--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Twenty-three and a quarter minutes past…" description: "\"Twenty-three and a quarter minutes past, Uncle Matthew was saying furiously, in precisely six and three-quarter minutes the damned fella will be late\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/nancy-mitford-7161_late_twenty-three-and-a-quarter-minutes-past_2589772.jpg" --- # Twenty-three and a quarter minutes past, Uncle Matthew was… ![“Twenty-three and a quarter minutes past, Uncle Matthew was saying furiously, in precisely six and three-quarter minutes the damned fella will be late” quote by Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/nancy-mitford-7161_late_twenty-three-and-a-quarter-minutes-past_2589772.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/nancy-mitford-7161_late_twenty-three-and-a-quarter-minutes-past_2589772.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/nancy-mitford-7161_late_twenty-three-and-a-quarter-minutes-past_2589772.jpg) > “Twenty-three and a quarter minutes past, Uncle Matthew was saying furiously, in precisely six and three-quarter minutes the damned fella will be late” [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character anxiously predicts a friend's tardiness, highlighting the tension of time and expectation. **In simple terms:** Someone worries about being late. Key Takeaway Plan ahead to reduce anxiety. Themes anxiety time anticipation Mood nervous anticipatory Type observational conversational When to use this quote - meeting friends - work deadlines - travel schedules Key Concepts social dynamics punctuality Questions to Reflect On - How often do you let timing worries dominate? - What can you do to stay calm when waiting? A Different Perspective Prediction may be inaccurate, causing unnecessary stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Behind us hung a Correggio St. Sebastian with the habitual Buchmanite expression on his face. "Awful tripe," said Uncle Matthew. "Fella wouldn't be grinning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/behind-us-hung-a-correggio-st-sebastian-with-the-habitual-buchmanite/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [“I woke up at four thirty the next morning—also known as five minutes past ungodly—and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-woke-up-at-four-thirty-the-next-morning-also-known-as-five-minutes/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [“But it continued ticking, and when she checked her pocket watch, it also read one. Then two minutes past the hour. Then five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/but-it-continued-ticking-and-when-she-checked-her-pocket-watch-it/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“feeling a bit like cinderella, she made it home at two minutes past one last night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-mahoney/feeling-a-bit-like-cinderella-she-made-it-home-at-two-minutes-past/) [Karen Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-mahoney/) > [Eight minutes past the hour here in Belgium - and presumably eight minutes past the hour everywhere in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-walker/eight-minutes-past-the-hour-here-in-belgium-and-presumably-eight/) [Murray Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-walker/) > [“It was now twenty minutes past four in the morning, allowing for the fact that the clock in the library of his town house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/it-was-now-twenty-minutes-past-four-in-the-morning-allowing-for-the/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [And my experience is the best titles, for me, emerge in the process of writing. They don't usually come at the very beginning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/and-my-experience-is-the-best-titles-for-me-emerge-in-the-process-of/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Love is all a matter of timing. It's no good meeting the right person too soon or too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wong-kar-wai/love-is-all-a-matter-of-timing-it-s-no-good-meeting-the-right-person/) [Wong Kar-wai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wong-kar-wai/) > [The right decision is the wrong decision if it's made too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/the-right-decision-is-the-wrong-decision-if-it-s-made-too-late/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [God is never late, we're just impatient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/god-is-never-late-we-re-just-impatient/) [LeCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [There was a product on late night TV that you could attach to your garden hose - "You can water your hard-to-reach plants with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/there-was-a-product-on-late-night-tv-that-you-could-attach-to-your/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [The late 1990s were really a moment of still tremendous hope and optimism about the relationship between Russia and the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-blinken/the-late-1990s-were-really-a-moment-of-still-tremendous-hope-and/) [Antony Blinken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-blinken/) > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I am on sabbatical as of right now, been too busy to think of about my OWN needs as of late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-diamond/i-am-on-sabbatical-as-of-right-now-been-too-busy-to-think-of-about-my/) [Jim Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-diamond/) > [You smile upon your friend to-day, To-day his ills are over; You hearken to the lover's say, And happy is the lover. 'Tis late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-smile-upon-your-friend-to-day-to-day-his-ills-are-over-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Nancy Mitford > [“My dear Lady Kroesig, I have only read one book in my life, and that is ‘White Fang.’ It’s so frightfully good I’ve never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/my-dear-lady-kroesig-i-have-only-read-one-book-in-my-life-and-that-is/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [Children should be like waffles--you should be able to throw the first one away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/children-should-be-like-waffles-you-should-be-able-to-throw-the-first/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [Do you always laugh when you make love?' said Fabrice. I hadn't thought about it, but I suppose I do. I generally laugh when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/do-you-always-laugh-when-you-make-love-said-fabrice-i-hadn-t-thought/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [“Linda's presentation of the 'facts' had been so gruesome that the children left Alconleigh howling dismally, their nerves permanently impaired, their future chances of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/linda-s-presentation-of-the-facts-had-been-so-gruesome-that-the/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [The trouble is that people seem to expect happiness in life. I can't imagine why; but they do. They are unhappy before they marry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/the-trouble-is-that-people-seem-to-expect-happiness-in-life-i-can-t/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [“She was filled with a strange, wild, unfamiliar happiness, and knew that this was love. Twice in her life she had mistaken something else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/she-was-filled-with-a-strange-wild-unfamiliar-happiness-and-knew-that/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [You've no idea how long life goes on and how many, many changes it brings. Young people seem to imagine that it's over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/you-ve-no-idea-how-long-life-goes-on-and-how-many-many-changes-it/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [“There they are, held like flies, in the amber of that moment...