---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I look back on the time I've wasted, and…"
description: "\"I look back on the time I've wasted, and I'm just glad I wasted it while I still had the chance.\" — Robert Breault"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/robert-breault-304_age_i-look-back-on-the-time-i-ve-wasted-and_2053172.png"
---

#  I look back on the time I've wasted, and I'm just glad I…

![“I look back on the time I've wasted, and I'm just glad I wasted it while I still had the chance.” quote by Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/robert-breault-304_age_i-look-back-on-the-time-i-ve-wasted-and_2053172.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/robert-breault-304_age_i-look-back-on-the-time-i-ve-wasted-and_2053172.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/robert-breault-304_age_i-look-back-on-the-time-i-ve-wasted-and_2053172.png)

> “I look back on the time I've wasted, and I'm just glad I wasted it while I still had the chance.”

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

## About This Quote

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

Regretting wasted time is okay if it was spent while you still could; it adds meaning to life.

**In simple terms:** Wasting time can be meaningful.

Key Takeaway

Value time, act while you can.

Themes

regret time opportunity

Mood

reflective motivational

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- personal projects
- travel plans

Key Concepts

mindfulness life lessons

Questions to Reflect On

- What would you do differently now?
- How can you turn past regret into present action?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on past waste may hinder future progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Glad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glad/) [Glad Wasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glad-wasted-3879263/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Ve Wasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ve-wasted-621587/) [Wasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasted/) [Wasted Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasted-chance-3879262/) [Wasted Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasted-just-1574280/)

## Related quotes

> [I know that half of my advertising dollars are wasted ... I just don't know which half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/i-know-that-half-of-my-advertising-dollars-are-wasted-i-just-don-t/)

[John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/)

> [Didn't look out below; watch the time go right out the window; trying to hold on but didn't even know I wasted it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linkin-park/didn-t-look-out-below-watch-the-time-go-right-out-the-window-trying/)

[Linkin Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linkin-park/)

> [“you feel that you’ve wasted your years and yourself it didn’t work for me either but isn’t there always one good thing to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/you-feel-that-you-ve-wasted-your-years-and-yourself-it-didn-t-work/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I regret those times when I've chosen the dark side. I've wasted enough time not being happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lange/i-regret-those-times-when-i-ve-chosen-the-dark-side-i-ve-wasted/)

[Jessica Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-lange/)

> [It breaks your heart when you throw something away, but it's what left that counts. It's like worrying about the bits of rock you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/it-breaks-your-heart-when-you-throw-something-away-but-it-s-what-left/)

[Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/)

> [“this is what I've wasted my life on”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-what-i-ve-wasted-my-life-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Heck by the time a man scratches his behind, clears his throat, and tells me how smart he is, we've already wasted fifteen minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/heck-by-the-time-a-man-scratches-his-behind-clears-his-throat-and/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [I don't think she understands the sacrifices that I made. Maybe if this b\*tch had acted right I would've stayed but I've already wasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-don-t-think-she-understands-the-sacrifices-that-i-made-maybe-if/)

[Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/)

> [“And I said, ‘I’m thinkin’ I’ve wasted too much time thinkin’, is what I’m thinkin'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-haynes/and-i-said-i-m-thinkin-i-ve-wasted-too-much-time-thinkin-is-what-i-m/)

[Melinda Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-haynes/)

> [There's no polite way to say to somebody (religious followers) 'Do you realize you've wasted your life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/there-s-no-polite-way-to-say-to-somebody-religious-followers-do-you/)

[Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/)

> [“Instruction would be wasted on me. Just to give me the form and I'll sign on the dotted line.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/instruction-would-be-wasted-on-me-just-to-give-me-the-form-and-i-ll/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [Mortal man! You've wasted your time mostly with wrong and empty beliefs! And now you have started understanding that most important thing in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/mortal-man-you-ve-wasted-your-time-mostly-with-wrong-and-empty/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [I DON'T REGRET MY PAST, I JUST REGRET THE TIME THAT I'VE WASTED WITH THE WRONG PEOPLE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa/i-don-t-regret-my-past-i-just-regret-the-time-that-i-ve-wasted-with/)

