---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The concept of time, as it’s commonly…"
description: "\"“The concept of time, as it’s commonly understood by normal people with normal jobs and normal goddamn lives, doesn’t exist on the road. The nights spr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/tiffanie-debartolo-1458_clock_the-concept-of-time-as-it-s-commonly-und_2007456.png"
---

#  The concept of time, as it’s commonly understood by normal…

![“The concept of time, as it’s commonly understood by normal people with normal jobs and normal goddamn lives, doesn’t exist on the road. The nights spread out like the dark, godforsaken highways that distinguish them, and the days run together like Thanksgiving dinner smothered in gravy. You never…” quote by Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/tiffanie-debartolo-1458_clock_the-concept-of-time-as-it-s-commonly-und_2007456.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/tiffanie-debartolo-1458_clock_the-concept-of-time-as-it-s-commonly-und_2007456.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/tiffanie-debartolo-1458_clock_the-concept-of-time-as-it-s-commonly-und_2007456.png)

> ““The concept of time, as it’s commonly understood by normal people with normal jobs and normal goddamn lives, doesn’t exist on the road. The nights spread out like the dark, godforsaken highways that distinguish them, and the days run together like Thanksgiving dinner smothered in gravy. You never really know where you are or what time it is, and the outside world starts to fade away. It’s cool.””

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

## About This Quote

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

Time loses its usual structure on long drives, blending day and night into a fluid experience that isolates the traveler from ordinary life.

**In simple terms:** Time feels fluid on the road, separating you from normal life.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the present moment while traveling.

Themes

travel perception isolation time roadlife

Mood

reflective contemplative adventurous

Type

narrative personal observational

When to use this quote

- long highway drives
- night shifts
- road trips
- remote work
- solo travel

Key Concepts

subjective time psychology of travel environmental influence

Questions to Reflect On

- How does altered time perception affect decision making on the road?
- What strategies keep you grounded during long drives?

A Different Perspective

The description may romanticize disorientation, overlooking safety or fatigue concerns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Concept of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concept-of-time/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner/) [Highways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highways/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Outside world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-world/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Road trip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/road-trip/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Thanksgiving dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thanksgiving-dinner/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [The well of nature is full today. Time to go outside and take a drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/the-well-of-nature-is-full-today-time-to-go-outside-and-take-a-drink/)

[Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/)

> [As governor, when I visited our troops in Kuwait and Iraq, I served them Thanksgiving dinner. It was a small gesture compared to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-granholm/as-governor-when-i-visited-our-troops-in-kuwait-and-iraq-i-served/)

[Jennifer Granholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-granholm/)

> [I'm vegetarian, but I love Thanksgiving dinner: faux turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-lezark/i-m-vegetarian-but-i-love-thanksgiving-dinner-faux-turkey-stuffing/)

[Leigh Lezark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-lezark/)

> [“He smelled like fall — not like pumpkin and freshly fallen leaves, but like fall in Florida — salty like the beach air, earthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kandi-steiner/he-smelled-like-fall-not-like-pumpkin-and-freshly-fallen-leaves-but/)

[Kandi Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kandi-steiner/)

> [A two-pound turkey and a fifty-pound cranberry-that's Thanksgiving dinner at Three Mile Island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/a-two-pound-turkey-and-a-fifty-pound-cranberry-that-s-thanksgiving/)

[Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/)

> [“The next forty minutes are a festival of soul eating. I know many immigrant families incorporate their traditional dishes into the Thanksgiving feast, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-ballis/the-next-forty-minutes-are-a-festival-of-soul-eating-i-know-many/)

[Stacey Ballis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-ballis/)

> [Our family holidays always include our animals. On Thanksgiving, we love to walk around our farm and visit with our rescued pigs, goats, horses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-wyle/our-family-holidays-always-include-our-animals-on-thanksgiving-we/)

[Noah Wyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-wyle/)

> [“far as I knew. Never thought one way or the other when Mama used to take her “naps” in the middle of Christmas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-wells/far-as-i-knew-never-thought-one-way-or-the-other-when-mama-used-to/)

