--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Time is only an idea. There is only the…" description: "\"Time is only an idea. There is only the Reality. Whatever you think it is, it looks like that. If you call it time, it is time. If you call it existenc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/ramana-maharshi-915_calling_time-is-only-an-idea-there-is-only-the-r_676023.jpg" --- # Time is only an idea. There is only the Reality. Whatever… ![“Time is only an idea. There is only the Reality. Whatever you think it is, it looks like that. If you call it time, it is time. If you call it existence, it is existence, and so on. After calling it time, you divide it into days and nights, months, years, hours, minutes, etc. Time is immaterial…” quote by Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/ramana-maharshi-915_calling_time-is-only-an-idea-there-is-only-the-r_676023.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/ramana-maharshi-915_calling_time-is-only-an-idea-there-is-only-the-r_676023.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/ramana-maharshi-915_calling_time-is-only-an-idea-there-is-only-the-r_676023.jpg) > “Time is only an idea. There is only the Reality. Whatever you think it is, it looks like that. If you call it time, it is time. If you call it existence, it is existence, and so on. After calling it time, you divide it into days and nights, months, years, hours, minutes, etc. Time is immaterial for the Path of Knowledge.” [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reality is beyond conceptual labels; time is a mental construct we impose on experience. **In simple terms:** Time is a mental label; reality is beyond it. Key Takeaway Recognize reality beyond labels. Themes philosophy mindfulness spirituality Mood contemplative calm inquisitive Type aphilosophical spiritual inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - study of self - daily reflection - philosophical discussion - teaching sessions Key Concepts non-duality perception conceptualization Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling affect your perception of reality? - Can you experience moments without naming them? A Different Perspective Time as a construct may ignore practical needs for scheduling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Day and night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-and-night/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Time is only an idea. There is only the Reality Whatever you think it is, it looks like that. If you call it time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/time-is-only-an-idea-there-is-only-the-reality-whatever-you-think-it/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Time is only an idea. There is only the Reality. Whatever you think it is, it looks like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/time-is-only-an-idea-there-is-only-the-reality-whatever-you-think-it-3/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Since time is the one immaterial object which we cannot influence - neither speed up nor slow down, add to nor diminish - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/since-time-is-the-one-immaterial-object-which-we-cannot-influence-2/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Since time is the one immaterial object which we cannot influence neither speed up nor slow down add to nor diminish it is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/since-time-is-the-one-immaterial-object-which-we-cannot-influence/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“Time is immaterial. It is immortal. Time never chose people to define their lives with it. That was humanity’s choice. That was when man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-naeem/time-is-immaterial-it-is-immortal-time-never-chose-people-to-define/) [Umair Naeem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-naeem/) > [Existence always cares about you. If you are authentic, if your search is true and you are not a pretender, time will help you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/existence-always-cares-about-you-if-you-are-authentic-if-your-search/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“Oh, was not all suffering time, were not all forms of tormenting oneself and being afraid time, was not everything hard, everything hostile in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/oh-was-not-all-suffering-time-were-not-all-forms-of-tormenting/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [God created the universe out of nothing in an act which also brought time into existence. Recent discoveries, such as observations supporting the Big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-margenau/god-created-the-universe-out-of-nothing-in-an-act-which-also-brought/) Henry Margenau > [“Some scholars maintain that we cannot think of non-existence of space, even if we can leave out all objects in it; nor can we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/some-scholars-maintain-that-we-cannot-think-of-non-existence-of-space/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [Time, among all concepts in the world of physics, puts up the greatest resistance to being dethroned from ideal continuum to the world of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/time-among-all-concepts-in-the-world-of-physics-puts-up-the-greatest/) [John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/) > [It would be a sign of great simplicity to think that the world was created in six days, or indeed at all in time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philo/it-would-be-a-sign-of-great-simplicity-to-think-that-the-world-was/) [Philo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philo/) > [“time was an idea for which he no longer had any need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/time-was-an-idea-for-which-he-no-longer-had-any-need/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Most of the time, when I get an idea that hinges on some science 'thing,' it will have been because of something I read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/most-of-the-time-when-i-get-an-idea-that-hinges-on-some-science-thing/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [You have to calendar time for yourself even if you have no idea what youre going to do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-bright/you-have-to-calendar-time-for-yourself-even-if-you-have-no-idea-what-2/) [Susie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-bright/) > [You have to calendar time for yourself even if you have no idea what you're going to do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-bright/you-have-to-calendar-time-for-yourself-even-if-you-have-no-idea-what/) [Susie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-bright/) ## More