--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Too-lateness, I realized, has nothing to…" description: "\"“Too-lateness, I realized, has nothing to do with age. Too-lateness is potentially every moment. Or not, depending on the person and the moment. Perhap..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/russell-hoban-7835_aging_too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-d_1657956.png" --- # Too-lateness, I realized, has nothing to do with age… ![“Too-lateness, I realized, has nothing to do with age. Too-lateness is potentially every moment. Or not, depending on the person and the moment. Perhaps there even comes a time when it's no longer too late for anything. Perhaps, even, most times are too early for most things, and most of life has…” quote by Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/russell-hoban-7835_aging_too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-d_1657956.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/russell-hoban-7835_aging_too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-d_1657956.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/russell-hoban-7835_aging_too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-d_1657956.png) > ““Too-lateness, I realized, has nothing to do with age. Too-lateness is potentially every moment. Or not, depending on the person and the moment. Perhaps there even comes a time when it's no longer too late for anything. Perhaps, even, most times are too early for most things, and most of life has to go by before it's time for almost anything and too late for almost nothing. Nothing to lose, the present moment to gain, the integration with long-delayed Now.”” [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) ## 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 not bound by age; each moment can be too early or too late depending on readiness. **In simple terms:** Every moment can feel too early or too late. Key Takeaway Act in the present, don’t wait for perfect timing. Themes time presence readiness life opportunity Mood reflective thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career decisions - personal relationships - creative projects - health choices Key Concepts temporal perception existential reflection mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What moment are you postponing? - How can you use now to shape future outcomes? A Different Perspective Too much focus on timing can cause paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age Lateness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-lateness-727249/) [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Every moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-moment/) [Lateness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lateness/) [Lateness Potentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lateness-potentially-727250/) [Lateness Realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lateness-realized-727252/) [Present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-moment/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-late-727251/) [Too early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-early/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) ## Related quotes > [Too-lateness, I realized, has nothing to do with age. It’s a relation of self to the moment. Or not, depending on the person and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-do-with-age-it-s-a-relation-of/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [“Everything comes at the right time, but if the right time is too late to be patient, go earlier before it becomes too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/everything-comes-at-the-right-time-but-if-the-right-time-is-too-late/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [You get work however you get work, but keep people keep working in a freelance world (and more and more of todays world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-work-however-you-get-work-but-keep-people-keep-working-in-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Just being alive should make you late for everything. In case you've never noticed, the dead are always on time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-ang/just-being-alive-should-make-you-late-for-everything-in-case-you-ve/) [Arlene Ang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-ang/) > [“All my life, he said, I been witness to people showin up where they was supposed to be at various times after they'd said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/all-my-life-he-said-i-been-witness-to-people-showin-up-where-they-was/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“She was around ten minutes late, as a matter of fact. I didn't give a damn, though. All that crap they have in cartoons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/she-was-around-ten-minutes-late-as-a-matter-of-fact-i-didn-t-give-a/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [The superior thing ... was to be late. Lateness showed that serene contempt for the illusion we call time which is so necessary to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/the-superior-thing-was-to-be-late-lateness-showed-that-serene/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [You get work however you get work. People keep working, in a freelance world, and more and more of today's world is freelance, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-work-however-you-get-work-people-keep-working-in-a-freelance/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The youthful stationmaster wore a Blue Spot on his uniform and remonstrated with the driver that the train was a minute late, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/the-youthful-stationmaster-wore-a-blue-spot-on-his-uniform-and/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“Whenever you're late, make others wonder if they can handle your success if you came on time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vignesh-s/whenever-you-re-late-make-others-wonder-if-they-can-handle-your/) [Vignesh S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vignesh-s/) > [“Waiting patiently for the fatest bone is a dog's lifestyle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/waiting-patiently-for-the-fatest-bone-is-a-dog-s-lifestyle/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“The superior thing, in this as in other departments of life, was to be late. Lateness showed that serene contempt for the illusion we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/the-superior-thing-in-this-as-in-other-departments-of-life-was-to-be/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [Always late: thus I make you the prisoner of my freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/always-late-thus-i-make-you-the-prisoner-of-my-freedom/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [One of the best known, and one of the least intelligible, facts of literary history is the lateness, in Western European Literature at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saintsbury/one-of-the-best-known-and-one-of-the-least-intelligible-facts-of/) [George Saintsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saintsbury/) > [I see what I want of Love... I see horses making the meadow dance, fifty guitars sighing, and a swarm of bees suckling the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-see-what-i-want-of-love-i-see-horses-making-the-meadow-dance-fifty/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) ## More by Russell Hoban > [Sometimes there's nothing but Sundays for weeks on end. Why can't they move Sunday to the middle of the week so you could put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/sometimes-there-s-nothing-but-sundays-for-weeks-on-end-why-can-t-they/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [Too-lateness, I realized, has nothing to do with age. It’s a relation of self to the moment. Or not, depending on the person and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-do-with-age-it-s-a-relation-of/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [If the past cannot teach the present and the father cannot teach the son, then history need not have bothered to go on, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/if-the-past-cannot-teach-the-present-and-the-father-cannot-teach-the/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [“I had a salad. If I were to say that today's tomatoes were an index of the decline of Western man I should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/i-had-a-salad-if-i-were-to-say-that-today-s-tomatoes-were-an-index-of/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [“What do you do when you're wound up?' she asked. 'Do you play that drum?'. 'No,' said the child. 'We used to dance.' 'But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/what-do-you-do-when-you-re-wound-up-she-asked-do-you-play-that-drum/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [“He was thinking what a long and wide thing time is, to have so many happenings in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/he-was-thinking-what-a-long-and-wide-thing-time-is-to-have-so-many/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [Who is Alice?" asked mother. "Alice is somebody that nobody can see," said Frances. "And that is why she does not have a birthday.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/who-is-alice-asked-mother-alice-is-somebody-that-nobody-can-see-said/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [“Mark you that and noat you wel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/mark-you-that-and-noat-you-wel/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [“Seed of the little Seed of the wyld Seed of the berning is Hart of the chyld . . . Out goes the candl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/seed-of-the-little-seed-of-the-wyld-seed-of-the-berning-is-hart-of/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [Nothing to be done really about animals. Anything you do looks foolish. The answer isn't in us. It's almost as if we're put here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/nothing-to-be-done-really-about-animals-anything-you-do-looks-foolish/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [Sometimes I think that the biggest difference between men and women is that more men need to seek out some terrible lurking thing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/sometimes-i-think-that-the-biggest-difference-between-men-and-women/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [“Before the motorcar replaced the horse, and for some years after there were many illustrators who drew horses with the same authority with which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/before-the-motorcar-replaced-the-horse-and-for-some-years-after-there/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [When I write a book, I don't have a plan or an outline. The characters move the action, and the action develops the characters.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/when-i-write-a-book-i-don-t-have-a-plan-or-an-outline-the-characters/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [“Sometimes I think that the biggest difference between men and women is that more men need to seek out some terrible lurking thing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/sometimes-i-think-that-the-biggest-difference-between-men-and-women-2/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [If reality had a stage door I'd hang around there to see what comes out after the show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/if-reality-had-a-stage-door-i-d-hang-around-there-to-see-what-comes/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) [Explore all 86 Russell Hoban quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) ## More Aging quotes > [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/) > [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“It takes maturity to be able to laugh like a child again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moffat-machingura/it-takes-maturity-to-be-able-to-laugh-like-a-child-again/) [Moffat Machingura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moffat-machingura/) > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/growing-old-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s-interesting/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [Anything is possible in the life of a man if he lives long enough. Even maturity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howell-raines/anything-is-possible-in-the-life-of-a-man-if-he-lives-long-enough/) [Howell Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howell-raines/) > [I just want to be Patty McCormack. I want to spend every year aging the way she has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/i-just-want-to-be-patty-mccormack-i-want-to-spend-every-year-aging/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [Maturity is reached the day we don't need to be lied to about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-yerby/maturity-is-reached-the-day-we-don-t-need-to-be-lied-to-about-anything/) [Frank Yerby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-yerby/) [Browse all 2,792 Aging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Too-lateness, I realized, has nothing to do with age. Too-lateness is potentially every moment. Or not, depending on the person and the moment. Perhaps there even comes a time when it's no longer too late for anything. Perhaps, even, most times are too early for most things, and most of life has to go by before it's time for almost anything and too late for almost nothing. Nothing to lose, the present moment to gain, the integration with long-delayed Now.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Russell Hoban" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-do-with-age-too-lateness-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aging" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-do-with-age-too-lateness-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/russell-hoban-7835_aging_too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-d_1657956.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/russell-hoban-7835_aging_too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-d_1657956.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/russell-hoban-7835_aging_too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-d_1657956.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Too-lateness, I realized, has nothing to do with age. Too-lateness is potentially every moment. Or not…” — Russell Hoban", "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": "Russell Hoban", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Too-lateness, I realized, has nothing to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-do-with-age-too-lateness-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/too-lateness-i-realized-has-nothing-to-do-with-age-too-lateness-is/#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 } } ] } ```