--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: first of all nothing will happen and a…" description: "\"first of all nothing will happen and a little later nothing will happen again\" — Leonard Cohen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/leonard-cohen-448_firsts_first-of-all-nothing-will-happen-and-a-l_2344207.jpg" --- # first of all nothing will happen and a little later… ![“first of all nothing will happen and a little later nothing will happen again” quote by Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/leonard-cohen-448_firsts_first-of-all-nothing-will-happen-and-a-l_2344207.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/leonard-cohen-448_firsts_first-of-all-nothing-will-happen-and-a-l_2344207.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/leonard-cohen-448_firsts_first-of-all-nothing-will-happen-and-a-l_2344207.jpg) > “first of all nothing will happen and a little later nothing will happen again” [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Patience is required; nothing changes until action is taken later **In simple terms:** Nothing changes without effort later Key Takeaway Act promptly, don’t wait for change Themes patience action anticipation Mood contemplative urgent Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal decisions - long-term projects - waiting periods Key Concepts Existentialism time perception Questions to Reflect On - What are you postponing? - How can you break the inertia? A Different Perspective Waiting can lead to missed opportunities ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen/) [Happen Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen-little-2794738/) [Later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later/) [Later Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later-happen-526882/) [Little Later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-later-1416274/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) ## Related quotes > [At first first nothing will happen to us and later on it will happen to us again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/at-first-first-nothing-will-happen-to-us-and-later-on-it-will-happen/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“And agreement only comes a little later, with the forgetting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/and-agreement-only-comes-a-little-later-with-the-forgetting/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [That is what we are supposed to do when we are at our best - make it all up - but make it up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/that-is-what-we-are-supposed-to-do-when-we-are-at-our-best-make-it/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [There are no do overs and some things just aren't going to happen. It is a little sad but you just have to embrace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/there-are-no-do-overs-and-some-things-just-aren-t-going-to-happen-it/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“Human felicity is produc'd not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/human-felicity-is-produc-d-not-so-much-by-great-pieces-of-good/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [It is on a day like this one, a little later, a little earlier, that you discover, without surprise, that something is wrong, that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-perec/it-is-on-a-day-like-this-one-a-little-later-a-little-earlier-that-you-2/) [Georges Perec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-perec/) > [It is on a day like this one, a little later a little earlier that you descover without surprise that something is wrong that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-perec/it-is-on-a-day-like-this-one-a-little-later-a-little-earlier-that-you/) [Georges Perec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-perec/) > [“Have you ever known a moment of bliss? ... Yet behold, only a little later, scarcely an hour gone by, and the softly-falling soot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/have-you-ever-known-a-moment-of-bliss-yet-behold-only-a-little-later/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/youth-would-be-an-ideal-state-if-it-came-a-little-later-in-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the more depressing things about reading your fiction 25 years later, or 10 years later, is you realize the only things going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/one-of-the-more-depressing-things-about-reading-your-fiction-25-years/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [We will defend ourselves, and we have full rights to do so. If the authorities try to destroy us, we have the right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-udaltsov/we-will-defend-ourselves-and-we-have-full-rights-to-do-so-if-the/) [Sergei Udaltsov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-udaltsov/) > [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/) > [See you later, alligator. After a while, crocodile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-haley/see-you-later-alligator-after-a-while-crocodile/) [Bill Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-haley/) > [Here we are 17 years later. Those agencies never did come through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-rifkin/here-we-are-17-years-later-those-agencies-never-did-come-through/) [Jeremy Rifkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-rifkin/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) ## More by Leonard Cohen > [The blizzard of the world has crossed the threshold and it's overturned the order of the soul...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-blizzard-of-the-world-has-crossed-the-threshold-and-it-s/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“Don't matter if you're rich and strong Don't matter if you're weak Don't matter if you write a song The nightingales repeat Don't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/don-t-matter-if-you-re-rich-and-strong-don-t-matter-if-you-re-weak/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“You don't know me from the wind you never will, you never did I'm the little jew who wrote the Bible. I've seen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/you-don-t-know-me-from-the-wind-you-never-will-you-never-did-i-m-the/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“This is it I’m not coming after you I’m going to lie down for half an hour This is it I’m not going down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/this-is-it-i-m-not-coming-after-you-i-m-going-to-lie-down-for-half-an/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [My sense of proprietorship has been so weak that actually I didn't pay attention and I lost the copyrights on a lot of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/my-sense-of-proprietorship-has-been-so-weak-that-actually-i-didn-t/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled. But there are moments when we can... reconcile and embrace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/this-world-is-full-of-conflicts-and-full-of-things-that-cannot-be/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [ I would say the hummingbird really deserves the royalties on \[some of my songs\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-would-say-the-hummingbird-really-deserves-the-royalties-on-some-of/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [One is given to self-dramatization from time to time. I intend to live forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/one-is-given-to-self-dramatization-from-time-to-time-i-intend-to-live/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [The basic function of popular music is to create an environment for courting, lovemaking, and doing the dishes. It's useful because it addresses the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-basic-function-of-popular-music-is-to-create-an-environment-for/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“Blessed are you, embrace of the falling, foundation of the light, master of the human accident.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/blessed-are-you-embrace-of-the-falling-foundation-of-the-light-master/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I continually blacken pages and scribble away, so I always have a number of songs that are half-finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-continually-blacken-pages-and-scribble-away-so-i-always-have-a/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I have nothing against the Queen of England. Even in my heart I never resented her for not being Jackie Kennedy. She is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-have-nothing-against-the-queen-of-england-even-in-my-heart-i-never/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I loved you when you opened like a lily to the heat; you see I’m just another snowman standing in the rain and sleet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-loved-you-when-you-opened-like-a-lily-to-the-heat-you-see-i-m-just/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [It's time that we began to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/it-s-time-that-we-began-to-laugh-and-cry-and-cry-and-laugh-about-it/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“I followed the course From chaos to art Desire the horse Depression the cart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-followed-the-course-from-chaos-to-art-desire-the-horse-depression/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) [Explore all 543 Leonard Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) ## More Firsts quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. 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Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [When I first started, my message was about joy, but I didn't really have the vocabulary and life experience to fully deliver it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/when-i-first-started-my-message-was-about-joy-but-i-didn-t-really/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. 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