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/there-they-are-held-like-flies-in-the-amber-of-that-moment/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [“Women are divided into two categories: those who can deal with the men they are in love with, and those who cannot. Sophia was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/women-are-divided-into-two-categories-those-who-can-deal-with-the-men/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [When the loo paper gets thicker and the writing paper thinner, it's always a bad sign, at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/when-the-loo-paper-gets-thicker-and-the-writing-paper-thinner-it-s/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [There are worse things than poverty, though I can't for the moment remember what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/there-are-worse-things-than-poverty-though-i-can-t-for-the-moment/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [One thing about tourists is that it is very easy to get away from them. Like ants they follow a trail and a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/one-thing-about-tourists-is-that-it-is-very-easy-to-get-away-from/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [What is so nice & so unexpected about life is the way it improves as it goes along. I think you should impress this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/what-is-so-nice-so-unexpected-about-life-is-the-way-it-improves-as-it/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [In France that is the one rule, never make trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/in-france-that-is-the-one-rule-never-make-trouble/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [The English lord marries for love, and is rather inclined to love where money is; he rarely marries in order to improve his coat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/the-english-lord-marries-for-love-and-is-rather-inclined-to-love/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) [Explore all 94 Nancy Mitford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) ## More Late quotes > [You smile upon your friend to-day, To-day his ills are over; You hearken to the lover's say, And happy is the lover. 'Tis late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-smile-upon-your-friend-to-day-to-day-his-ills-are-over-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am on sabbatical as of right now, been too busy to think of about my OWN needs as of late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-diamond/i-am-on-sabbatical-as-of-right-now-been-too-busy-to-think-of-about-my/) [Jim Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-diamond/) > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The late 1990s were really a moment of still tremendous hope and optimism about the relationship between Russia and the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-blinken/the-late-1990s-were-really-a-moment-of-still-tremendous-hope-and/) [Antony Blinken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-blinken/) > [There was a product on late night TV that you could attach to your garden hose - "You can water your hard-to-reach plants with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/there-was-a-product-on-late-night-tv-that-you-could-attach-to-your/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [God is never late, we're just impatient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/god-is-never-late-we-re-just-impatient/) [LeCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [The right decision is the wrong decision if it's made too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/the-right-decision-is-the-wrong-decision-if-it-s-made-too-late/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [Love is all a matter of timing. It's no good meeting the right person too soon or too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wong-kar-wai/love-is-all-a-matter-of-timing-it-s-no-good-meeting-the-right-person/) [Wong Kar-wai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wong-kar-wai/) > [And my experience is the best titles, for me, emerge in the process of writing. They don't usually come at the very beginning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/and-my-experience-is-the-best-titles-for-me-emerge-in-the-process-of/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [I relish the time I have when there are no interruptions. Most often the best time for writing is late at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franny-armstrong/i-relish-the-time-i-have-when-there-are-no-interruptions-most-often/) [Franny Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franny-armstrong/) > [I've always been a late bloomer in some ways, and extremely precocious in other ways. When I was twenty I was living in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-daum/i-ve-always-been-a-late-bloomer-in-some-ways-and-extremely-precocious/) [Meghan Daum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-daum/) > [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) > [God alone knows how great it is. All I hope is that it is not too late. I am very much afraid that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/god-alone-knows-how-great-it-is-all-i-hope-is-that-it-is-not-too-late/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) Browse all 5,113 Late quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Twenty-three and a quarter minutes past, Uncle Matthew was saying furiously, in precisely six and three-quarter minutes the damned fella will be late", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nancy Mitford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/twenty-three-and-a-quarter-minutes-past-uncle-matthew-was-saying/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Late" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/twenty-three-and-a-quarter-minutes-past-uncle-matthew-was-saying/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/nancy-mitford-7161_late_twenty-three-and-a-quarter-minutes-past_2589772.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/nancy-mitford-7161_late_twenty-three-and-a-quarter-minutes-past_2589772.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/nancy-mitford-7161_late_twenty-three-and-a-quarter-minutes-past_2589772.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Twenty-three and a quarter minutes past, Uncle Matthew was saying furiously, in precisely six and…” — Nancy Mitford", "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": "Nancy Mitford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Twenty-three and a quarter minutes past,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/twenty-three-and-a-quarter-minutes-past-uncle-matthew-was-saying/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/twenty-three-and-a-quarter-minutes-past-uncle-matthew-was-saying/#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 } } ] } ```