---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Urgency is a tiebreaker only between two…"
description: "\"“Urgency is a tiebreaker only between two tasks of equal validity.”\" — Pat Nickerson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/pat-nickerson-268211_quote_urgency-is-a-tiebreaker-only-between-two_1291839.jpg"
---

#  Urgency is a tiebreaker only between two tasks of equal…

![“Urgency is a tiebreaker only between two tasks of equal validity.” quote by Pat Nickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/pat-nickerson-268211_quote_urgency-is-a-tiebreaker-only-between-two_1291839.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/pat-nickerson-268211_quote_urgency-is-a-tiebreaker-only-between-two_1291839.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/pat-nickerson-268211_quote_urgency-is-a-tiebreaker-only-between-two_1291839.jpg)

> ““Urgency is a tiebreaker only between two tasks of equal validity.””

Pat Nickerson

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Urgency distinguishes between equally valid tasks, prompting a choice based on immediate importance.

**In simple terms:** Urgency helps decide between equal tasks.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize the most urgent task.

Themes

urgency decisionmaking productivity

Mood

focused pragmatic

Type

advice insight

When to use this quote

- project planning
- daily work
- goal setting

Key Concepts

time management task prioritization

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance urgency with importance?
- When is it okay to delay an urgent task?

A Different Perspective

Urgency may overlook long‑term value.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Urgency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urgency/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't think anybody was ever up 6-2 and would lose the tiebreaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-krajicek/i-don-t-think-anybody-was-ever-up-6-2-and-would-lose-the-tiebreaker/)

[Richard Krajicek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-krajicek/)

> [Not too long ago, my opponent made a prediction. He said I would probably win Pennsylvania, he would win North Carolina, and Indiana would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/not-too-long-ago-my-opponent-made-a-prediction-he-said-i-would/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [When you play a tiebreaker, you dont have time to think of anything, ... You have to go for your shots because one shot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-dementieva/when-you-play-a-tiebreaker-you-dont-have-time-to-think-of-anything/)

[Elena Dementieva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-dementieva/)

> [“Otto would pull the trigger at the slightest provocation and you, Michael, would agonize aver its morality even if your life were threatened. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/otto-would-pull-the-trigger-at-the-slightest-provocation-and-you/)

[Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/)

> [I think that's why I play tennis, because of the challenge, because of the competition, .. That's why we love to play tiebreaker in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-think-that-s-why-i-play-tennis-because-of-the-challenge-because-of/)

[Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/)

> [In a tiebreaker, you generally have a lot of adrenaline running through. It's all about just holding your serve, trying to hold two serves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-isner/in-a-tiebreaker-you-generally-have-a-lot-of-adrenaline-running/)

[John Isner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-isner/)

> [Develop a sense of urgency in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/develop-a-sense-of-urgency-in-your-life/)

[H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/)

> [Some say that I should settle down, go slower and not push so hard, so quickly for such transformational change. To them, I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-spitzer/some-say-that-i-should-settle-down-go-slower-and-not-push-so-hard-so/)

[Eliot Spitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-spitzer/)

> [By the time I became chairman and there was more of a feeling of urgency, there was a willingness to accept more forceful measures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-a-volcker/by-the-time-i-became-chairman-and-there-was-more-of-a-feeling-of/)

Paul A. Volcker

> [The SEC got more than 100 rules to write under Dodd-Frank, the lion's share of all the agencies. And we've moved, I think, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-schapiro/the-sec-got-more-than-100-rules-to-write-under-dodd-frank-the-lion-s/)

[Mary Schapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-schapiro/)

> [Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/without-a-sense-of-urgency-desire-loses-its-value/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [So many people are on the front lines of this fossil fuel frenzy. It is infused with a sense of urgency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-lewis/so-many-people-are-on-the-front-lines-of-this-fossil-fuel-frenzy-it/)

[Avi Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-lewis/)

> [There's a need for music that has urgency and emotional honesty. That's why people are reintroducing themselves to guitar music - that instrument has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mura-masa/there-s-a-need-for-music-that-has-urgency-and-emotional-honesty-that/)

[Mura Masa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mura-masa/)

