--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What the most successful people know…" description: "\"“What the most successful people know about weekends is that life cannot happen only in the future. It cannot wait for some day when we are less tired ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/laura-vanderkam-32288_life_what-the-most-successful-people-know-abo_2869143.jpg" --- # What the most successful people know about weekends is… ![“What the most successful people know about weekends is that life cannot happen only in the future. It cannot wait for some day when we are less tired or less busy. If you work long hours, then weekends are key to feeling like you have a life that is broader than your professional identity—even if…” quote by Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/laura-vanderkam-32288_life_what-the-most-successful-people-know-abo_2869143.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/laura-vanderkam-32288_life_what-the-most-successful-people-know-abo_2869143.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/laura-vanderkam-32288_life_what-the-most-successful-people-know-abo_2869143.jpg) > ““What the most successful people know about weekends is that life cannot happen only in the future. It cannot wait for some day when we are less tired or less busy. If you work long hours, then weekends are key to feeling like you have a life that is broader than your professional identity—even if, and probably because, you take that identity very seriously.”” [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Successful people treat weekends as essential for a balanced life, not a future luxury, to avoid identity collapse. **In simple terms:** Weekends are vital for life balance now. Key Takeaway Prioritize rest and personal time weekly. Themes work‑life balance time management identity well‑being productivity Mood motivated hopeful Type self‑help practical When to use this quote - career planning - family time - hobbies - health routines - mental health Key Concepts psychology sociology self‑care Questions to Reflect On - How can we create equitable weekend time for all? - What activities best restore personal identity? A Different Perspective May ignore structural constraints that limit weekend freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Know Weekends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-weekends-3915054/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-hours/) [Successful people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Weekends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weekends/) [Weekends Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weekends-key-3915055/) [Weekends Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weekends-life-3915053/) [Work Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-long/) ## Related quotes > [“Weekends are life’s gift to those who hate their jobs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/weekends-are-life-s-gift-to-those-who-hate-their-jobs/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I love doing 'Castle.' We pump out 24 episodes in 10 months, and we work long hours. We do lots and lots of takes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/i-love-doing-castle-we-pump-out-24-episodes-in-10-months-and-we-work/) [Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/) > [But when you work long hours, you never want your children to think they're not a priority - so something else in the schedule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-reid/but-when-you-work-long-hours-you-never-want-your-children-to-think/) [Susanna Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-reid/) > [When I started acting, I had a really strong discipline of knowing that you had to be on time, knowing that you had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-king/when-i-started-acting-i-had-a-really-strong-discipline-of-knowing/) [Jaime King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-king/) > [In the film industry you work very long hours, and making a film is a very intense process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/in-the-film-industry-you-work-very-long-hours-and-making-a-film-is-a/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [Note the individual and subjective nature of each case. No two are alike and there is no reason to expect them to be. Each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/note-the-individual-and-subjective-nature-of-each-case-no-two-are/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [At a conservative estimate, there are probably a million men and women in their twenties and thirties who would happily work long hours doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/at-a-conservative-estimate-there-are-probably-a-million-men-and-women/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [Public health is hard. Nobody goes into it for the money or the acclaim. People work many long hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leana-s-wen/public-health-is-hard-nobody-goes-into-it-for-the-money-or-the/) [Leana S. Wen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leana-s-wen/) > [I love to do what I do. So, I do work long hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-love-to-do-what-i-do-so-i-do-work-long-hours/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [We work long hours during elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-maccallum/we-work-long-hours-during-elections/) [Martha MacCallum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-maccallum/) > [You know, there has never been a 24-hour period in five years when I have not responded to e-mail at Facebook. I am not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/you-know-there-has-never-been-a-24-hour-period-in-five-years-when-i/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [It's a great incentive to work long hours. I limit the holiday to two weeks and then get the hell back to the office.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-leary/it-s-a-great-incentive-to-work-long-hours-i-limit-the-holiday-to-two/) [Michael O'Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-leary/) > [Modeling gave me a strong discipline of professionalism where you work very long hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-king/modeling-gave-me-a-strong-discipline-of-professionalism-where-you/) [Jaime King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-king/) > [At my ashram, people work long hours joyfully because they are inspired. When people are involved and joyfully doing something, they usually turn out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/at-my-ashram-people-work-long-hours-joyfully-because-they-are/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [I'm in production year round. I work long hours. I have a dog and a wife. There's not a lot of available time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-m-in-production-year-round-i-work-long-hours-i-have-a-dog-and-a/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) ## More by Laura Vanderkam > [“You have one energy resource that is used for all kinds of acts for self-control. That includes not just resisting food temptations, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/you-have-one-energy-resource-that-is-used-for-all-kinds-of-acts-for/) [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) > [“You need to hit Monday ready to go ... To do that, you need weekends that rejuvenate you, rather than exhaust or disappoint you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/you-need-to-hit-monday-ready-to-go-to-do-that-you-need-weekends-that/) [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) > [“you can choose how to spend your 168 hours, and you have more time than you think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/you-can-choose-how-to-spend-your-168-hours-and-you-have-more-time/) [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) > [“Even if you don’t have kids at home, morning time can be great for nurturing your relationship with your spouse, other family members, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/even-if-you-don-t-have-kids-at-home-morning-time-can-be-great-for/) [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) > [“Instead of saying “I don’t have time” try saying “it’s not a priority,” and see how that feels. Often, that’s a perfectly adequate explanation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/instead-of-saying-i-don-t-have-time-try-saying-it-s-not-a-priority/) [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) > [“What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast),”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/what-the-most-successful-people-do-before-breakfast/) [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) > [“the force of the water drop that hollows the stone. A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labors of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/the-force-of-the-water-drop-that-hollows-the-stone-a-small-daily-task/) [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) > [“The best morning rituals are activities that don’t have to happen and certainly don’t have to happen at a specific hour. These are activities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/the-best-morning-rituals-are-activities-that-don-t-have-to-happen-and/) [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) > [“If you choose your life's work well, something bewitching can happen through your labors. Each hour you log can be a source of joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/if-you-choose-your-life-s-work-well-something-bewitching-can-happen/) [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) > [“When it comes to time, the perfect is a disarmingly subversive enemy of the good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/when-it-comes-to-time-the-perfect-is-a-disarmingly-subversive-enemy/) [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) > [“This is what happens when you treat your 168 hours as a blank slate. This is what happens when you fill them up only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/this-is-what-happens-when-you-treat-your-168-hours-as-a-blank-slate/) [Laura Vanderkam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) [Explore all 12 Laura Vanderkam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What the most successful people know about weekends is that life cannot happen only in the future. It cannot wait for some day when we are less tired or less busy. If you work long hours, then weekends are key to feeling like you have a life that is broader than your professional identity—even if, and probably because, you take that identity very seriously.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laura Vanderkam" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/what-the-most-successful-people-know-about-weekends-is-that-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/what-the-most-successful-people-know-about-weekends-is-that-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/laura-vanderkam-32288_life_what-the-most-successful-people-know-abo_2869143.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/laura-vanderkam-32288_life_what-the-most-successful-people-know-abo_2869143.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/laura-vanderkam-32288_life_what-the-most-successful-people-know-abo_2869143.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What the most successful people know about weekends is that life cannot happen only in the future. It cannot…” — Laura Vanderkam", "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": "Laura Vanderkam", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vanderkam/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What the most successful people know...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/what-the-most-successful-people-know-about-weekends-is-that-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vanderkam/what-the-most-successful-people-know-about-weekends-is-that-life/#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 } } ] } ```