--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In hindsight, if I could go back in time…" description: "\"In hindsight, if I could go back in time and relay a message to my younger self, I would tell him to work on his time keeping, and that the job of a dr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e53/taylor-hawkins-21621_above_in-hindsight-if-i-could-go-back-in-time_3073819.jpg" --- # In hindsight, if I could go back in time and relay a… ![“In hindsight, if I could go back in time and relay a message to my younger self, I would tell him to work on his time keeping, and that the job of a drummer is not to be the one that gets noticed the most on stage, or to be the fastest, or the loudest. Above all, it is to be the timekeeper.” quote by Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e53/taylor-hawkins-21621_above_in-hindsight-if-i-could-go-back-in-time_3073819.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e53/taylor-hawkins-21621_above_in-hindsight-if-i-could-go-back-in-time_3073819.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e53/taylor-hawkins-21621_above_in-hindsight-if-i-could-go-back-in-time_3073819.jpg) > “In hindsight, if I could go back in time and relay a message to my younger self, I would tell him to work on his time keeping, and that the job of a drummer is not to be the one that gets noticed the most on stage, or to be the fastest, or the loudest. Above all, it is to be the timekeeper.” [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He advises drummers to prioritize steady timing over flashiness, highlighting the drummer’s role as the backbone of a band. **In simple terms:** Drummers should keep time, not seek spotlight. Key Takeaway Prioritize timing over showmanship. Themes music discipline teamwork Mood educational practical Type advice reflective When to use this quote - Band rehearsals - live gigs - studio recording - music education Key Concepts rhythm leadership performance dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does a strong rhythm section affect a song’s feel? - What practices improve a drummer’s timing? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on speed can neglect musical cohesion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drummer/) [Hindsight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hindsight/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/message/) [Relay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relay/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time keeping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-keeping/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Younger self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/younger-self/) ## Related quotes > [In the Foo Fighters, my main job is to be the drummer, and that's enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/in-the-foo-fighters-my-main-job-is-to-be-the-drummer-and-that-s-enough/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [It's not often that an English drummer gets an Oscar. So I'm very, very proud of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-collins/it-s-not-often-that-an-english-drummer-gets-an-oscar-so-i-m-very-very/) [Phil Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-collins/) > [I love watching track and field - the 4x100 relay, the 100-(meter) dash, the 200-(meter) dash. To see what they're able to do, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/i-love-watching-track-and-field-the-4x100-relay-the-100-meter-dash/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [I think we're the shortest relay team in history but we're fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-maclean/i-think-we-re-the-shortest-relay-team-in-history-but-we-re-fast/) Brittany MacLean > [Our lives preserved. How it was; and how it be. Passing it along in the relay. That is what I work to do: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-cade-bambara/our-lives-preserved-how-it-was-and-how-it-be-passing-it-along-in-the/) [Toni Cade Bambara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-cade-bambara/) > [Life isn't a race. It's a relay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/life-isn-t-a-race-it-s-a-relay/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [I'm still an old-school reporter at heart. Writing fiction satisfies my journalistic need to hear and relay the testimony of everyday people at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/i-m-still-an-old-school-reporter-at-heart-writing-fiction-satisfies/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [We are experiencing such large support for the Olympic relay that our advice is to stay in your neighbourhood, stay in your borough and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/we-are-experiencing-such-large-support-for-the-olympic-relay-that-our/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [Every time I score the passion comes out and I try to relay that back to the fans and to the players and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-f-cahill/every-time-i-score-the-passion-comes-out-and-i-try-to-relay-that-back/) [Timothy F. Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-f-cahill/) > [I don't have the identity of any of them. I only had the nicks that they used on Internet Relay Chat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-johansen/i-don-t-have-the-identity-of-any-of-them-i-only-had-the-nicks-that/) Jon Johansen > [One rule I had was make your best pitch and back up third base. That relay might get away and you've got another shot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lefty-gomez/one-rule-i-had-was-make-your-best-pitch-and-back-up-third-base-that/) [Lefty Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lefty-gomez/) > [If you botch a handoff or stutter step in a relay, then your team has to make up that lost time. It's always you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donovan-bailey/if-you-botch-a-handoff-or-stutter-step-in-a-relay-then-your-team-has/) [Donovan Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donovan-bailey/) > [I've been amazed by the numbers that have come out to see the torch relay, so being a part of it is lovely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryn-terfel/i-ve-been-amazed-by-the-numbers-that-have-come-out-to-see-the-torch/) [Bryn Terfel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryn-terfel/) > [History is a relay of revolutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/history-is-a-relay-of-revolutions/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [For this relay there was a little more pressure because it's the 200, you have to make sure you swim it smart. The 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-williams/for-this-relay-there-was-a-little-more-pressure-because-it-s-the-200/) [Michelle Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-williams/) ## More by Taylor Hawkins > [I love Donna Summer, and I love ABBA. I love late '70s disco. I love the Bee Gees. I just love that period of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/i-love-donna-summer-and-i-love-abba-i-love-late-70s-disco-i-love-the/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [I used to dress like Roger Taylor when I was ten because I thought he was cool. In high school, I used to dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/i-used-to-dress-like-roger-taylor-when-i-was-ten-because-i-thought-he/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [I'm not trying to be the next Dave Grohl or Phil Collins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/i-m-not-trying-to-be-the-next-dave-grohl-or-phil-collins/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [Why go on vacation when work is so much more fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/why-go-on-vacation-when-work-is-so-much-more-fun/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [I don't take breaks, man. In the past, I used to spend my free time getting in trouble, and now I spend it working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/i-don-t-take-breaks-man-in-the-past-i-used-to-spend-my-free-time/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [In the Foo Fighters, my main job is to be the drummer, and that's enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/in-the-foo-fighters-my-main-job-is-to-be-the-drummer-and-that-s-enough/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [I've worked hard, but this business can be tough, and I just consider myself incredibly lucky to have had the career that I have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/i-ve-worked-hard-but-this-business-can-be-tough-and-i-just-consider/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [I know I'm not Freddie Mercury or Ann Wilson, and that's okay. You don't have to be a great singer to sing rock and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/i-know-i-m-not-freddie-mercury-or-ann-wilson-and-that-s-okay-you-don/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [I only started playing piano because I had chickenpox when I was about 14 and wasn't allowed to play my drums for a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/i-only-started-playing-piano-because-i-had-chickenpox-when-i-was/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [I like stuff that sounds big and full and makes your head trip and your body react.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/i-like-stuff-that-sounds-big-and-full-and-makes-your-head-trip-and/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [When I was a kid, of course I wanted to be the fastest, the loudest and the one with the biggest drum set, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/when-i-was-a-kid-of-course-i-wanted-to-be-the-fastest-the-loudest-and/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [I don't like guitar solos that are like, 'Look at me, look at me!' I like guitar solos that are little songs within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/i-don-t-like-guitar-solos-that-are-like-look-at-me-look-at-me-i-like/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > ['Boy,' 'October,' 'War,' 'The Unforgettable Fire' and 'The Joshua Tree,' those records, they're part of my musical DNA and structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/boy-october-war-the-unforgettable-fire-and-the-joshua-tree-those/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [I've been lucky enough to have fulfilled so many ambitions, and gone way past anything I ever thought I would do. I could never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-have-fulfilled-so-many-ambitions-and-gone/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [I think that debut albums are supposed to sound sort of raw. You don't want to record 'Sgt. Pepper's' as your first album, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/i-think-that-debut-albums-are-supposed-to-sound-sort-of-raw-you-don-t/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) [Explore all 29 Taylor Hawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) ## More Above quotes > [If you're going to reach for it, reach all the way for it. Albums like 'Purple Rain' and 'Thriller' and those kind of records,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sitek/if-you-re-going-to-reach-for-it-reach-all-the-way-for-it-albums-like/) [Dave Sitek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sitek/) > [I have found that my fan base is a bit above average when compared to the common horror fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-green/i-have-found-that-my-fan-base-is-a-bit-above-average-when-compared-to/) [Adam Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-green/) > [Ronaldo dominates this world, and Messi is above everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-prince-boateng/ronaldo-dominates-this-world-and-messi-is-above-everything-else/) [Kevin-Prince Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-prince-boateng/) > [I wasn't going to be an actor. I was going to be a lawyer. I came from a family just above working class, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-butler/i-wasn-t-going-to-be-an-actor-i-was-going-to-be-a-lawyer-i-came-from/) [Gerard Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-butler/) > [I get up every morning and chop wood, and I pretty much do it seven days a week, and I like to do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-get-up-every-morning-and-chop-wood-and-i-pretty-much-do-it-seven/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [We must commit ourselves to an 'all of the above' energy approach, with a major focus on increasing domestic production and expanding alternatives fuels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-roskam/we-must-commit-ourselves-to-an-all-of-the-above-energy-approach-with/) [Peter Roskam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-roskam/) > [In Minnesota, we hold our leaders to a higher standard. We demand that the men and women we send to Washington stand above reproach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-bills/in-minnesota-we-hold-our-leaders-to-a-higher-standard-we-demand-that/) [Kurt Bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-bills/) > [I've been lucky. I don't for a minute take for granted the good fortune I have had. You don't like to get ideas above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-curran/i-ve-been-lucky-i-don-t-for-a-minute-take-for-granted-the-good/) [Tony Curran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-curran/) > [We lived above my father's launderette. Both my parents ran the launderette, but my father was also a factory supervisor, and my mum worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjeev-bhaskar/we-lived-above-my-father-s-launderette-both-my-parents-ran-the/) [Sanjeev Bhaskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjeev-bhaskar/) > [A good deed is not just a duty, but above all, a privilege.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-arison/a-good-deed-is-not-just-a-duty-but-above-all-a-privilege/) [Shari Arison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-arison/) > [The focus in the Western pictorial tradition is on the body of Christ, the bit you can paint, the Nativity and the infancy, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macgregor/the-focus-in-the-western-pictorial-tradition-is-on-the-body-of-christ/) [Neil MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macgregor/) > [If the world were an orange with 18 segments meeting at the top (the North Pole), roughly 8 of them would be in Russia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/if-the-world-were-an-orange-with-18-segments-meeting-at-the-top-the/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [When I discovered acting, I decided that's what I wanted to do above everything else. 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And because New Orleans is below sea level, when they bury…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-trammell/there-s-also-the-tradition-of-voodoo-the-haitian-magic-arts-in-new/) [Sam Trammell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-trammell/) Browse all 387 Above quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In hindsight, if I could go back in time and relay a message to my younger self, I would tell him to work on his time keeping, and that the job of a drummer is not to be the one that gets noticed the most on stage, or to be the fastest, or the loudest. 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