---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Spend more time in daily reflection…"
description: "\"Spend more time in daily reflection, contemplation and meditation. Had I done that at 20, things would have been very different in my life. But things ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/iyanla-vanzant-557_contemplation_spend-more-time-in-daily-reflection-cont_487286.png"
---

#  Spend more time in daily reflection, contemplation and…

![“Spend more time in daily reflection, contemplation and meditation. Had I done that at 20, things would have been very different in my life. But things really were as they needed to be, because I had to learn ... how important it was.” quote by Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/iyanla-vanzant-557_contemplation_spend-more-time-in-daily-reflection-cont_487286.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/iyanla-vanzant-557_contemplation_spend-more-time-in-daily-reflection-cont_487286.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/iyanla-vanzant-557_contemplation_spend-more-time-in-daily-reflection-cont_487286.png)

> “Spend more time in daily reflection, contemplation and meditation. Had I done that at 20, things would have been very different in my life. But things really were as they needed to be, because I had to learn ... how important it was.”

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

## About This Quote

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

Early reflection shapes life direction; hindsight teaches its necessity.

**In simple terms:** Reflecting early changes outcomes.

Key Takeaway

Start daily reflection.

Themes

self‑knowledge growth mindfulness learning

Mood

calm inspired

Type

self‑help motivational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- personal crises
- spiritual practice
- education choices

Key Concepts

introspection personal development life purpose

Questions to Reflect On

- What habit will you begin today?
- How can reflection guide your next decision?

A Different Perspective

Reflection alone doesn’t guarantee change without action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Contemplation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplation/) [Daily Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-reflection-4177575/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Meditation 20](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation-20-4177574/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Reflection Contemplation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection-contemplation-1416650/) [Spend time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spend-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Many scientists think that philosophy has no place, so for me it's a sad time because the role of reflection, contemplation, meditation, self inquiry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/many-scientists-think-that-philosophy-has-no-place-so-for-me-it-s-a/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [“objective. This objective is to silence the busy mind, free it from stress, and prepare it for reflection and contemplation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anong-sasithorn/objective-this-objective-is-to-silence-the-busy-mind-free-it-from/)

[Anong Sasithorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anong-sasithorn/)

> [“This objective is to silence the busy mind, free it from stress, and prepare it for reflection and contemplation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anong-sasithorn/this-objective-is-to-silence-the-busy-mind-free-it-from-stress-and/)

[Anong Sasithorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anong-sasithorn/)

> [I do a lot of reflection. I do. I spend a lot of time in reflection and contemplation. I guess the way the old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/i-do-a-lot-of-reflection-i-do-i-spend-a-lot-of-time-in-reflection-and/)

[Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/)

> [But for me I think it's just about taking that time of reflection and contemplation. That's probably my process in every decision that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbra/but-for-me-i-think-it-s-just-about-taking-that-time-of-reflection-and/)

[Kimbra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbra/)

> [In the sweet territory of silence we touch the mystery. It's the place of reflection and contemplation, and it's the place where we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angeles-arrien/in-the-sweet-territory-of-silence-we-touch-the-mystery-it-s-the-place/)

[Angeles Arrien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angeles-arrien/)

> [The Chautauqua Institution is truly a national treasure. It is a place for contemplation and a place for reflection, a place where platitudes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-spitzer/the-chautauqua-institution-is-truly-a-national-treasure-it-is-a-place/)

[Eliot Spitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-spitzer/)

> [“Prayer does not blind us to the world, but it transforms our vision of the world, and makes us see it, all men, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/prayer-does-not-blind-us-to-the-world-but-it-transforms-our-vision-of/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [Meditation is object-less. If you use any object, then it is not meditation; it becomes thinking. It becomes contemplation; it becomes reflection, but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/meditation-is-object-less-if-you-use-any-object-then-it-is-not/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [“Cesar is not a philosophical man. His life has been one long flight from reflection. At least he is clever enough not to expose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/cesar-is-not-a-philosophical-man-his-life-has-been-one-long-flight/)

[Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/)

> [What was more needed by this old man who divided the leisure hours of his life, where he had so little leisure, between gardening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/what-was-more-needed-by-this-old-man-who-divided-the-leisure-hours-of/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“He captures memories because if he forgets them, it's as though they didn't happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/he-captures-memories-because-if-he-forgets-them-it-s-as-though-they/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [I think the greatest gift we can give our children is the experience of deep quiet. If we don’t help our children cultivate contemplation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-think-the-greatest-gift-we-can-give-our-children-is-the-experience/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Use your time, energy and talents to do the best you can right now. Spend no time wishing it were better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/use-your-time-energy-and-talents-to-do-the-best-you-can-right-now/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [“Inside every pause lived a contemplation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/inside-every-pause-lived-a-contemplation/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

