--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A stopped clock is correct twice a day…" description: "\"A stopped clock is correct twice a day, but a sundial can be used to stab someone, even at nighttime.\" — John Hodgman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b28/john-hodgman-1811_clock_a-stopped-clock-is-correct-twice-a-day-b_3134906.jpg" --- # A stopped clock is correct twice a day, but a sundial can… ![“A stopped clock is correct twice a day, but a sundial can be used to stab someone, even at nighttime.” quote by John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b28/john-hodgman-1811_clock_a-stopped-clock-is-correct-twice-a-day-b_3134906.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b28/john-hodgman-1811_clock_a-stopped-clock-is-correct-twice-a-day-b_3134906.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b28/john-hodgman-1811_clock_a-stopped-clock-is-correct-twice-a-day-b_3134906.jpg) > “A stopped clock is correct twice a day, but a sundial can be used to stab someone, even at nighttime.” [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A stopped clock is occasionally right, while a sundial, though useful, can be weaponized even when dark, highlighting absurdities in logic. **In simple terms:** Even useless things can be right sometimes; tools can be misused. Key Takeaway Question the usefulness and potential misuse of tools. Themes logic absurdity misuse Mood cautious thoughtful Type humorous philosophical When to use this quote - daily gadgets - timekeeping devices - self‑defense tools Key Concepts philosophy ethics Questions to Reflect On - When have you seen a benign tool become harmful? - What safeguards can prevent misuse? A Different Perspective Even harmless objects can become dangerous in the wrong hands. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Day Sundial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-sundial-5560317/) [Nighttime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nighttime/) [Stab Nighttime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stab-nighttime-5560318/) [Sundial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sundial/) [Sundial Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sundial-used-5560316/) [Sundials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sundials/) [Twice Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twice-day/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) ## Related quotes > [An inch of time on the sundial is worth more than a foot of jade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/an-inch-of-time-on-the-sundial-is-worth-more-than-a-foot-of-jade/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Like the sundial, my paint box counts no hours but sunny ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rackham/like-the-sundial-my-paint-box-counts-no-hours-but-sunny-ones/) [Arthur Rackham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rackham/) > [Old sundial, you stand here for Time: For Love, the vine that round your base Its tendrils twines, and dares to climb And lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-farjeon/old-sundial-you-stand-here-for-time-for-love-the-vine-that-round-your/) [Eleanor Farjeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-farjeon/) > [I am a sundial, and I make a botch Of what is done much better by a watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/i-am-a-sundial-and-i-make-a-botch-of-what-is-done-much-better-by-a/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [“And the time sundials tell May be minutes and hours. But it may just as well Be seconds and sparkles, or seasons and flowers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ciardi/and-the-time-sundials-tell-may-be-minutes-and-hours-but-it-may-just/) [John Ciardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ciardi/) > [I suppose we all tend to remember only the happiness from our childhood, as a sundial refuses to tell the time except in fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-levin/i-suppose-we-all-tend-to-remember-only-the-happiness-from-our/) [Bernard Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-levin/) > [The Bible without the Holy Spirit is a sundial by moonlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/the-bible-without-the-holy-spirit-is-a-sundial-by-moonlight/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [“the sundial, words were carved: I ONLY MARK THE HOURS THAT SHINE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/the-sundial-words-were-carved-i-only-mark-the-hours-that-shine/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/hide-not-your-talents-they-for-use-were-made-what-s-a-sundial-in-the/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“I'm very damn wet!' he said aloud to the sundial.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-m-very-damn-wet-he-said-aloud-to-the-sundial/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“I continued my explorations in a cobbled yard overlooked by broken doors and cracked windows. Pushing open a swollen door into a storeroom, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/i-continued-my-explorations-in-a-cobbled-yard-overlooked-by-broken/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“Autumn The cheerful sundial it falls in the shadow of thy leaves there where your branches brace themselves against the gate of heaven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/autumn-the-cheerful-sundial-it-falls-in-the-shadow-of-thy-leaves/) [sir kristian goldmund aumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/) > [“She looked as if she were a vampire about to check the time—with a sundial.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/she-looked-as-if-she-were-a-vampire-about-to-check-the-time-with-a/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [“Okay, fuck the sundial. We'll just go straight and eventually we'll get there. What I mean is that we'll get somewhere. Out of here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/okay-fuck-the-sundial-we-ll-just-go-straight-and-eventually-we-ll-get/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [If America is to be run by the people, it is the people who must think. And we do not need to put on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/if-america-is-to-be-run-by-the-people-it-is-the-people-who-must-think/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) ## More by John Hodgman > [Life may be miraculous in its unlikelihood in the universe, but it would be a fallacy to suggest that its rareness makes it inextinguishable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/life-may-be-miraculous-in-its-unlikelihood-in-the-universe-but-it/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [I navigated the world as a hedge maze of constant fear and worry in which I might take the wrong turn and jeopardize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-navigated-the-world-as-a-hedge-maze-of-constant-fear-and-worry-in/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [“There are transitions in life whether we want them or not. You get older. You lose jobs and loves and people. The story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/there-are-transitions-in-life-whether-we-want-them-or-not-you-get/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald meet in hell and team up to assassinate Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/john-wilkes-booth-and-lee-harvey-oswald-meet-in-hell-and-team-up-to/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [I think in American culture, we put value on economic success but tell people you don't have to be economically successful to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-think-in-american-culture-we-put-value-on-economic-success-but-tell/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [If