--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People are content to wait a long time…" description: "\"People are content to wait a long time for salvation, but prefer dinner to turn up inside an hour.\" — Terry Pratchett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f80/terry-pratchett-19_dinner_people-are-content-to-wait-a-long-time-f_3202703.jpg" --- # People are content to wait a long time for salvation, but… ![“People are content to wait a long time for salvation, but prefer dinner to turn up inside an hour.” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f80/terry-pratchett-19_dinner_people-are-content-to-wait-a-long-time-f_3202703.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f80/terry-pratchett-19_dinner_people-are-content-to-wait-a-long-time-f_3202703.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f80/terry-pratchett-19_dinner_people-are-content-to-wait-a-long-time-f_3202703.jpg) > “People are content to wait a long time for salvation, but prefer dinner to turn up inside an hour.” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often wait indefinitely for spiritual salvation but desire immediate physical comforts. **In simple terms:** People want quick gratification over distant hope. Key Takeaway Prioritize present needs wisely. Themes patience materialism spirituality Mood reflective critical Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - religious fasting - dieting - budgeting - time management Key Concepts instant gratification delayed reward human desire Questions to Reflect On - What comforts are you postponing for a distant reward? - How does instant gratification affect your patience? A Different Perspective Immediate comfort can undermine long‑term goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Salvation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salvation/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“If a lion invites you to dinner, turn down the offer, no matter how hungry you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-a-lion-invites-you-to-dinner-turn-down-the-offer-no-matter-how/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Repentance is not merely behavior reform; neither is it something we do in a one-time salvation decision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phylicia-d-masonheimer/repentance-is-not-merely-behavior-reform-neither-is-it-something-we/) [Phylicia D. Masonheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phylicia-d-masonheimer/) > [Sexual difference is probably the issue in our time which could be our 'salvation' if we thought it through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luce-irigaray/sexual-difference-is-probably-the-issue-in-our-time-which-could-be/) [Luce Irigaray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luce-irigaray/) > [Sam Vimes could parallel process. Most husbands can. They learn to follow their own line of thought while at the same time listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/sam-vimes-could-parallel-process-most-husbands-can-they-learn-to/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“His mouth said: "Would you like to have dinner tonight?" For just the skin of a second, Miss Dearheart was surprised, but not half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/his-mouth-said-would-you-like-to-have-dinner-tonight-for-just-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [If you are the kind of person who is waiting for the 'right' thing to happen, you might wait for a long time. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/if-you-are-the-kind-of-person-who-is-waiting-for-the-right-thing-to/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [“Everything will change, if you wait long enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullinan/everything-will-change-if-you-wait-long-enough/) [Heidi Cullinan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullinan/) > [I'll wait for you as long as I can. But, when the time comes and I fall for someone else, maybe it's about time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryaj-ablando-catayas-2/i-ll-wait-for-you-as-long-as-i-can-but-when-the-time-comes-and-i-fall/) [Ryaj Ablando-Catayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryaj-ablando-catayas-2/) > [“Don't wait too long. Life takes unexpected turns, and we don't always have the time we think we have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/don-t-wait-too-long-life-takes-unexpected-turns-and-we-don-t-always/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [But the good ones go The good ones go, if you wait too long So you should go You should go, before you stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-maynard-good-ones-go/but-the-good-ones-go-the-good-ones-go-if-you-wait-too-long-so-you/) Conor Maynard Good Ones Go > [My music's like waiting for a bus. You wait a long time for one, then a whole heap of them come along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roisin-murphy/my-music-s-like-waiting-for-a-bus-you-wait-a-long-time-for-one-then-a/) [Roisin Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roisin-murphy/) > [And sure enough, even waiting will end...if you can just wait long enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/and-sure-enough-even-waiting-will-end-if-you-can-just-wait-long-enough/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Be careful that you do not wait too long. Unspent wishes can be dangerous things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-m-aldridge/be-careful-that-you-do-not-wait-too-long-unspent-wishes-can-be/) Ethan M. Aldridge > [Being patient and waiting on the right one to come and treat