--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes it seemed as if he'd always…" description: "\"“Sometimes it seemed as if he'd always been very old. People said that time lasted for ever when you were young. That was lies. Lies and rosy spectacle..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/rupert-thomson-21283_first-time_sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-be_1140922.jpg" --- # Sometimes it seemed as if he'd always been very old… ![“Sometimes it seemed as if he'd always been very old. People said that time lasted for ever when you were young. That was lies. Lies and rosy spectacles. His spectacles were steel frames and time was those tattoos on Vasco's arm. They were more like time than anything else. Once, in the Empire of…” quote by Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/rupert-thomson-21283_first-time_sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-be_1140922.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/rupert-thomson-21283_first-time_sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-be_1140922.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/rupert-thomson-21283_first-time_sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-be_1140922.jpg) > ““Sometimes it seemed as if he'd always been very old. People said that time lasted for ever when you were young. That was lies. Lies and rosy spectacles. His spectacles were steel frames and time was those tattoos on Vasco's arm. They were more like time than anything else. Once, in the Empire of Junk, he'd seen an hour-glass. Now that came closest to the truth. Except you could turn it upside down and start again. So that was lies too. The sand should run out the first time, run right out. Once, and once only. Time wasn't outside you, it was inside. \[...\] Time was something that went bad, like fruit. To be used before it was all used up. Though, for most people, the only way to live was to deny that.”” [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time is internal, mutable, and finite; perceiving it as a consumable resource urges us to live fully before it depletes. **In simple terms:** Time lives inside us and runs out. Key Takeaway Treat each moment as a limited, valuable resource. Themes time mortality self‑awareness Mood contemplative urgent Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - daily routines - long‑term planning - health decisions - personal relationships Key Concepts existentialism temporal perception impermanence Questions to Reflect On - How does viewing time as internal change your priorities? - What actions reflect respect for your limited time? A Different Perspective Focusing on scarcity can cause anxiety and neglect of present joy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortality/) [Old people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“The Commander tucked the timepiece back into the fob pocket, and with the air of a conjurer brought out a full moon, as bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maughan/the-commander-tucked-the-timepiece-back-into-the-fob-pocket-and-with/) [Peter Maughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maughan/) > [For the time it lasted, it was really fun. It was as exciting as we can put it out to be, but after that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-bedard/for-the-time-it-lasted-it-was-really-fun-it-was-as-exciting-as-we-can/) Erik Bedard > [Today I argued with my class saying its fall back spring forward. I said we lost time because it went forward...I thought it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/today-i-argued-with-my-class-saying-its-fall-back-spring-forward-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't know where the time went. I sure have enjoyed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-daniels/i-don-t-know-where-the-time-went-i-sure-have-enjoyed-it/) [Charlie Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-daniels/) > [The first time I ever went on set was during 'Fiza' when I was in Class X.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicky-kaushal/the-first-time-i-ever-went-on-set-was-during-fiza-when-i-was-in-class/) [Vicky Kaushal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicky-kaushal/) > [“D’you see that film where the car travelled in time when it went at eighty-eight miles an hour?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/d-you-see-that-film-where-the-car-travelled-in-time-when-it-went-at/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Time went by and we had to say goodbye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avantasia/time-went-by-and-we-had-to-say-goodbye/) [Avantasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avantasia/) > [Time went by, which is what time does, what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/time-went-by-which-is-what-time-does-what-it-is/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [We always ask where the time went. We never ask where it's coming from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lileks/we-always-ask-where-the-time-went-we-never-ask-where-it-s-coming-from/) [James Lileks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lileks/) > [“Time went on. Whatever happened, nothing happened, because she was so beautifully out of contact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/time-went-on-whatever-happened-nothing-happened-because-she-was-so/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“This is how time went. It flew and we did not see it flying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/this-is-how-time-went-it-flew-and-we-did-not-see-it-flying/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [I went to the gym 4 days in a row in January of 2016. That's the last time I went.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-shor/i-went-to-the-gym-4-days-in-a-row-in-january-of-2016-that-s-the-last/) [Miriam Shor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-shor/) > [The first time I went to see theatre, I was in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/the-first-time-i-went-to-see-theatre-i-was-in-it/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [It's hard to believe. Where does the times go?' Betty sighs. 'I've always hated that phrase. It makes it would like time went on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/it-s-hard-to-believe-where-does-the-times-go-betty-sighs-i-ve-always/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [When's the last time you went into a barber shop and saw everyone there unconsious?