[ALYSSA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa/)

> [I've wasted a lot of time pretending to be interested in people who weren't terribly interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-ve-wasted-a-lot-of-time-pretending-to-be-interested-in-people-who/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [I don't regret my past.. I regret the time I've wasted on wrong people..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaceem-madridista/i-don-t-regret-my-past-i-regret-the-time-i-ve-wasted-on-wrong-people/)

[Kaceem Madridista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaceem-madridista/)

## More by Robert Breault

> [You will not find a soulmate in the quiet of your room. You must go to a noisy place and look in the quiet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/you-will-not-find-a-soulmate-in-the-quiet-of-your-room-you-must-go-to/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [Never mind the odds against you. If you doubled your effort, what would the odds against you do — send for reinforcements?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/never-mind-the-odds-against-you-if-you-doubled-your-effort-what-would/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [Retirement is having nothing to do and someone always keeping you from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/retirement-is-having-nothing-to-do-and-someone-always-keeping-you/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [There is in art the notion of less is more, which is to say, you don't torture a painting that has already confessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/there-is-in-art-the-notion-of-less-is-more-which-is-to-say-you-don-t/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [One's dream is defeated not by unsolvable problems, but by all the more-or-less satisfactory solutions that kill it forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/one-s-dream-is-defeated-not-by-unsolvable-problems-but-by-all-the/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [I cultivate my garden, and my garden cultivates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/i-cultivate-my-garden-and-my-garden-cultivates-me/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [In the end you regret less the things you believed that weren't true than the things that never came true because you didn't believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/in-the-end-you-regret-less-the-things-you-believed-that-weren-t-true/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [The trick to getting ahead is to give it the same effort you give to getting even.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/the-trick-to-getting-ahead-is-to-give-it-the-same-effort-you-give-to/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [Man will have replicated his own intelligence not when he teaches a computer to reason but when he teaches a computer to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/man-will-have-replicated-his-own-intelligence-not-when-he-teaches-a/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [To hurt someone you know will forgive you is the unkindiest thing of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/to-hurt-someone-you-know-will-forgive-you-is-the-unkindiest-thing-of/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [For every person who atones, a hundred others find regret sufficient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/for-every-person-who-atones-a-hundred-others-find-regret-sufficient/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [As a means to success, determination has this advantage over talent - that it does not have to be recognized by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/as-a-means-to-success-determination-has-this-advantage-over-talent/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [As a gardener, I wonder if flowers really can't speak or just exercise unfailing good judgment in the matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/as-a-gardener-i-wonder-if-flowers-really-can-t-speak-or-just-exercise/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [Genius is a plodding intellect, incapable of dreaming up the obstacles that stop the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/genius-is-a-plodding-intellect-incapable-of-dreaming-up-the-obstacles/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

[Explore all 710 Robert Breault quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I look back on the time I've wasted, and I'm just glad I wasted it while I still had the chance.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Breault"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/i-look-back-on-the-time-i-ve-wasted-and-i-m-just-glad-i-wasted-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/i-look-back-on-the-time-i-ve-wasted-and-i-m-just-glad-i-wasted-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/robert-breault-304_age_i-look-back-on-the-time-i-ve-wasted-and_2053172.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/robert-breault-304_age_i-look-back-on-the-time-i-ve-wasted-and_2053172.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/robert-breault-304_age_i-look-back-on-the-time-i-ve-wasted-and_2053172.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I look back on the time I've wasted, and I'm just glad I wasted it while I still had the chance.” — Robert Breault",
                "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": "Robert Breault",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I look back on the time...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/i-look-back-on-the-time-i-ve-wasted-and-i-m-just-glad-i-wasted-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/i-look-back-on-the-time-i-ve-wasted-and-i-m-just-glad-i-wasted-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
