--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Chance and change are busy ever;Man…" description: "\"Chance and change are busy ever;Man decays, and ages move;But His mercy waneth never;God is wisdom, God is love.\" — John Bowring" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/john-bowring-49261_age_chance-and-change-are-busy-ever-man-deca_1311673.png" --- # Chance and change are busy ever;Man decays, and ages… ![“Chance and change are busy ever;Man decays, and ages move;But His mercy waneth never;God is wisdom, God is love.” quote by John Bowring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/john-bowring-49261_age_chance-and-change-are-busy-ever-man-deca_1311673.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/john-bowring-49261_age_chance-and-change-are-busy-ever-man-deca_1311673.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/john-bowring-49261_age_chance-and-change-are-busy-ever-man-deca_1311673.png) > “Chance and change are busy ever;Man decays, and ages move;But His mercy waneth never;God is wisdom, God is love.” [John Bowring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bowring/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human existence is fleeting, yet divine mercy and wisdom remain constant despite decay and time. **In simple terms:** Life is brief, but divine love endures. Key Takeaway Trust in enduring divine compassion. Themes mortality divine mercy wisdom love Mood contemplative reverent Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - personal loss - spiritual reflection - ethical decision making Key Concepts theology philosophy eternity Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile human decay with belief in unending mercy? - What role does divine wisdom play in daily life? A Different Perspective Human frailty challenges reliance on divine constancy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [“I understand why King Solomon asked for wisdom from God. For wisdom is like oil to a lamp, what would be the essence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/i-understand-why-king-solomon-asked-for-wisdom-from-god-for-wisdom-is/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [“God’s wisdom, not God’s justice, forms the basis of God’s activity in the world. Faith trusts that God is wise and that therefore his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-walton/god-s-wisdom-not-god-s-justice-forms-the-basis-of-god-s-activity-in/) [John H. Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-walton/) > [The foolishness of the cross is the wisdom of God and the wisdom of God is powerful in its impact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-begg/the-foolishness-of-the-cross-is-the-wisdom-of-god-and-the-wisdom-of/) [Alistair Begg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-begg/) > [A truly humble man is sensible of his natural distance from God; of his dependence on Him; of the insufficiency of his own power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-edwards/a-truly-humble-man-is-sensible-of-his-natural-distance-from-god-of/) [Jonathan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-edwards/) > [I see, indeed I know, that in some sense God is love, and God is wisdom, and God is creative action, yes and God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/i-see-indeed-i-know-that-in-some-sense-god-is-love-and-god-is-wisdom/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [We don't go to the ocean for anything as simple as happiness, do we? We go there to feel alive. Like life, the ocean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-wilks/we-don-t-go-to-the-ocean-for-anything-as-simple-as-happiness-do-we-we/) [Eileen Wilks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-wilks/) > [The 3 C's of Life: Choices, Chances and Changes.You must make a choice to take a chance or you will never change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/the-3-c-s-of-life-choices-chances-and-changes-you-must-make-a-choice/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [The equations of dynamics completely express the laws of the historical method as applied to matter, but the application of these equations implies a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clerk-maxwell/the-equations-of-dynamics-completely-express-the-laws-of-the/) [James Clerk Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clerk-maxwell/) > [Fate,Time,Occasion,Chance, and Change? To these All things are subject but eternal love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/fate-time-occasion-chance-and-change-to-these-all-things-are-subject/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [In this world of chance and change and mutability, the fulfillment of any resolve depends on the will of the Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinoba-bhave/in-this-world-of-chance-and-change-and-mutability-the-fulfillment-of/) [Vinoba Bhave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinoba-bhave/) > [Life is full of chances and changes, and the most prosperous of men may in the evening of his days meet with great misfortunes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/life-is-full-of-chances-and-changes-and-the-most-prosperous-of-men/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Do we, holding that the gods exist, deceive ourselves with insubstantial dreams and lies, while random careless chance and change alone control the world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/do-we-holding-that-the-gods-exist-deceive-ourselves-with/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“...believing in the magic of life, the power of hope, the cosmic sanity of chance and change, and the unmistakable power of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-radish/believing-in-the-magic-of-life-the-power-of-hope-the-cosmic-sanity-of/) [Kris Radish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-radish/) > [God never gives dominion to any creature which has not received his image. His image is love. Other things belong to God; but God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-matheson/god-never-gives-dominion-to-any-creature-which-has-not-received-his/) [George Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-matheson/) > [“Wisdom is the God-given ability to see life with rare objectivity and to handle life with rare stability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/wisdom-is-the-god-given-ability-to-see-life-with-rare-objectivity-and/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) ## More by John Bowring > [There is in every human heart Some not completely barren part, Where seeds of truth and love might grow, And flowers of generous virtue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bowring/there-is-in-every-human-heart-some-not-completely-barren-part-where/) [John Bowring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bowring/) > [The talents lost--the moments run To waste--the sins of act, of thought, Ten thousand deeds of folly done, And countless virtues cherish'd not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bowring/the-talents-lost-the-moments-run-to-waste-the-sins-of-act-of-thought/) [John Bowring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bowring/) > [In the cross of Christ I glory,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bowring/in-the-cross-of-christ-i-glory/) [John Bowring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bowring/) > [In the cross of Christ I glory,Towering o'er the wrecks of time;All the light of sacred storyGathers round its head sublime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bowring/in-the-cross-of-christ-i-glory-towering-o-er-the-wrecks-of-time-all/) [John Bowring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bowring/) > [Sleep is no servant of the will; it has caprices of its own; when courted most, it lingers still; when most pursued, 'tis swiftly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bowring/sleep-is-no-servant-of-the-will-it-has-caprices-of-its-own-when/) [John Bowring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bowring/) > [A happy family is but an ealier heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bowring/a-happy-family-is-but-an-ealier-heaven/) [John Bowring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bowring/) [Explore all 7 John Bowring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bowring/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Chance and change are busy ever;Man decays, and ages move;But His mercy waneth never;God is wisdom, God is love.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Bowring" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bowring/chance-and-change-are-busy-ever-man-decays-and-ages-move-but-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bowring/chance-and-change-are-busy-ever-man-decays-and-ages-move-but-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/john-bowring-49261_age_chance-and-change-are-busy-ever-man-deca_1311673.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/john-bowring-49261_age_chance-and-change-are-busy-ever-man-deca_1311673.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/john-bowring-49261_age_chance-and-change-are-busy-ever-man-deca_1311673.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Chance and change are busy ever;Man decays, and ages move;But His mercy waneth never;God is wisdom, God is…” — John Bowring", "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": "John Bowring", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bowring/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Chance and change are busy ever;Man...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bowring/chance-and-change-are-busy-ever-man-decays-and-ages-move-but-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bowring/chance-and-change-are-busy-ever-man-decays-and-ages-move-but-his/#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 } } ] } ```