--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was quiet in the room. Only the clock…" description: "\"“It was quiet in the room. Only the clock ticked on in the remorseless, mechanical minutes that men have made for themselves to measure away the joy an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/r-a-dick-63193_joy-and-sadness_it-was-quiet-in-the-room-only-the-clock_295266.jpg" --- # It was quiet in the room. Only the clock ticked on in the… ![“It was quiet in the room. Only the clock ticked on in the remorseless, mechanical minutes that men have made for themselves to measure away the joy and sadness of their earthly lives.” quote by R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/r-a-dick-63193_joy-and-sadness_it-was-quiet-in-the-room-only-the-clock_295266.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/r-a-dick-63193_joy-and-sadness_it-was-quiet-in-the-room-only-the-clock_295266.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/r-a-dick-63193_joy-and-sadness_it-was-quiet-in-the-room-only-the-clock_295266.jpg) > ““It was quiet in the room. Only the clock ticked on in the remorseless, mechanical minutes that men have made for themselves to measure away the joy and sadness of their earthly lives.”” [R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The relentless ticking of clocks symbolizes how humans measure time, turning life’s emotions into mechanical segments. **In simple terms:** Time is measured mechanically, reducing life's depth. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of measuring emotions with time. Themes time mechanization existentialism human experience Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - daily routines - work schedules - creative processes - grief periods - meditation Key Concepts philosophy temporal perception detachment Questions to Reflect On - How does measuring time affect your emotional life? - Can moments be felt without quantifying them? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on measurement can ignore lived experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Joy and sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy-and-sadness/) [Quiet room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet-room/) ## Related quotes > [The problem is that for women, the average time is just over 14 minutes... men are left with about 12 minutes during which time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mcgraw/the-problem-is-that-for-women-the-average-time-is-just-over-14/) [Phil McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mcgraw/) > [ Having lost religious faith and the humanistic values bound up with it, he \[man\] concentrated on technical and material values and lost the capacity… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/having-lost-religious-faith-and-the-humanistic-values-bound-up-with/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“I no longer missed the restless anticipation I'd experienced during my childhood and the surges of joy and sadness that came with it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mengestu-dinaw/i-no-longer-missed-the-restless-anticipation-i-d-experienced-during/) Mengestu Dinaw > [It would no doubt be very sentimental to argue - but I would argue it nevertheless - that the peculiar combination of joy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/it-would-no-doubt-be-very-sentimental-to-argue-but-i-would-argue-it/) [A. N. 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Especially Joy starting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-docter/the-drive-of-the-story-is-sort-of-hinted-at-the-beginning-is-joy-and/) [Pete Docter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-docter/) > [“Pastor Ray O. Jones stated his feelings well as he wrote of a conversation he had with a nine-year–old boy. \* The youngster had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-b-foshee/pastor-ray-o-jones-stated-his-feelings-well-as-he-wrote-of-a/) Howard B. Foshee > [Joy and sadness come by turns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/joy-and-sadness-come-by-turns/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) ## More by R.A. Dick > [“I must be very selfish, she thought, for I want to set nothing and no one right; all I want is to be left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-dick/i-must-be-very-selfish-she-thought-for-i-want-to-set-nothing-and-no/) [R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dick/) > [“Oh, Lucia the captain said softly, you are so little and so lovely. how I would have liked to have taken you to Norway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-dick/oh-lucia-the-captain-said-softly-you-are-so-little-and-so-lovely-how/) [R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dick/) > [“Because, as I have told you so many times, I have no words to make you understand," said the captain. It' s all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-dick/because-as-i-have-told-you-so-many-times-i-have-no-words-to-make-you/) [R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dick/) > [“Knowledge and book learning are not wisdom," said the captain. "Is this book wisdom?" asked Lucy, putting the manuscript back on the table. "It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-dick/knowledge-and-book-learning-are-not-wisdom-said-the-captain-is-this/) [R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dick/) [Explore all 5 R.A. 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Tragedy and strength have so perfectly coalesced in her, as if one fed off the other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bode/she-is-an-immense-presence-in-the-world-tragedy-and-strength-have-so/) Barbara Bode [Browse all 24 Joy and sadness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy-and-sadness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was quiet in the room. Only the clock ticked on in the remorseless, mechanical minutes that men have made for themselves to measure away the joy and sadness of their earthly lives.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "R.A. 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