## More by Iyanla Vanzant

> [For some reason,we keep forgetting some of our experience. We look back but don't bring the value forward. We bring the anger, the upset.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/for-some-reason-we-keep-forgetting-some-of-our-experience-we-look/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [All things are lessons that God would have us learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/all-things-are-lessons-that-god-would-have-us-learn/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [“Life would be so much easier if, when we hit a snag in a relationship, any relationship, we would stop, address it, and move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/life-would-be-so-much-easier-if-when-we-hit-a-snag-in-a-relationship/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [How do you spell peace? P-R-A-Y-E-R! Anything you believe you need is available to you through prayer. We are not talking here about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/how-do-you-spell-peace-p-r-a-y-e-r-anything-you-believe-you-need-is/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [We are distracted from our greatness because are greatness is what scares us. Right where you are…God is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/we-are-distracted-from-our-greatness-because-are-greatness-is-what/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [Some children do what they’re told to do; some children do what they’re told not to do; all children do what they’re parents have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/some-children-do-what-they-re-told-to-do-some-children-do-what-they/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [Life doesn't have to be hard, life is on your side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/life-doesn-t-have-to-be-hard-life-is-on-your-side/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [You can accept or reject the way you are treated by other people, but until you heal the wounds of your past, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/you-can-accept-or-reject-the-way-you-are-treated-by-other-people-but/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [We must each learn to feel comfortable in our own uniqueness by rising above the fear of being wrong and the aversion to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/we-must-each-learn-to-feel-comfortable-in-our-own-uniqueness-by/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [I am not seeking anything but service to my creator. I do not need a house, I do not need a car, I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/i-am-not-seeking-anything-but-service-to-my-creator-i-do-not-need-a/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [The remedy for life's broken pieces is not classes, workshops or books. Don't try to heal the broken pieces. Just forgive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/the-remedy-for-life-s-broken-pieces-is-not-classes-workshops-or-books/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [When someone entrusts their heart to you they are giving you a piece of their soul. You cannot treat the soul casually. You must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/when-someone-entrusts-their-heart-to-you-they-are-giving-you-a-piece/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [When you have something to do life will not allow you to ove foward until you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/when-you-have-something-to-do-life-will-not-allow-you-to-ove-foward/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [Have you doubted your progress, regretted your choices, put yourself down? Remember that you are doing just fine. Remind yourself right now that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/have-you-doubted-your-progress-regretted-your-choices-put-yourself/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [The only relationship we can have in this life is the relationship we have with ourselves. We cannot love anybody more than we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/the-only-relationship-we-can-have-in-this-life-is-the-relationship-we/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

[Explore all 476 Iyanla Vanzant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

## More Contemplation quotes

> [“Inside every pause lived a contemplation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/inside-every-pause-lived-a-contemplation/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [“The problem with the contemplative life was that there was no end to contemplation, no fixed time limit after which thought had to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/the-problem-with-the-contemplative-life-was-that-there-was-no-end-to/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [Poetical taste is the only magician whose wand is not broken. No hand, except its own, can dissolve the fabric of beauty in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/poetical-taste-is-the-only-magician-whose-wand-is-not-broken-no-hand/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [Catholicity seized on man... and the mystics, transcending all, taught him to ascend on high with the wings of contemplation the Ladder of Jacob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-donoso-cortes/catholicity-seized-on-man-and-the-mystics-transcending-all-taught-him/)

[Juan Donoso Cortes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-donoso-cortes/)

> [To enter into the realm of contemplation one must in a certain sense die: but this death is in fact the entrance to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-enter-into-the-realm-of-contemplation-one-must-in-a-certain-sense/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [The whole of life is a journey toward youthful old age, toward self-contemplation, love, gaiety, and, in a fundamental sense, the most gratifying time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/the-whole-of-life-is-a-journey-toward-youthful-old-age-toward-self/)

[Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/)

> [“Yet that grief and this joy were alike outside all the ordinary conditions of life; they were loop-holes, as it were, in that ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/yet-that-grief-and-this-joy-were-alike-outside-all-the-ordinary/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Everyone who wants to know what will happen ought to examine what has happened: everything in this world in any epoch has their replicas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/everyone-who-wants-to-know-what-will-happen-ought-to-examine-what-has/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [We must not imitate the externals of nature with so much fidelity that the picture fails to evoke that wonderful teasing recurrence of emotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/we-must-not-imitate-the-externals-of-nature-with-so-much-fidelity/)

[John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/)

> [As objects of contemplation, images of the atrocious can answer to several different needs. To steel oneself against weakness. To make oneself more numb.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/as-objects-of-contemplation-images-of-the-atrocious-can-answer-to/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [I think the church should strive to give parishioners good music. Music is as necessary for worship as a building with a beautiful altar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/i-think-the-church-should-strive-to-give-parishioners-good-music/)

[Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/)

> [ My contemplation of life and human nature in that secluded place \[cell 54 of Cairo Central Prison\] taught me that he who cannot change… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-sadat/my-contemplation-of-life-and-human-nature-in-that-secluded-place-cell/)

[Anwar Sadat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-sadat/)

> [You cannot grow in the integrative dance of action and contemplation without a strong tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to allow, forgive, and contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/you-cannot-grow-in-the-integrative-dance-of-action-and-contemplation/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

[Browse all 960 Contemplation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplation/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Spend more time in daily reflection, contemplation and meditation. Had I done that at 20, things would have been very different in my life. But things really were as they needed to be, because I had to learn ... how important it was.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Iyanla Vanzant"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/spend-more-time-in-daily-reflection-contemplation-and-meditation-had/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Contemplation"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/spend-more-time-in-daily-reflection-contemplation-and-meditation-had/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/iyanla-vanzant-557_contemplation_spend-more-time-in-daily-reflection-cont_487286.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/iyanla-vanzant-557_contemplation_spend-more-time-in-daily-reflection-cont_487286.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/iyanla-vanzant-557_contemplation_spend-more-time-in-daily-reflection-cont_487286.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Spend more time in daily reflection, contemplation and meditation. Had I done that at 20, things would have…” — Iyanla Vanzant",
                "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": "Iyanla Vanzant",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Spend more time in daily reflection,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/spend-more-time-in-daily-reflection-contemplation-and-meditation-had/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/spend-more-time-in-daily-reflection-contemplation-and-meditation-had/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