you look in the dictionary under 'perfectionist,' you see Henry Selick correcting the definition of perfectionist in the dictionary. I mean, he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/if-you-look-in-the-dictionary-under-perfectionist-you-see-henry/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [Lies are just another kind of storytelling, but with the very distinct and enlivening motive of desperation. Since writers are by nature desperate creatures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/lies-are-just-another-kind-of-storytelling-but-with-the-very-distinct/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [I've made my evolutionary purpose and had children. I don't care if anybody likes me, I'm going to do what I want to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-ve-made-my-evolutionary-purpose-and-had-children-i-don-t-care-if/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [“When you live in New York or any big city, it is easy to fail at growing up. The city is designed to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/when-you-live-in-new-york-or-any-big-city-it-is-easy-to-fail-at/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [I don't wish to brag, but I'm very intelligent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-don-t-wish-to-brag-but-i-m-very-intelligent/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [You wouldn't want to live a life in which you are loved or approved by all people on Earth or even within your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/you-wouldn-t-want-to-live-a-life-in-which-you-are-loved-or-approved/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [Well, I always had this desire to celebrate and somehow be a part of things that I thought were really great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/well-i-always-had-this-desire-to-celebrate-and-somehow-be-a-part-of/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [I would be good for maybe not the center square but an upper square on 'Hollywood Squares.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-would-be-good-for-maybe-not-the-center-square-but-an-upper-square/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [One of the things about crowd work that's so exciting is when you discover a character in the audience who's interesting or funny, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/one-of-the-things-about-crowd-work-that-s-so-exciting-is-when-you/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [“Maine is not a death cult. I mean, it is, but it's a slow one. It creeps in like the tide, and without your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/maine-is-not-a-death-cult-i-mean-it-is-but-it-s-a-slow-one-it-creeps/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) [Explore all 207 John Hodgman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) ## More Clock quotes > [Even Einstein had to rely for his time on his clock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/even-einstein-had-to-rely-for-his-time-on-his-clock/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) > [“Time was never neutral and often felt dangerous. We either think we have all the time in the world or time moves too fast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-reay/time-was-never-neutral-and-often-felt-dangerous-we-either-think-we/) [Katherine Reay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-reay/) > [Before a clock was in the tower, Or e'er a watch was worn; I knew of night the passing hour, And prophesied the morn;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/before-a-clock-was-in-the-tower-or-e-er-a-watch-was-worn-i-knew-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) > [“Time is, to put it in its most impressive and some might say poncy-sounding form, my domain. I can see things that once happened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-rayner/time-is-to-put-it-in-its-most-impressive-and-some-might-say-poncy/) [Jacqueline Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-rayner/) > [Time travel offends our sense of cause and effect - but maybe the universe doesn't insist on cause and effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/time-travel-offends-our-sense-of-cause-and-effect-but-maybe-the/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [Time.The greatest creator, and the worst destroyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levi-keely/time-the-greatest-creator-and-the-worst-destroyer/) [Levi Keely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levi-keely/) > [Steven Spielberg seems to have wanted to be a director from 13. He put his dog in a certain position and made him eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/steven-spielberg-seems-to-have-wanted-to-be-a-director-from-13-he-put/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [No life goes past so swiftly as an eventless one, no clock spins like a clock whose days are all alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/no-life-goes-past-so-swiftly-as-an-eventless-one-no-clock-spins-like/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Those who stop marketing to save money are like those who stop a clock to save time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/those-who-stop-marketing-to-save-money-are-like-those-who-stop-a/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [Time is the nervous system of narration, whether factual or fictive. If it gets confused some of the minutiae of human nature are certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/time-is-the-nervous-system-of-narration-whether-factual-or-fictive-if/) [Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/) > [I don't know if it's just me or everyone, but the whole vibe with skiing is not so much thriving on competition against others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/picabo-street/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-just-me-or-everyone-but-the-whole-vibe-with/) [Picabo Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/picabo-street/) > [Time goes on, even when yer not looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/time-goes-on-even-when-yer-not-looking/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) [Browse all 2,738 Clock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A stopped clock is correct twice a day, but a sundial can be used to stab someone, even at nighttime.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Hodgman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/a-stopped-clock-is-correct-twice-a-day-but-a-sundial-can-be-used-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clock" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/a-stopped-clock-is-correct-twice-a-day-but-a-sundial-can-be-used-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b28/john-hodgman-1811_clock_a-stopped-clock-is-correct-twice-a-day-b_3134906.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b28/john-hodgman-1811_clock_a-stopped-clock-is-correct-twice-a-day-b_3134906.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b28/john-hodgman-1811_clock_a-stopped-clock-is-correct-twice-a-day-b_3134906.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A stopped clock is correct twice a day, but a sundial can be used to stab someone, even at nighttime.” — John Hodgman", "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 Hodgman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A stopped clock is correct twice...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/a-stopped-clock-is-correct-twice-a-day-but-a-sundial-can-be-used-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/a-stopped-clock-is-correct-twice-a-day-but-a-sundial-can-be-used-to/#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 } } ] } ```