by Ramana Maharshi > [Then all this earth shines like one house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/then-all-this-earth-shines-like-one-house/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Silence is most powerful. Speech is always less powerful than silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/silence-is-most-powerful-speech-is-always-less-powerful-than-silence/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Meditation is sticking to one thought. That single thought keeps away other thoughts; distraction of mind is a sign of its weakness; by constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/meditation-is-sticking-to-one-thought-that-single-thought-keeps-away/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The more you prune a plant, the more it grows. So too the more you seek to annihilate the ego, the more it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-more-you-prune-a-plant-the-more-it-grows-so-too-the-more-you-seek/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Think of God; attachments will gradually drop away. If you wait till all desires disappear before starting your devotion and prayer, you will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/think-of-god-attachments-will-gradually-drop-away-if-you-wait-till/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [That which rises and sinks is made up of what it rises from. The finality of the universe is the God Arunachala. Meditating on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/that-which-rises-and-sinks-is-made-up-of-what-it-rises-from-the/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Food affects the mind. For the practice of any kind of yoga, vegetarianism is absolutely necessary since it makes the mind more pure and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/food-affects-the-mind-for-the-practice-of-any-kind-of-yoga/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The mind of one meditating on a single object becomes one-pointed. And one-pointedness of mind leads to abidance in the self. Real attainment is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-mind-of-one-meditating-on-a-single-object-becomes-one-pointed-and/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Eating, bathing, going to the toilet, talking, thinking, and many other activities related to the body are all work. How is it that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/eating-bathing-going-to-the-toilet-talking-thinking-and-many-other/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Knowing the Self, God is known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/knowing-the-self-god-is-known/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Every moment there is creation, every moment destruction. There is no absolute creation, no absolute destruction. Both are movement, and that is eternal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/every-moment-there-is-creation-every-moment-destruction-there-is-no/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The entire Universe is condensed in the body, and the entire body in the Heart. Thus the Heart is the nucleus of the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-entire-universe-is-condensed-in-the-body-and-the-entire-body-in/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The state of self-realization, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-state-of-self-realization-as-we-call-it-is-not-attaining/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [God illumines the mind and shines within it. One cannot know God by means of the mind. One can but turn the mind inwards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/god-illumines-the-mind-and-shines-within-it-one-cannot-know-god-by/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [We are so engrossed with the objects, or appearances revealed by the light, that we pay no attention to the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/we-are-so-engrossed-with-the-objects-or-appearances-revealed-by-the/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) [Explore all 329 Ramana Maharshi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) ## More Calling quotes > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [When you heed the calling of your heart, you are following your purpose. Having purpose in your life gives you the courage to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-britten/when-you-heed-the-calling-of-your-heart-you-are-following-your/) [Rhonda Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-britten/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [“Duty is a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/duty-is-a-done-deal/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [NBC is making a movie about Martha Stewart that will cover the recent stock scandal. They are thinking of calling it 'The Road To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/nbc-is-making-a-movie-about-martha-stewart-that-will-cover-the-recent/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [“There is no interaction without God with interaction with men”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/there-is-no-interaction-without-god-with-interaction-with-men/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [When I was a little boy, I was reading Dante and I was saying to myself 'Bravo, Dante, Bravo.' It's so beautiful, the music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-benigni/when-i-was-a-little-boy-i-was-reading-dante-and-i-was-saying-to/) [Roberto Benigni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-benigni/) > [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [\*Calling someone I don't want to answer\* \*Please go to voice mail. Please go to voice mail. Please go to voice mail..\* Hello? -\_\_\_-](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/calling-someone-i-don-t-want-to-answer-please-go-to-voice-mail-please/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Sometimes you hear a voice through the door calling you... This turning toward what you deeply love saves you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/sometimes-you-hear-a-voice-through-the-door-calling-you-this-turning/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Please be slow to judge ‘brothers’ who have a different calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/please-be-slow-to-judge-brothers-who-have-a-different-calling/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) Browse all 3,811 Calling quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Time is only an idea. There is only the Reality. Whatever you think it is, it looks like that. If you call it time, it is time. If you call it existence, it is existence, and so on. 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