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-heenan/when-s-the-last-time-you-went-into-a-barber-shop-and-saw-everyone/) [Bobby Heenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-heenan/) ## More by Rupert Thomson > [“While still practising law, he'd run a hearse-rental agency. Then, later, he'd bought into a handkerchief factory in Baker Park. Their most famous innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/while-still-practising-law-he-d-run-a-hearse-rental-agency-then-later/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“Vasco bought a bottle of vodka to celebrate and they drank it in the old sailors' graveyard in Mangrove South. This was where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/vasco-bought-a-bottle-of-vodka-to-celebrate-and-they-drank-it-in-the/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“At first he didn't know where he was, whose voice it was. He must have been asleep. And waking suddenly, like that, you woke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/at-first-he-didn-t-know-where-he-was-whose-voice-it-was-he-must-have/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“It was as if Jed had moved from one dimension to another. His original dimension hadn't reported him missing, and his new dimension didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/it-was-as-if-jed-had-moved-from-one-dimension-to-another-his-original/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“He woke early the next morning. It was still cool, but he opened the window and, leaning on the ledge, looked down at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/he-woke-early-the-next-morning-it-was-still-cool-but-he-opened-the/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“The sun snagged on his crooked skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/the-sun-snagged-on-his-crooked-skin/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“He was dropped under a streetlamp, the only person left on the bus. A patch of mauled light. Gritty pavement, scarred with a million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/he-was-dropped-under-a-streetlamp-the-only-person-left-on-the-bus-a/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“You must tell me about it when you do,' she said. 'When you make love for the first time, I mean. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/you-must-tell-me-about-it-when-you-do-she-said-when-you-make-love-for/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“That's what birthdays were. Days when you found out where you stood. Who was on your side and who wasn't. Nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/that-s-what-birthdays-were-days-when-you-found-out-where-you-stood/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“Did I tell you about Anton?" Loots said. Anton?" I shook my head. It was a week ago, Loots said. There had been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/did-i-tell-you-about-anton-loots-said-anton-i-shook-my-head-it-was-a/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“He looked both proud and guilty of something. As if happiness was a reward and he wasn't sure he'd done enough to deserve it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/he-looked-both-proud-and-guilty-of-something-as-if-happiness-was-a/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“Jed was used to isolation. His face was like some kind of cul-de-sac. It said NO THROUGH ROAD to most people. Confronted with him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/jed-was-used-to-isolation-his-face-was-like-some-kind-of-cul-de-sac/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“She was someone who heard each grain in the hour-glass, she felt the passing seconds like sandpaper against her softest skin. Time actually seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in-the-hour-glass-she-felt-the/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“There's love and everybody talks about it, but not all of us come close to it - or, if we do, it's not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/there-s-love-and-everybody-talks-about-it-but-not-all-of-us-come/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“Vasco lived in Mangrove Heights, on a bluff overlooking the river. The first time Jed saw the house, he couldn't help thinking of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/vasco-lived-in-mangrove-heights-on-a-bluff-overlooking-the-river-the/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) [Explore all 29 Rupert Thomson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) ## More First time quotes > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. And here we have Zelah Green, the fourteen-year-old champion of rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-curtis/i-m-so-stressed-that-a-weird-olympic-style-commentary-starts-up-in-my/) Vanessa Curtis > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“I’m waiting for you,” he murmured, smiling a slow, familiar grin that seemed to hint at a secret between them. And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“I won’t break your heart. For the first time in my life, I’ve found something worth fighting for, someone more important than me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelle-bliss/i-won-t-break-your-heart-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ve-found/) [Chelle Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelle-bliss/) > [Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-parachute-jump-you-have-to-get-it-right-the-first-time/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/) [Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/) > [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/) Mennah al refaey > [“Or maybe your magic isn't that destructive after all. The rain of Doritos, the bed thing,this...Maybe it's just that you create too big, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/or-maybe-your-magic-isn-t-that-destructive-after-all-the-rain-of/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [I don't know why, but everybody thinks that I'm short. When they see me for the first time, women are always surprised to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/i-don-t-know-why-but-everybody-thinks-that-i-m-short-when-they-see-me/) [Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/) > [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) Browse all 9,309 First time quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes it seemed as if he'd always been very old. People said that time lasted for ever when you were young. That was lies. Lies and rosy spectacles. His spectacles were steel frames and time was those tattoos on Vasco's arm. They were more like time than anything else. Once, in the Empire of Junk, he'd seen an hour-glass. Now that came closest to the truth. Except you could turn it upside down and start again. So that was lies too. The sand should run out the first time, run right out. Once, and once only. Time wasn't outside you, it was inside. [...] Time was something that went bad, like fruit. To be used before it was all used up. Though, for most people, the only way to live was to deny that.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rupert Thomson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-been-very-old-people-said-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "First time" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-been-very-old-people-said-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/rupert-thomson-21283_first-time_sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-be_1140922.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/rupert-thomson-21283_first-time_sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-be_1140922.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/rupert-thomson-21283_first-time_sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-be_1140922.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes it seemed as if he'd always been very old. People said that time lasted for ever when you were…” — Rupert Thomson", "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": "Rupert Thomson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sometimes it seemed as if he'd...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-been-very-old-people-said-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-been-very-old-people-said-that/#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 } } ] } ```