--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Time is at once the most valuable and the…" description: "\"Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.\" — John Randolph" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/john-randolph-46079_time_time-is-at-once-the-most-valuable-and-th_1831665.jpg" --- # Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable… ![“Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.” quote by John Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/john-randolph-46079_time_time-is-at-once-the-most-valuable-and-th_1831665.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/john-randolph-46079_time_time-is-at-once-the-most-valuable-and-th_1831665.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/john-randolph-46079_time_time-is-at-once-the-most-valuable-and-th_1831665.jpg) > “Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.” [John Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time is both our most precious asset and most fleeting resource, demanding careful use. **In simple terms:** Time is valuable yet fleeting. Key Takeaway Use time wisely. Themes time management value impermanence priorities Mood urgent reflective Type motivational pragmatic When to use this quote - project planning - daily scheduling - long‑term goal setting - life coaching Key Concepts economics philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What activities deserve your limited time? - How do you balance urgency with importance? A Different Perspective Time cannot be reclaimed once lost; scarcity creates pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Perishable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perishable/) [Perishable Possessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perishable-possessions-2279730/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-valuable/) [Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable/) [Valuable Perishable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable-perishable-2279729/) ## Related quotes > [“Time is valuable. For all the time we've lost by not being together, it has made you the most valuable thing to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-peppernell/time-is-valuable-for-all-the-time-we-ve-lost-by-not-being-together-it/) [Courtney Peppernell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-peppernell/) > [Time is one of our most valuable possessions. Use it wisely. Remind yourselves often that things that matter most should not be left to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-leslie-stone/time-is-one-of-our-most-valuable-possessions-use-it-wisely-remind/) [O. Leslie Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-leslie-stone/) > [“Time is very valuable, how and where you spend it determines the quality of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacksin-taviri/time-is-very-valuable-how-and-where-you-spend-it-determines-the/) [jacksin taviri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacksin-taviri/) > [Arriving late was a way of saying that your own time was more valuable than the time of the person who waited for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/arriving-late-was-a-way-of-saying-that-your-own-time-was-more/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [Anyone who thinks that his time is too valuable to spend keeping quiet will eventually have no time for God and his brother, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/anyone-who-thinks-that-his-time-is-too-valuable-to-spend-keeping/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [A rose on time is more valuable than a $1,000 gift that's too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-rose-on-time-is-more-valuable-than-a-1-000-gift-that-s-too-late/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it and spend it rather than invest it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/time-is-our-most-valuable-asset-yet-we-tend-to-waste-it-kill-it-and/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Time is the most valuable thing on earth: time to think, time to act, time to extend our fraternal relations, time to become better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gompers/time-is-the-most-valuable-thing-on-earth-time-to-think-time-to-act/) [Samuel Gompers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-gompers/) > [Your destiny is too great, your assignment too important, your time too valuable. Don't let fear intimidate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/your-destiny-is-too-great-your-assignment-too-important-your-time-too/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Civilization is a perishable commodity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark-macinnes/civilization-is-a-perishable-commodity/) [Helen Clark MacInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark-macinnes/) > [I don't accept flowers. I take nothing perishable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-goddard/i-don-t-accept-flowers-i-take-nothing-perishable/) [Paulette Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-goddard/) > [One of the realities of fresh and perishable food is if you don't sell it, you throw it away or give it away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/one-of-the-realities-of-fresh-and-perishable-food-is-if-you-don-t/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [“In this marvelous dispensation of the fulness of times, our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/in-this-marvelous-dispensation-of-the-fulness-of-times-our/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [“Employees who are not engaged have untapped potential that sours like a perishable item.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-e-phillips/employees-who-are-not-engaged-have-untapped-potential-that-sours-like/) [Kevin E. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-e-phillips/) > [“I do not write to you, but of you,/because the paper that we write on/is our perishable skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-lee-houghton/i-do-not-write-to-you-but-of-you-because-the-paper-that-we-write-on/) [Melissa Lee-Houghton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-lee-houghton/) ## More by John Randolph > [The surest way to prevent war is not to fear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/the-surest-way-to-prevent-war-is-not-to-fear-it/) [John Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/) > [“All of us have two educations; one which we receive from others; another and more valuable; which we give ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/all-of-us-have-two-educations-one-which-we-receive-from-others/) [John Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/) > [I am an aristocrat. I love liberty; I hate equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/i-am-an-aristocrat-i-love-liberty-i-hate-equality/) [John Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/) > [We all know our duty better than we discharge it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/we-all-know-our-duty-better-than-we-discharge-it/) [John Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/) > [I believe I should have been swept away by the flood of French infidelity, if it had not been for one thing, the remembrance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/i-believe-i-should-have-been-swept-away-by-the-flood-of-french/) [John Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/) > [Mean spirits under disappointment, like small beer in a thunderstorm always turn sour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/mean-spirits-under-disappointment-like-small-beer-in-a-thunderstorm/) [John Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/) > [Never were abilities so much below mediocrity so well rewarded; no, not when Caligula's horse was made Consul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/never-were-abilities-so-much-below-mediocrity-so-well-rewarded-no-not/) [John Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/) [Explore all 8 John Randolph quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/) ## More Perishable quotes > [“Employees who are not engaged have untapped potential that sours like a perishable item.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-e-phillips/employees-who-are-not-engaged-have-untapped-potential-that-sours-like/) [Kevin E. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-e-phillips/) > [“In this marvelous dispensation of the fulness of times, our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/in-this-marvelous-dispensation-of-the-fulness-of-times-our/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [One of the realities of fresh and perishable food is if you don't sell it, you throw it away or give it away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/one-of-the-realities-of-fresh-and-perishable-food-is-if-you-don-t/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [I don't accept flowers. I take nothing perishable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-goddard/i-don-t-accept-flowers-i-take-nothing-perishable/) [Paulette Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-goddard/) > [Civilization is a perishable commodity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark-macinnes/civilization-is-a-perishable-commodity/) [Helen Clark MacInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark-macinnes/) > [“I do not write to you, but of you,/because the paper that we write on/is our perishable skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-lee-houghton/i-do-not-write-to-you-but-of-you-because-the-paper-that-we-write-on/) [Melissa Lee-Houghton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-lee-houghton/) > [I think films are perishable, because they depend too much on technology, which advances too quickly and the films become old-fashioned, antiques. What I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/i-think-films-are-perishable-because-they-depend-too-much-on/) [Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/) > [Time is a perishable commodity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/time-is-a-perishable-commodity/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“The things we achieve, whether empires or sentences, have (because they’ve been achieved) that fatal defect of real things: the fact they’re perishable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-things-we-achieve-whether-empires-or-sentences-have-because-they/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“In itself it is nothing. Nothing but a book: parchment, colouring, ink. Yet the most perishable material is at the same time the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/in-itself-it-is-nothing-nothing-but-a-book-parchment-colouring-ink/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [Souvenirs are perishable; fortunately, memories are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-spano/souvenirs-are-perishable-fortunately-memories-are-not/) [Susan Spano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-spano/) > [All perishable is but an allegory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/all-perishable-is-but-an-allegory/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The Mesh is about creating and managing what's perishable. It provides businesses with the ability to reach an audience of one, at a precise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gansky/the-mesh-is-about-creating-and-managing-what-s-perishable-it-provides/) [Lisa Gansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gansky/) > [The history of science shows that theories are perishable. With every new truth that is revealed we get a better understanding of Nature and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/the-history-of-science-shows-that-theories-are-perishable-with-every/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [“The word is a perishable, ephemeral commodity. It takes on the color of the circumstances in which it is used.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-bobin/the-word-is-a-perishable-ephemeral-commodity-it-takes-on-the-color-of/) [Christian Bobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-bobin/) [Browse all 27 Perishable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perishable/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Randolph" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/time-is-at-once-the-most-valuable-and-the-most-perishable-of-all-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Perishable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/time-is-at-once-the-most-valuable-and-the-most-perishable-of-all-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/john-randolph-46079_time_time-is-at-once-the-most-valuable-and-th_1831665.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/john-randolph-46079_time_time-is-at-once-the-most-valuable-and-th_1831665.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/john-randolph-46079_time_time-is-at-once-the-most-valuable-and-th_1831665.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.” — John Randolph", "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 Randolph", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Time is at once the most...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/time-is-at-once-the-most-valuable-and-the-most-perishable-of-all-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/time-is-at-once-the-most-valuable-and-the-most-perishable-of-all-our/#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 } } ] } ```