--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our time is brief, and it will pass no…" description: "\"Our time is brief, and it will pass no matter what we do. So let us have purpose in spending it. Let us spend it so that our time matters to each of us..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/philip-zimbardo-8654_matter_our-time-is-brief-and-it-will-pass-no-ma_1374926.png" --- # Our time is brief, and it will pass no matter what we do… ![“Our time is brief, and it will pass no matter what we do. So let us have purpose in spending it. Let us spend it so that our time matters to each of us, and matters to all those whose lives we touch.” quote by Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/philip-zimbardo-8654_matter_our-time-is-brief-and-it-will-pass-no-ma_1374926.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/philip-zimbardo-8654_matter_our-time-is-brief-and-it-will-pass-no-ma_1374926.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/philip-zimbardo-8654_matter_our-time-is-brief-and-it-will-pass-no-ma_1374926.png) > “Our time is brief, and it will pass no matter what we do. So let us have purpose in spending it. Let us spend it so that our time matters to each of us, and matters to all those whose lives we touch.” [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) ## 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 short, so we should act with purpose and make our time valuable for ourselves and others. **In simple terms:** Time is short; act with purpose. Key Takeaway Live purposefully. Themes purpose meaning legacy Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - volunteering - relationship building - personal projects Key Concepts existentialism humanism Questions to Reflect On - What purpose guides your daily actions? - How can you ensure your time benefits others? A Different Perspective Purpose can be hard to define without reflection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Time matters because we are finite, because time is the medium in which we live our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/time-matters-because-we-are-finite-because-time-is-the-medium-in/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [“Don't let someone spend money who never earned it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cole/don-t-let-someone-spend-money-who-never-earned-it/) [Nick Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cole/) > [Let's not spend New Year's Eve trying to figure out where to spend New Year's Eve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-s-not-spend-new-year-s-eve-trying-to-figure-out-where-to-spend/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One thing my wife does somewhat let me spend money on is buying farm ground and my brother's a farmer, And I cash-rent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hughes/one-thing-my-wife-does-somewhat-let-me-spend-money-on-is-buying-farm/) [Matt Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hughes/) > [Let's spend Valentine's Day alone together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-s-spend-valentine-s-day-alone-together/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Tonight's the night. Let's live it up. I got my money. Let's spend it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-eyed-peas/tonight-s-the-night-let-s-live-it-up-i-got-my-money-let-s-spend-it-up/) [Black Eyed Peas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-eyed-peas/) > [Time heals nothing. It is what you do with the time that matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/time-heals-nothing-it-is-what-you-do-with-the-time-that-matters/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [Spending time together is all that matters. It so important. No matter where and when it is, as long as its time together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/spending-time-together-is-all-that-matters-it-so-important-no-matter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Time matters most when decisions are irreversible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/time-matters-most-when-decisions-are-irreversible/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [Our determination to imitiate Christ should be such that we have no time for other matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/our-determination-to-imitiate-christ-should-be-such-that-we-have-no/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that matters, it's the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-tennant/some-people-live-more-in-20-years-than-others-do-in-80-it-s-not-the/) [David Tennant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-tennant/) > [“Time matters most when decisions are irreversible. And yet many irreversible decisions must be made on the basis of incomplete information.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/time-matters-most-when-decisions-are-irreversible-and-yet-many/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [When I Realized I Found That I Have Lost My Precious Time To Get Something Which Was Neither Mine Nor Matters To My Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-realized-i-found-that-i-have-lost-my-precious-time-to-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Beware of spending too much time on matters of little importance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/self/beware-of-spending-too-much-time-on-matters-of-little-importance/) Self > [If you make the movie from your heart and it stands over time, that's what matters to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/if-you-make-the-movie-from-your-heart-and-it-stands-over-time-that-s/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) ## More by Philip Zimbardo > [One can't live mindfully without being enmeshed in psychological processes that are around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/one-can-t-live-mindfully-without-being-enmeshed-in-psychological/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [When someone is anonymous, it opens the door to all kinds of antisocial behavior, as seen by the Ku Klux Klan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/when-someone-is-anonymous-it-opens-the-door-to-all-kinds-of/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [It was God who created hell as a place to store evil. He didn't do a good job of keeping it there though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/it-was-god-who-created-hell-as-a-place-to-store-evil-he-didn-t-do-a/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [That human behavior is more influenced by things outside of us than inside. The 'situation' is the external environment. The inner environment is genes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/that-human-behavior-is-more-influenced-by-things-outside-of-us-than/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [The "Lucifer Effect" describes the point in time when an ordinary, normal person first crosses the boundary between good and evil to engage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/the-lucifer-effect-describes-the-point-in-time-when-an-ordinary/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [Time perspective is one of the most powerful influences on all of human behavior. 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But imagine that this morality is like a gearshift that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/we-can-assume-that-most-people-most-of-the-time-are-moral-creatures/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [I'm saying to be a hero is means you step across the line and are willing to make a sacrifice, so heroes always are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/i-m-saying-to-be-a-hero-is-means-you-step-across-the-line-and-are/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [Most of the evil of the world comes about not out of evil motives, but somebody saying 'get with the program, be a team…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/most-of-the-evil-of-the-world-comes-about-not-out-of-evil-motives-but/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [The first time I spoke publicly about the Stanford Prison Experiment, Stanley Milgram told me: "Your study is going to take all the ethical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/the-first-time-i-spoke-publicly-about-the-stanford-prison-experiment/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [Boys' brains are being digitally rewired for change, novelty, excitement and constant arousal. 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Girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/boys-are-30-percent-more-likely-than-girls-to-drop-out-of-school-in/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) [Explore all 79 Philip Zimbardo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) ## More Matter quotes > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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If the writing is in TV or if it's in theater or in film, that's it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-driver/my-only-close-to-game-plan-is-to-follow-good-writing-if-the-writing/) [Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-driver/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [No matter what I do I'll always be stuck on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-stalin/no-matter-what-i-do-i-ll-always-be-stuck-on-you/) [J Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-stalin/) > [You need to remind people that you vote, you matter, and that they can't succeed without your help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-need-to-remind-people-that-you-vote-you-matter-and-that-they-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I happen to think it's the politics that makes you electable, but the reason for that is politicians sometimes talk about electability as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-happen-to-think-it-s-the-politics-that-makes-you-electable-but-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [I think everyone will agree that it doesn't matter how we get to an international tournament. We are going to do whatever it takes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcginn/i-think-everyone-will-agree-that-it-doesn-t-matter-how-we-get-to-an/) [John McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcginn/) > [“Which people take the time to care for their souls, these days? I reckon not many. 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It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/) [Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/) Browse all 23,868 Matter quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our time is brief, and it will pass no matter what we do. So let us have purpose in spending it. 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