[Rebecca Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-wells/)

> [“I rubbed my palms on my hips. "It's going to take a lot more than Thanksgiving dinner and a Christmas tree to get laid."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/i-rubbed-my-palms-on-my-hips-it-s-going-to-take-a-lot-more-than/)

[Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/)

> [When I was nine or 10, I remember having a dinner party at my mum and dad's house. I wanted to have a Thanksgiving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-bowman/when-i-was-nine-or-10-i-remember-having-a-dinner-party-at-my-mum-and/)

[Edith Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-bowman/)

> [Prayer is like Thanksgiving dinner. It takes one hour to eat it and ten hours to prepare it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/prayer-is-like-thanksgiving-dinner-it-takes-one-hour-to-eat-it-and/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [I have always been lucky enough to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-have-always-been-lucky-enough-to-have-thanksgiving-dinner-with-my/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [“Michael Pollan likens consumer choices to pulling single threads out of a garment. We pull a thread from the garment when we refuse to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/michael-pollan-likens-consumer-choices-to-pulling-single-threads-out/)

[Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/)

> [May your stuffing be tasty May your turkey plump, May your potatoes and gravy Have nary a lump. May your yams be delicious And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/may-your-stuffing-be-tasty-may-your-turkey-plump-may-your-potatoes/)

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

> [Yesterday, the Supreme Court spent over an hour listening to arguments on whether Obamacare is unconstitutional. Yeah, listening to arguments about Obamacare for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/yesterday-the-supreme-court-spent-over-an-hour-listening-to-arguments/)

[Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/)

## More by Tiffanie DeBartolo

> [“Happiness is elusive, for sure.But lime love, and music, I believe in it because I can feel it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/happiness-is-elusive-for-sure-but-lime-love-and-music-i-believe-in-it/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [Forget the noose. Forget the Iron Maiden. Forget the electric chair or the guillotine. The mind was mankind's most painful torture chamber, the blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/forget-the-noose-forget-the-iron-maiden-forget-the-electric-chair-or/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [You know what I was thinking about on my way home? How different my life would be if you’d made that gash a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/you-know-what-i-was-thinking-about-on-my-way-home-how-different-my/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [Talent? That's not talent. Talent is Liza Minnelli tap dancing and singing at the same time. What I just saw was devastation. Dying man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/talent-that-s-not-talent-talent-is-liza-minnelli-tap-dancing-and/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [...we grew apart. The thing is, we loved each other, and on some level we always will, but when you’re twenty-three and you fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/we-grew-apart-the-thing-is-we-loved-each-other-and-on-some-level-we/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [We had pathetically simple dreams: to do meaningful work that we could be proud of, to be together, and to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/we-had-pathetically-simple-dreams-to-do-meaningful-work-that-we-could/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“Two at a time, Vera ate her peanut M&amp;Ms. Except for the red ones. These, she alleged, were made from the guts of dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/two-at-a-time-vera-ate-her-peanut-m-ms-except-for-the-red-ones-these/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“I give off good vibes, kids, dogs, and middle-aged divorcées like me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/i-give-off-good-vibes-kids-dogs-and-middle-aged-divorc-es-like-me/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [When dreams come true in reality they never feel the same as when you imagine them, and you know what that means? It means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/when-dreams-come-true-in-reality-they-never-feel-the-same-as-when-you/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“He believed that any work an artist puts forth which contains the truth as he or she sees it is worthy of consideration,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/he-believed-that-any-work-an-artist-puts-forth-which-contains-the/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“People always ask if Burke and Caelum are brothers because they're both so tall, and neither Michael seems bothered by the question, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/people-always-ask-if-burke-and-caelum-are-brothers-because-they-re/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“All my life I waited for someone who would say things like that to me. And for someone I didn’t feel alone in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/all-my-life-i-waited-for-someone-who-would-say-things-like-that-to-me/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [Committing suicide so as not to be murdered is the worst reason I've ever heard of to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/committing-suicide-so-as-not-to-be-murdered-is-the-worst-reason-i-ve/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“I hoped his last sensation was the euphoria. The peace. The love. I had to believe it was the love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/i-hoped-his-last-sensation-was-the-euphoria-the-peace-the-love-i-had/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“Tell me what you listen to, and I'll tell you who you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/tell-me-what-you-listen-to-and-i-ll-tell-you-who-you-are/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

