--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If all we are allowed is hours, minutes…" description: "\"If all we are allowed is hours, minutes, I want to be able to etch each of them on to my memory with exquisite clarity so that I can recall them at mom..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jojo-moyes-1045_able_if-all-we-are-allowed-is-hours-minutes-i_2791804.jpg" --- # If all we are allowed is hours, minutes, I want to be able… ![“If all we are allowed is hours, minutes, I want to be able to etch each of them on to my memory with exquisite clarity so that I can recall them at moments like this, when my very soul feels blackened.” quote by Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jojo-moyes-1045_able_if-all-we-are-allowed-is-hours-minutes-i_2791804.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jojo-moyes-1045_able_if-all-we-are-allowed-is-hours-minutes-i_2791804.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jojo-moyes-1045_able_if-all-we-are-allowed-is-hours-minutes-i_2791804.jpg) > “If all we are allowed is hours, minutes, I want to be able to etch each of them on to my memory with exquisite clarity so that I can recall them at moments like this, when my very soul feels blackened.” [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desires to imprint each moment vividly in memory, especially during dark emotional times. **In simple terms:** Want to remember every moment clearly. Key Takeaway Cultivate mindful awareness of each moment. Themes memory mindfulness emotional intensity Mood reflective melancholy Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - journaling - therapy sessions - creative writing - meditation Key Concepts episodic memory clarity of recollection Questions to Reflect On - What techniques help you recall details without distress? - How do you honor painful memories? A Different Perspective Memory can be unreliable; over‑focus may cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) ## Related quotes > [“Like the tender fire of stars moments of their life together, that no one knew of or would ever know of, broke upon and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/like-the-tender-fire-of-stars-moments-of-their-life-together-that-no/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“I still recall those moments when you used to call me late nights and when I ask you what what happened you just say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tandin-dorjee/i-still-recall-those-moments-when-you-used-to-call-me-late-nights-and/) Tandin Dorjee > [There is a silence, the child of love, which expresses everything, and proclaims more loudly than the tongue is able to do; there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vittorio-alfieri/there-is-a-silence-the-child-of-love-which-expresses-everything-and-2/) [Vittorio Alfieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vittorio-alfieri/) > [“Without speaking a word, when the soul feels connected to someone – what does one have to say? It was similar to seeing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-doctor/without-speaking-a-word-when-the-soul-feels-connected-to-someone-what/) [Raj Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-doctor/) > [Spare the soul that feels a deadly wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/spare-the-soul-that-feels-a-deadly-wound/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“You may have done spiritual work before this but this is the beginning of the path of Divine Love, for your soul drives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padma-aon-prakasha/you-may-have-done-spiritual-work-before-this-but-this-is-the/) [Padma Aon Prakasha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padma-aon-prakasha/) > [It will be as well, I think, to explain these locutions of God, and to describe what the soul feels when it receives them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/it-will-be-as-well-i-think-to-explain-these-locutions-of-god-and-to/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [“You know the feeling when your Life gets a little bleak, not because of anything lacking but perhaps because of the overwhelming nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debatrayee-banerjee/you-know-the-feeling-when-your-life-gets-a-little-bleak-not-because/) [Debatrayee Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debatrayee-banerjee/) > [I'm done with you, I despise and hate everything about this. I'm shatter inside and out. You ripped my heart out never to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-done-with-you-i-despise-and-hate-everything-about-this-i-m/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Selling your soul feels like letting someone borrow your phone with your consent and yet you still instinctively check your pocket for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/selling-your-soul-feels-like-letting-someone-borrow-your-phone-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love is when you can't imagine your life with someone not in it. There's a passionate feeling in your soul for them that feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burden/love-is-when-you-can-t-imagine-your-life-with-someone-not-in-it-there/) [Bryan Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burden/) > [Your soul either feels lifted by something that you read, or it feels squashed by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-farmiga/your-soul-either-feels-lifted-by-something-that-you-read-or-it-feels/) [Vera Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-farmiga/) > [Loneliness is something the mind tells the heart and your emotions to feel. But God tells you you're never alone and your spirit &…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lee-riner/loneliness-is-something-the-mind-tells-the-heart-and-your-emotions-to/) [Justin Lee Riner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lee-riner/) > [True happiness is when your soul feels bliss and your heart no longer yearns and