--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It ought to be plain how little you gain…" description: "\"“It ought to be plain how little you gain by getting excited and vexed. You'll always be late for the previous train, and always on time for the next.”..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/piet-hein-26749_fitness_it-ought-to-be-plain-how-little-you-gain_2109262.jpg" --- # It ought to be plain how little you gain by getting… ![“It ought to be plain how little you gain by getting excited and vexed. You'll always be late for the previous train, and always on time for the next.” quote by Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/piet-hein-26749_fitness_it-ought-to-be-plain-how-little-you-gain_2109262.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/piet-hein-26749_fitness_it-ought-to-be-plain-how-little-you-gain_2109262.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/piet-hein-26749_fitness_it-ought-to-be-plain-how-little-you-gain_2109262.jpg) > ““It ought to be plain how little you gain by getting excited and vexed. You'll always be late for the previous train, and always on time for the next.”” [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excitement and anger waste time; you miss the present and chase the next opportunity. **In simple terms:** Being upset loses time. Key Takeaway Stay calm and act in the present. Themes time emotion productivity Mood thoughtful calm Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - work deadlines - personal goals - stressful events - decision making Key Concepts mindfulness self‑control efficiency Questions to Reflect On - How can you channel excitement productively? - What habits keep you present? A Different Perspective Some urgency can be motivating, not always negative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Tardiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tardiness/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Trains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trains/) ## Related quotes > [If you are waiting for the perfect time, it does't matter if there is a battery in the clock or not ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-emam/if-you-are-waiting-for-the-perfect-time-it-does-t-matter-if-there-is/) [Mahmoud Emam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-emam/) > [“She had managed to go almost three weeks without being late. 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If it could be so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/being-satisfied-with-little-you-can-gain-much-seeking-much-you-will/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [With the little you have the more you will gain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/with-the-little-you-have-the-more-you-will-gain/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [By persisting in your path, though you forfeit the little, you gain the great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/by-persisting-in-your-path-though-you-forfeit-the-little-you-gain-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Boredom is a choice. Like tardiness. 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You have to remember to gladden yourself!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/it-isn-t-enough-to-exasperate-others-you-have-to-remember-to-gladden/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) > [“MEETING THE EYE You'll probably find that it suits your book to be a bit cleverer than you look. Observe that the easiest method…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/meeting-the-eye-you-ll-probably-find-that-it-suits-your-book-to-be-a/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) > [“A WORD TO THE WISE Let the world pass in its time-ridden race; never get caught in its snare. 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Toast until it smokes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/timing-toast-grook-on-how-to-char-for-yourself-there-s-an-art-of/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) > [“Knowing what Thou knowest not Is in a sense Omniscience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/knowing-what-thou-knowest-not-is-in-a-sense-omniscience/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) > [“Hvis man regner med belønning for sin godhed, er det ikke godhed, men beregning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/hvis-man-regner-med-bel-nning-for-sin-godhed-er-det-ikke-godhed-men/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) > [“MAKING AN EFFORT Our so-called limitations, I believe, apply to faculties we don't apply. We don't discover what we can't achieve until we make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/making-an-effort-our-so-called-limitations-i-believe-apply-to/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) > [“Art is solving problems that cannot be formulated before they have been solved. The shaping of the question is part of the answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/art-is-solving-problems-that-cannot-be-formulated-before-they-have/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) [Explore all 21 Piet Hein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) ## More Fitness quotes > [I train my muscles, and I do a lot of stretching, and try to kick higher. 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