--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mortality means you don't have forever to…" description: "\"Mortality means you don't have forever to work things out. You can live your life unexamined but then on the last day you're going to think: 'I've left..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/mitch-albom-187_death_mortality-means-you-don-t-have-forever-t_3132579.png" --- # Mortality means you don't have forever to work things out… ![“Mortality means you don't have forever to work things out. You can live your life unexamined but then on the last day you're going to think: 'I've left things a little late.” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/mitch-albom-187_death_mortality-means-you-don-t-have-forever-t_3132579.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/mitch-albom-187_death_mortality-means-you-don-t-have-forever-t_3132579.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/mitch-albom-187_death_mortality-means-you-don-t-have-forever-t_3132579.png) > “Mortality means you don't have forever to work things out. You can live your life unexamined but then on the last day you're going to think: 'I've left things a little late.” [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is finite, so postponing important decisions leads to regret at the end. **In simple terms:** You have limited time, so act before it's too late. Key Takeaway Act now, avoid future regret. Themes mortality regret decisionmaking Mood reflective urgent Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - relationships - health decisions - financial planning Key Concepts time scarcity life purpose Questions to Reflect On - What important choice are you delaying? - How would you prioritize if time were endless? A Different Perspective Limited time doesn't guarantee clarity; some decisions remain ambiguous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Last day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-day/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortality/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Is this what mortality means? 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Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [Life unexamined, is not worth living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/life-unexamined-is-not-worth-living/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) > [You have to adhere to a philosophy that the life unexamined is not worth living, because otherwise you're just living from day to day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/you-have-to-adhere-to-a-philosophy-that-the-life-unexamined-is-not/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [So much of our lives are defined by habit or what the guy next to us is doing, never wondering and knowing who and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-bauer-van-straten/so-much-of-our-lives-are-defined-by-habit-or-what-the-guy-next-to-us/) [Kristin Bauer van Straten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-bauer-van-straten/) > [Surely taking the gospel to every kindred, tongue, and people is the single greatest responsibility we have in mortality. ... We have been privileged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-w-hunter/surely-taking-the-gospel-to-every-kindred-tongue-and-people-is-the/) [Howard W. Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-w-hunter/) > [No matter who your true frends are, leave them alone because you've got sisters,if u know it or not! I always think of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-preston/no-matter-who-your-true-frends-are-leave-them-alone-because-you-ve/) Trinity Preston > [The story of my recent life.' I like that phrase. It makes more sense than 'the story of my life', because we get so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-story-of-my-recent-life-i-like-that-phrase-it-makes-more-sense/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [The reality is, that no matter what you do in this life, it’s coming to an end. Once you accept there’s nothing that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-corliss/the-reality-is-that-no-matter-what-you-do-in-this-life-it-s-coming-to/) [Jeb Corliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-corliss/) > [The Bible says there are things that we should look for that signal the last days and one of them of course is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-laurie/the-bible-says-there-are-things-that-we-should-look-for-that-signal/) [Greg Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-laurie/) > [“We ought to live each day as though it were our last day here below. But if I did, alas, I know it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/we-ought-to-live-each-day-as-though-it-were-our-last-day-here-below/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) > [We do not know about our last day on this planet. All we know of are the people whom we love and the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemis-khan/we-do-not-know-about-our-last-day-on-this-planet-all-we-know-of-are/) [Kemis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemis-khan/) > [“I can’t help feeling as if this is my last chance,” Evan said. He was sitting opposite Dr. Lorne, a psychiatrist at the Havilland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-field/i-can-t-help-feeling-as-if-this-is-my-last-chance-evan-said-he-was/) [Ryan Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-field/) > [“Today is the last day of your life up to this point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fink/today-is-the-last-day-of-your-life-up-to-this-point/) [Joseph Fink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fink/) > [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, Thou art the present portion of Thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of Thy preciousness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-o-sweet-lord-jesus-thou-art-the-present-portion-of-thy-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Mitch Albom > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Life goes quickly, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [As children grow, they gravitate to their fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-children-grow-they-gravitate-to-their-fates/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“If the only thing wrong with Moses is that he's not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he's not yours;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/if-the-only-thing-wrong-with-moses-is-that-he-s-not-yours-if-the-only/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“whisper their good-byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whisper-their-good-byes/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I had also developed my own culture. Work. Over the years, I had taken labor as my companion and had moved everything else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-also-developed-my-own-culture-work-over-the-years-i-had-taken/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-we-are-most-alone-is-when-we-embrace-another-s-loneliness/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) [Explore all 962 Mitch Albom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. 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Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. 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