[Explore all 239 Tiffanie DeBartolo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

## More Clock quotes

> [Even Einstein had to rely for his time on his clock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/even-einstein-had-to-rely-for-his-time-on-his-clock/)

[Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/)

> [“Time was never neutral and often felt dangerous. We either think we have all the time in the world or time moves too fast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-reay/time-was-never-neutral-and-often-felt-dangerous-we-either-think-we/)

[Katherine Reay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-reay/)

> [Before a clock was in the tower, Or e'er a watch was worn; I knew of night the passing hour, And prophesied the morn;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/before-a-clock-was-in-the-tower-or-e-er-a-watch-was-worn-i-knew-of/)

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

> [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/)

[Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/)

> [“Time is, to put it in its most impressive and some might say poncy-sounding form, my domain. I can see things that once happened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-rayner/time-is-to-put-it-in-its-most-impressive-and-some-might-say-poncy/)

[Jacqueline Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-rayner/)

> [Time travel offends our sense of cause and effect - but maybe the universe doesn't insist on cause and effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/time-travel-offends-our-sense-of-cause-and-effect-but-maybe-the/)

[Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/)

> [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/)

[Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/)

> [Time.The greatest creator, and the worst destroyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levi-keely/time-the-greatest-creator-and-the-worst-destroyer/)

Levi Keely

> [Steven Spielberg seems to have wanted to be a director from 13. He put his dog in a certain position and made him eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/steven-spielberg-seems-to-have-wanted-to-be-a-director-from-13-he-put/)

[Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/)

> [No life goes past so swiftly as an eventless one, no clock spins like a clock whose days are all alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/no-life-goes-past-so-swiftly-as-an-eventless-one-no-clock-spins-like/)

[Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/)

> [Those who stop marketing to save money are like those who stop a clock to save time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/those-who-stop-marketing-to-save-money-are-like-those-who-stop-a/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [Time is the nervous system of narration, whether factual or fictive. If it gets confused some of the minutiae of human nature are certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/time-is-the-nervous-system-of-narration-whether-factual-or-fictive-if/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [I don't know if it's just me or everyone, but the whole vibe with skiing is not so much thriving on competition against others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/picabo-street/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-just-me-or-everyone-but-the-whole-vibe-with/)

[Picabo Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/picabo-street/)

> [Time goes on, even when yer not looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/time-goes-on-even-when-yer-not-looking/)

[Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/)

> [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

[Browse all 2,738 Clock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The concept of time, as it’s commonly understood by normal people with normal jobs and normal goddamn lives, doesn’t exist on the road. The nights spread out like the dark, godforsaken highways that distinguish them, and the days run together like Thanksgiving dinner smothered in gravy. You never really know where you are or what time it is, and the outside world starts to fade away. It’s cool.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tiffanie DeBartolo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/the-concept-of-time-as-it-s-commonly-understood-by-normal-people-with/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Clock"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/the-concept-of-time-as-it-s-commonly-understood-by-normal-people-with/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/tiffanie-debartolo-1458_clock_the-concept-of-time-as-it-s-commonly-und_2007456.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/tiffanie-debartolo-1458_clock_the-concept-of-time-as-it-s-commonly-und_2007456.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/tiffanie-debartolo-1458_clock_the-concept-of-time-as-it-s-commonly-und_2007456.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The concept of time, as it’s commonly understood by normal people with normal jobs and normal goddamn lives…” — Tiffanie DeBartolo",
                "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": "Tiffanie DeBartolo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The concept of time, as it’s...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/the-concept-of-time-as-it-s-commonly-understood-by-normal-people-with/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/the-concept-of-time-as-it-s-commonly-understood-by-normal-people-with/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