me right. And I'll wait as long as it takes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-patient-and-waiting-on-the-right-one-to-come-and-treat-me-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have my whole life to find that right person. But I don't want to wait that long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-my-whole-life-to-find-that-right-person-but-i-don-t-want-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Terry Pratchett > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More Dinner quotes > [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [My dinners have never interfered with my business. They have been my recreation. . . A public banquet, if eaten with thought and care,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/my-dinners-have-never-interfered-with-my-business-they-have-been-my/) [Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/) > [Anybody can be Prince Charming one day a year, with the dinner and the flowers and all that. But you know what impresses me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-howard/anybody-can-be-prince-charming-one-day-a-year-with-the-dinner-and-the/) [Ryan Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-howard/) > [“We just went out for dinner. We didn't participate in a Roman orgy, I swear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-dahl/we-just-went-out-for-dinner-we-didn-t-participate-in-a-roman-orgy-i/) [Victoria Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-dahl/) > [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [ Music \[is\] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grabbed-it-to-shock-yourself-out/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [Sonny Von Bulow, who said to her husband Claus on their honeymoon, Stop needling me. Never got a dinner!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/sonny-von-bulow-who-said-to-her-husband-claus-on-their-honeymoon-stop/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [Remember, sex is like a Chinese dinner. It ain't over 'til you both get your cookie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/remember-sex-is-like-a-chinese-dinner-it-ain-t-over-til-you-both-get/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [I have no social life. There is no time for one. Once in a while I may go to dinner with a friend but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-halliday/i-have-no-social-life-there-is-no-time-for-one-once-in-a-while-i-may/) [Liz Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-halliday/) > [I'm not a person who would get up at 5 A.M. to write, but I could sacrifice my Friday night and just order in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-weisberger/i-m-not-a-person-who-would-get-up-at-5-a-m-to-write-but-i-could/) [Lauren Weisberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-weisberger/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) > [Once, as an experiment, I travelled around the world with a single suit. Before I left, I went to a tailor in Savile Row…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hamilton/once-as-an-experiment-i-travelled-around-the-world-with-a-single-suit/) [George Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hamilton/) > [I like to be bought flowers and taken out for dinner. I like a man to be a gentleman. I don't like to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-stone/i-like-to-be-bought-flowers-and-taken-out-for-dinner-i-like-a-man-to/) [Sharon Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-stone/) > [Why should the Marquis de Cussy wage war on soup? I cannot understand a dinner without it. I hold soup to be the well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-antoine-careme/why-should-the-marquis-de-cussy-wage-war-on-soup-i-cannot-understand/) [Marie-Antoine Careme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-antoine-careme/) > [Helvetica is the jeans, and Univers the dinner jacket. Helvetica is here to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/helvetica-is-the-jeans-and-univers-the-dinner-jacket-helvetica-is/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) [Browse all 2,901 Dinner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People are content to wait a long time for salvation, but prefer dinner to turn up inside an hour.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Pratchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/people-are-content-to-wait-a-long-time-for-salvation-but-prefer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dinner" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/people-are-content-to-wait-a-long-time-for-salvation-but-prefer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f80/terry-pratchett-19_dinner_people-are-content-to-wait-a-long-time-f_3202703.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f80/terry-pratchett-19_dinner_people-are-content-to-wait-a-long-time-f_3202703.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f80/terry-pratchett-19_dinner_people-are-content-to-wait-a-long-time-f_3202703.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People are content to wait a long time for salvation, but prefer dinner to turn up inside an hour.” — Terry Pratchett", "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": "Terry Pratchett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People are content to wait a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/people-are-content-to-wait-a-long-time-for-salvation-but-prefer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/people-are-content-to-wait-a-long-time-for-salvation-but-prefer/#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 } } ] } ```