> [There is something to be said though when you have 4 or 5 guys playing with no net, there is a sense of urgency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-mendoza/there-is-something-to-be-said-though-when-you-have-4-or-5-guys/)

[Marco Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-mendoza/)

> [“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/)

## More Urgency quotes

> [“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/)

> [There is something to be said though when you have 4 or 5 guys playing with no net, there is a sense of urgency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-mendoza/there-is-something-to-be-said-though-when-you-have-4-or-5-guys/)

[Marco Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-mendoza/)

> [There's a need for music that has urgency and emotional honesty. That's why people are reintroducing themselves to guitar music - that instrument has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mura-masa/there-s-a-need-for-music-that-has-urgency-and-emotional-honesty-that/)

[Mura Masa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mura-masa/)

> [So many people are on the front lines of this fossil fuel frenzy. It is infused with a sense of urgency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-lewis/so-many-people-are-on-the-front-lines-of-this-fossil-fuel-frenzy-it/)

[Avi Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-lewis/)

> [Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/without-a-sense-of-urgency-desire-loses-its-value/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [The SEC got more than 100 rules to write under Dodd-Frank, the lion's share of all the agencies. And we've moved, I think, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-schapiro/the-sec-got-more-than-100-rules-to-write-under-dodd-frank-the-lion-s/)

[Mary Schapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-schapiro/)

> [By the time I became chairman and there was more of a feeling of urgency, there was a willingness to accept more forceful measures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-a-volcker/by-the-time-i-became-chairman-and-there-was-more-of-a-feeling-of/)

Paul A. Volcker

> [Some say that I should settle down, go slower and not push so hard, so quickly for such transformational change. To them, I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-spitzer/some-say-that-i-should-settle-down-go-slower-and-not-push-so-hard-so/)

[Eliot Spitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-spitzer/)

> [Develop a sense of urgency in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/develop-a-sense-of-urgency-in-your-life/)

[H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/)

> [When we fight upstream against a rocky undercurrent, every foothold takes on a kind of urgency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/when-we-fight-upstream-against-a-rocky-undercurrent-every-foothold/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [“Urgency makes the difference between practitioners, proclaimers and procrastinators.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/urgency-makes-the-difference-between-practitioners-proclaimers-and/)

[Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/)

> [That's what actually caused me to run for office is, you know, my family story, the experience of growing up in a family where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/that-s-what-actually-caused-me-to-run-for-office-is-you-know-my/)

[Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/)

> [The tantalizing and compelling pursuit of mathematical problems offers mental absorption, peace of mind amid endless challenges, repose in activity, battle without conflict, refuge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-kline/the-tantalizing-and-compelling-pursuit-of-mathematical-problems/)

[Morris Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-kline/)

> [You can go back and try to generalize, but then you end up saying things that all editors say about everything that ever gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/you-can-go-back-and-try-to-generalize-but-then-you-end-up-saying/)

[Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/)

> [The White House was signaling that the threat posed by Saddam Hussein was of such urgency that it had priority over the crushing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-graham/the-white-house-was-signaling-that-the-threat-posed-by-saddam-hussein/)

[Bob Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-graham/)

[Browse all 421 Urgency quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urgency/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Urgency is a tiebreaker only between two tasks of equal validity.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pat Nickerson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-nickerson/urgency-is-a-tiebreaker-only-between-two-tasks-of-equal-validity/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Urgency"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-nickerson/urgency-is-a-tiebreaker-only-between-two-tasks-of-equal-validity/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/pat-nickerson-268211_quote_urgency-is-a-tiebreaker-only-between-two_1291839.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/pat-nickerson-268211_quote_urgency-is-a-tiebreaker-only-between-two_1291839.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/pat-nickerson-268211_quote_urgency-is-a-tiebreaker-only-between-two_1291839.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Urgency is a tiebreaker only between two tasks of equal validity.” — Pat Nickerson",
                "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": "Pat Nickerson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-nickerson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Urgency is a tiebreaker only between...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-nickerson/urgency-is-a-tiebreaker-only-between-two-tasks-of-equal-validity/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-nickerson/urgency-is-a-tiebreaker-only-between-two-tasks-of-equal-validity/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
