--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I'd known it was going to take 25…" description: "\"If I'd known it was going to take 25 years, I'd have started earlier.\" — Ken Hitchcock" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/ken-hitchcock-83237_earlier_if-i-d-known-it-was-going-to-take-25-yea_1812652.png" --- # If I'd known it was going to take 25 years, I'd have… ![“If I'd known it was going to take 25 years, I'd have started earlier.” quote by Ken Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/ken-hitchcock-83237_earlier_if-i-d-known-it-was-going-to-take-25-yea_1812652.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/ken-hitchcock-83237_earlier_if-i-d-known-it-was-going-to-take-25-yea_1812652.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/ken-hitchcock-83237_earlier_if-i-d-known-it-was-going-to-take-25-yea_1812652.png) > “If I'd known it was going to take 25 years, I'd have started earlier.” Ken Hitchcock ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realizing long‑term projects need early commitment, regret arises when start is delayed. **In simple terms:** Long projects need early start; delay causes regret. Key Takeaway Begin early to avoid future regret. Themes planning time management regret Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - research projects - personal goals - skill development Key Concepts long‑term vision early commitment Questions to Reflect On - What long‑term goal could you have started earlier? - How can you create milestones to begin sooner? A Different Perspective Starting early may not guarantee success, only reduces risk of missed opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hockey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hockey/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Nhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nhl/) ## Related quotes > [I am at one of the best clubs in the world and in the best league. And in my private life, everything is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-hazard/i-am-at-one-of-the-best-clubs-in-the-world-and-in-the-best-league-and/) [Eden Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-hazard/) > [After working with my father for two years, we started Candie's, a line of imported shoes from Italy. Then in 1982 I set out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/after-working-with-my-father-for-two-years-we-started-candie-s-a-line/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,” Atticus said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/simply-because-we-were-licked-a-hundred-years-before-we-started-is-no/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I went straight from high school to Bible college for two years. Then I started doing music right out of Bible college full time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-camp/i-went-straight-from-high-school-to-bible-college-for-two-years-then/) [Jeremy Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-camp/) > [I wrote for 10 years before I even started the 'Percy Jackson' series.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/i-wrote-for-10-years-before-i-even-started-the-percy-jackson-series/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [It wasn't until I had been writing on and off for maybe ten years that I started to establish any kind of routine, thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-asher/it-wasn-t-until-i-had-been-writing-on-and-off-for-maybe-ten-years/) [Neal Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-asher/) > [When I made it to the pros I wanted to be a guy who could stay in the league, be OK, do whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-payton/when-i-made-it-to-the-pros-i-wanted-to-be-a-guy-who-could-stay-in-the/) [Gary Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-payton/) > [I have groomed myself over the years. When I started, I had skin problems, and had no idea what look suited me. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystle-d-souza/i-have-groomed-myself-over-the-years-when-i-started-i-had-skin/) [Krystle D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystle-d-souza/) > [I started out as a journalist for about 8 or 9 years, and then I started working in film and television in 2014.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/i-started-out-as-a-journalist-for-about-8-or-9-years-and-then-i/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [After I'd been a lawyer for about five or six years, I started playing around with fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/after-i-d-been-a-lawyer-for-about-five-or-six-years-i-started-playing/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [I have been making podcasts for over five years. It started as a bit of fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-herring/i-have-been-making-podcasts-for-over-five-years-it-started-as-a-bit/) [Richard Herring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-herring/) > [For me, skateboarding started in 1965, so by the time the Dogtown era came around I'd already been skatin' for 10 years. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-adams/for-me-skateboarding-started-in-1965-so-by-the-time-the-dogtown-era/) [Jay Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-adams/) > [For the past eighty years I have started each day in the same manner... I go to the piano, and I play preludes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-casals/for-the-past-eighty-years-i-have-started-each-day-in-the-same-manner/) [Pablo Casals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-casals/) > [In my teenage years, I started kickboxing, then did a little boxing. When the UFC and MMA exploded in the early 2000s in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bisping/in-my-teenage-years-i-started-kickboxing-then-did-a-little-boxing/) [Michael Bisping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bisping/) > [Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/simply-because-we-were-licked-a-hundred-years-before-we-started-is-no-2/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## More by Ken Hitchcock > [There are too many games now where there's too much structure and not enough of the chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-hitchcock/there-are-too-many-games-now-where-there-s-too-much-structure-and-not/) Ken Hitchcock > [Coaches are like ducks. Calm on top, but paddling underneath. Believe