searches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrizia-fortini/true-happiness-is-when-your-soul-feels-bliss-and-your-heart-no-longer/) Patrizia Fortini > [“My soul feels lighter at the mere sight of him. Complicated feels simple. Unlikely feels inevitable. Only he makes me feel this way -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-derouen/my-soul-feels-lighter-at-the-mere-sight-of-him-complicated-feels/) J.A. Derouen ## More by Jojo Moyes > [“How was she supposed to bear the prospect of never seeing him again? Never seeing his face light up simply because she had walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/how-was-she-supposed-to-bear-the-prospect-of-never-seeing-him-again/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“I had a vague memory of the intensity of teenage female relationships; more of a passion than a normal friendship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-had-a-vague-memory-of-the-intensity-of-teenage-female-relationships/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“I want him to live if HE wants to live. If he doesn't, then by forcing him to carry on, you, me… we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-want-him-to-live-if-he-wants-to-live-if-he-doesn-t-then-by-forcing/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [How is it possible to exist with so much pain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/how-is-it-possible-to-exist-with-so-much-pain/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“I often think that the ability to earn a living by doing the thing one loves must be one of life's greatest gifts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-often-think-that-the-ability-to-earn-a-living-by-doing-the-thing/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“Nobody ever says "sweet girl" about someone they were in love with. It's like the whole "we'll still be friends" thing. It means you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/nobody-ever-says-sweet-girl-about-someone-they-were-in-love-with-it-s/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“Sometimes , Clark, you are pretty much the only thing that makes me want to get up in the morning -Will Traynor <3”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/sometimes-clark-you-are-pretty-much-the-only-thing-that-makes-me-want/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“I liked the exoticism his travels gave him, the unknownness. He had blown in with the soft breezes of a wider world, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-liked-the-exoticism-his-travels-gave-him-the-unknownness-he-had/) [jojo moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“Good to meet you, Patrick," Will said. "And thank you for the...advice." "Oh, just trying to help my girlfriend get the best out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/good-to-meet-you-patrick-will-said-and-thank-you-for-the-advice-oh/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“How could I explain to this man how much I wanted to work? Did he have the slightest idea how much I missed my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/how-could-i-explain-to-this-man-how-much-i-wanted-to-work-did-he-have/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [If I don't cry while writing a key emotional scene, my gut feeling is it's failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/if-i-don-t-cry-while-writing-a-key-emotional-scene-my-gut-feeling-is/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“Still watches too much porn, though. You can tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/still-watches-too-much-porn-though-you-can-tell/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“Four hours later Liv wakes in a box room with an Arsenal duet cover and a head that thumps so hard she has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/four-hours-later-liv-wakes-in-a-box-room-with-an-arsenal-duet-cover/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“It was a terrible thing to discover you no longer wanted the life that stretched out ahead of you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/it-was-a-terrible-thing-to-discover-you-no-longer-wanted-the-life/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [You cut yourself off from all sorts of experiences because you tell yourself you are ‘not that sort of person’” “But, I’m not.” “How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/you-cut-yourself-off-from-all-sorts-of-experiences-because-you-tell/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) [Explore all 274 Jojo Moyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If all we are allowed is hours, minutes, I want to be able to etch each of them on to my memory with exquisite clarity so that I can recall them at moments like this, when my very soul feels blackened.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jojo Moyes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/if-all-we-are-allowed-is-hours-minutes-i-want-to-be-able-to-etch-each/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/if-all-we-are-allowed-is-hours-minutes-i-want-to-be-able-to-etch-each/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jojo-moyes-1045_able_if-all-we-are-allowed-is-hours-minutes-i_2791804.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jojo-moyes-1045_able_if-all-we-are-allowed-is-hours-minutes-i_2791804.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jojo-moyes-1045_able_if-all-we-are-allowed-is-hours-minutes-i_2791804.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If all we are allowed is hours, minutes, I want to be able to etch each of them on to my memory with…” — Jojo Moyes", "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": "Jojo Moyes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If all we are allowed is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/if-all-we-are-allowed-is-hours-minutes-i-want-to-be-able-to-etch-each/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/if-all-we-are-allowed-is-hours-minutes-i-want-to-be-able-to-etch-each/#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 } } ] } ```