--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a long life there are thirty or…" description: "\"“In a long life there are thirty or thirty-five thousand days to be got through, but only a few dozen that really matter, Big Days when Something Momen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/william-landay-7878_big-day_in-a-long-life-there-are-thirty-or-thirt_3134855.png" --- # In a long life there are thirty or thirty-five thousand… ![“In a long life there are thirty or thirty-five thousand days to be got through, but only a few dozen that really matter, Big Days when Something Momentous Happens. The rest—the vast majority, tens of thousands of days—are unremarkable, repetitive, even monotonous.” quote by William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/william-landay-7878_big-day_in-a-long-life-there-are-thirty-or-thirt_3134855.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/william-landay-7878_big-day_in-a-long-life-there-are-thirty-or-thirt_3134855.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/william-landay-7878_big-day_in-a-long-life-there-are-thirty-or-thirt_3134855.png) > ““In a long life there are thirty or thirty-five thousand days to be got through, but only a few dozen that really matter, Big Days when Something Momentous Happens. The rest—the vast majority, tens of thousands of days—are unremarkable, repetitive, even monotonous.”” [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Most days are ordinary, but a few pivotal moments define a life’s significance, urging focus on meaningful experiences. **In simple terms:** Few days truly matter. Key Takeaway Prioritize moments that matter. Themes meaning time focus Mood contemplative hopeful Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - career planning - personal milestones - health decisions Key Concepts significance monotony Questions to Reflect On - Which moments have defined you? - How can you create more meaningful days? A Different Perspective Hard to predict which days will be pivotal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-day/) [Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/days/) [Days Unremarkable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/days-unremarkable-5560231/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-life/) [Thousand Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-days-1138918/) [Thousands Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousands-days-684310/) ## Related quotes > [The rest-the vast majority, tens of thousands of days-are unremarkable, repetitive, even monotonous. We glide through them then instantly forget them. We tend not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/the-rest-the-vast-majority-tens-of-thousands-of-days-are-unremarkable/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [I'll give you one day at a time, Claire. But remember, I'm thousands of days ahead already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/i-ll-give-you-one-day-at-a-time-claire-but-remember-i-m-thousands-of/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“Before I continue, I just want to write about living every day like your last one. I don’t agree with it at all. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cave-man/before-i-continue-i-just-want-to-write-about-living-every-day-like/) [Cave Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cave-man/) > [It is in the thousands of days of trying, failing, sitting, thinking, resisting, dreaming, raveling, unraveling that we are at our most engaged, alert,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/it-is-in-the-thousands-of-days-of-trying-failing-sitting-thinking/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [You say you have thousands of my days; but I have thousands of moments, in which I can be merry and happy \[the ephemera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-christian-andersen/you-say-you-have-thousands-of-my-days-but-i-have-thousands-of-moments/) [Hans Christian Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-christian-andersen/) > [“One good idea could cost you thousands of your days, but it's just time you'd be spending anyways”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-lewis/one-good-idea-could-cost-you-thousands-of-your-days-but-it-s-just/) [Jeffrey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-lewis/) > [It is not hard to live through a day, if you can live through a moment. What creates despair is the imagination, which pretends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus/it-is-not-hard-to-live-through-a-day-if-you-can-live-through-a-moment-2/) [Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) > [“I look back at the thousands of days through which I have lived, and feel awed by their inconsequentiality. My life resembles the writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-taylor/i-look-back-at-the-thousands-of-days-through-which-i-have-lived-and/) [Sam Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-taylor/) > [Sometimes a day is like nothing at all and then on its heels comes a night that is like a thousand days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-a-day-is-like-nothing-at-all-and-then-on-its-heels-comes-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nonetheless, out of a life of 60 or 70 years, three years is more than a thousand days and a thousand nights”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alija-izetbegovic/nonetheless-out-of-a-life-of-60-or-70-years-three-years-is-more-than/) [Alija Izetbegović](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alija-izetbegovic/) > [See to it that you temper yourself with one thousand days of practice, and refine yourself with ten thousand days of training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyamoto-musashi/see-to-it-that-you-temper-yourself-with-one-thousand-days-of-practice/) [Miyamoto Musashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyamoto-musashi/) > [“I'm an idealist without illusions. \[Ca. 1953, attributed to John F. Kennedy by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. in 'A Thousand Days' ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/i-m-an-idealist-without-illusions-ca-1953-attributed-to-john-f/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/all-this-will-not-be-finished-in-the-first-one-hundred-days-nor-will/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“Three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days. The three extra days were for leap years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-solzhenitsyn/three-thousand-six-hundred-and-fifty-three-days-the-three-extra-days/) [Alexander Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-solzhenitsyn/) > [A day to God is a