me, there's a lot of leg movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-hitchcock/coaches-are-like-ducks-calm-on-top-but-paddling-underneath-believe-me/) Ken Hitchcock Explore all 3 Ken Hitchcock quotes ## More Earlier quotes > [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. I had all of that stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wright/i-had-sort-of-had-a-21st-birthday-when-i-was-17-18-years-old-living/) [Sarah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wright/) > [When Apple introduced its game-changing iPhone in 2007, Nokia was caught sleeping on the job. Although it had actually developed an iPhone-style device -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/when-apple-introduced-its-game-changing-iphone-in-2007-nokia-was/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [One of my earlier films is 'Quigley Down Under.' That was early on in my career, and that was horsey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mendelsohn/one-of-my-earlier-films-is-quigley-down-under-that-was-early-on-in-my/) [Ben Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mendelsohn/) > [I think I've explained earlier on in the year that I kind of underestimated how important experience was in this series, especially when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-wheldon/i-think-i-ve-explained-earlier-on-in-the-year-that-i-kind-of/) [Dan Wheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-wheldon/) > [“Wine o'clock was getting earlier every night”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-pennington/wine-o-clock-was-getting-earlier-every-night/) Jill Pennington > [People can be so neglectful of each other and of their own heritage - then death intrudes. Conversations we wish that we'd had earlier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/people-can-be-so-neglectful-of-each-other-and-of-their-own-heritage/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [No writing effort is ever wasted. At the very least, it's practice, and a writer never knows when he or she might usefully cannibalize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-fowler/no-writing-effort-is-ever-wasted-at-the-very-least-it-s-practice-and/) [Therese Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-fowler/) > [One of the reasons I didn't really want to do TV earlier in my career was because it is so life-consuming, and I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andie-macdowell/one-of-the-reasons-i-didn-t-really-want-to-do-tv-earlier-in-my-career/) [Andie MacDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andie-macdowell/) > [Typing with your fingers or thumbs is sooooo 2012. I tweeted that earlier in the year. I type with my eyes. Not only that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/typing-with-your-fingers-or-thumbs-is-sooooo-2012-i-tweeted-that/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [Because of the earlier loss of the two elder siblings, my brother and I lived a very pampered and protected life. Nursemaids kept constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-k-kao/because-of-the-earlier-loss-of-the-two-elder-siblings-my-brother-and/) [Charles K. Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-k-kao/) > [After spending 460 days as a hostage, I did emerge a fundamentally changed person. But I think, like everyone does as they grow older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lindhout/after-spending-460-days-as-a-hostage-i-did-emerge-a-fundamentally/) [Amanda Lindhout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lindhout/) > [Anytime new insight replaces an old assumption or a fossilized perception is the spring. New understandings sprout, new tolerances appear, and new curiosity draws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/anytime-new-insight-replaces-an-old-assumption-or-a-fossilized/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [I try to keep it light and positive most of the time, whereas earlier on I didn't always do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-try-to-keep-it-light-and-positive-most-of-the-time-whereas-earlier/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I remember the noise of the bells ringing at school as the effigy of Guy Fawkes we'd prepared earlier was carried out on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pippa-middleton/i-remember-the-noise-of-the-bells-ringing-at-school-as-the-effigy-of/) [Pippa Middleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pippa-middleton/) > [If we can contain and monitor animal viruses at an earlier stage - when they're first entering human populations, preferably before they've had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-wolfe/if-we-can-contain-and-monitor-animal-viruses-at-an-earlier-stage-when/) [Nathan Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-wolfe/) Browse all 223 Earlier quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I'd known it was going to take 25 years, I'd have started earlier.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Hitchcock" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-hitchcock/if-i-d-known-it-was-going-to-take-25-years-i-d-have-started-earlier/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Earlier" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-hitchcock/if-i-d-known-it-was-going-to-take-25-years-i-d-have-started-earlier/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/ken-hitchcock-83237_earlier_if-i-d-known-it-was-going-to-take-25-yea_1812652.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/ken-hitchcock-83237_earlier_if-i-d-known-it-was-going-to-take-25-yea_1812652.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/ken-hitchcock-83237_earlier_if-i-d-known-it-was-going-to-take-25-yea_1812652.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I'd known it was going to take 25 years, I'd have started earlier.” — Ken Hitchcock", "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": "Ken Hitchcock", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-hitchcock/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I'd known it was going...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-hitchcock/if-i-d-known-it-was-going-to-take-25-years-i-d-have-started-earlier/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-hitchcock/if-i-d-known-it-was-going-to-take-25-years-i-d-have-started-earlier/#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 } } ] } ```