ve-published-many-biographies-over-the-years-and-enjoyed-working/) [Victoria Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-wilson/) > [When I was in college, I wanted to be editor of 'Reason' when I grew up. It was an impractical ambition, especially since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-i-was-in-college-i-wanted-to-be-editor-of-reason-when-i-grew-up/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [I was lucky enough to make four pictures with Barbara. In the first I turned her in, in the second I killed her, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-macmurray/i-was-lucky-enough-to-make-four-pictures-with-barbara-in-the-first-i/) [Fred MacMurray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-macmurray/) > [Barbara Parkins was so rude and petty all of the time. I just found her behavior to be so silly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-wood/barbara-parkins-was-so-rude-and-petty-all-of-the-time-i-just-found/) [Lana Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-wood/) [Browse all 176 Barbara quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbara/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was once being interviewed by Barbara Walters. In between two of the segments she asked me: \"But what would you do if the doctor gave you only six months to live?\" I said, \"Type faster.\" This was widely quoted, but the \"six months\" was changed to \"six minutes,\" which bothered me. 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