thousand days to man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-day-to-god-is-a-thousand-days-to-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by William Landay > [“no one worth knowing can be quite known, no one worth possessing can be quite possessed—but”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/no-one-worth-knowing-can-be-quite-known-no-one-worth-possessing-can/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“I do not believe in the court system, at least I do not think it is especially good at finding the truth. No lawyer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/i-do-not-believe-in-the-court-system-at-least-i-do-not-think-it-is/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [An emotion is a thought, yes, an idea, but it is also a sensation, an ache in your body. Desire, love, hate, fear, repulsion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/an-emotion-is-a-thought-yes-an-idea-but-it-is-also-a-sensation-an/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“You can’t do it alone, that’s the thing. You have to remember there are other people out there who have gone through it, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/you-can-t-do-it-alone-that-s-the-thing-you-have-to-remember-there-are/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“All they got locked up in this hole is my body. That's all they got, my body, not me. I'm everywhere, see? Everywhere you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/all-they-got-locked-up-in-this-hole-is-my-body-that-s-all-they-got-my/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“I rather doubt he had the sense to see the truth: that there are wounds worse than fatal, which the law's little binary distinctions-guilty/innocent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/i-rather-doubt-he-had-the-sense-to-see-the-truth-that-there-are/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“They were chosen for their perfect ignorance of these things. That is how the system works. In the end, the lawyers and judges happily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/they-were-chosen-for-their-perfect-ignorance-of-these-things-that-is/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [Crime and legal stories, broadly speaking, are just where my interest happens to lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/crime-and-legal-stories-broadly-speaking-are-just-where-my-interest/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [When I was 30 or so - by that time I had become an assistant D.A. - I decided I would try to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/when-i-was-30-or-so-by-that-time-i-had-become-an-assistant-d-a-i/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“It was a limitation of human consciousness: We live only in the future and past, we cannot perceive now. Now occupies no space, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/it-was-a-limitation-of-human-consciousness-we-live-only-in-the-future/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“You're staring.' 'You're my wife. I'm allowed to stare.' 'Is that the rule?' 'Yes. Stare, leer, ogle, anything I want. Trust me. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/you-re-staring-you-re-my-wife-i-m-allowed-to-stare-is-that-the-rule/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“It is a common architectural strategy to build courtrooms without windows, to enhance the effect of a chamber isolated from the everyday world, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/it-is-a-common-architectural-strategy-to-build-courtrooms-without/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“but good friendships require complementary personalities, not identical ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/but-good-friendships-require-complementary-personalities-not/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“…I never expected to lose in court. In practice, I did lose, of course. Every lawyer loses, just as every baseball player makes an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/i-never-expected-to-lose-in-court-in-practice-i-did-lose-of-course/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“Next to me was Jacob, this riddle Laurie and I had made. His size, his resemblance to me, the likelihood that he would fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/next-to-me-was-jacob-this-riddle-laurie-and-i-had-made-his-size-his/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) [Explore all 86 William Landay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) ## More Big day quotes > [“thirty-three, her big day was almost upon her. In just a couple of days, she too would be a princess; a princess for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-gould/thirty-three-her-big-day-was-almost-upon-her-in-just-a-couple-of-days/) [Simon Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-gould/) > [From day-break to day end may you two find solace in each others arms! Many congratulations on your big day!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/from-day-break-to-day-end-may-you-two-find-solace-in-each-others-arms/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I prop my guitar up against the nightstand. Then I turn toward the bed and fall into it face first. The mattress is soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/i-prop-my-guitar-up-against-the-nightstand-then-i-turn-toward-the-bed/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [I allow myself to not feel the need to be some sort of wonder woman. You can't do everything at once and tear your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-allow-myself-to-not-feel-the-need-to-be-some-sort-of-wonder-woman/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [Its better to pace yourself throughout a big day like Thanksgiving by having something healthful for breakfast and something light for lunch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/its-better-to-pace-yourself-throughout-a-big-day-like-thanksgiving-by/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [look, you know i don't wanna come on ungrateful, but that warren report, you know as well as me, just didn't make it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/look-you-know-i-don-t-wanna-come-on-ungrateful-but-that-warren-report/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [In the run up to the big day, my brother kept saying, 'you are getting married' every five minutes. Because everything happened in such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupali-ganguly/in-the-run-up-to-the-big-day-my-brother-kept-saying-you-are-getting/) [Rupali Ganguly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupali-ganguly/) > [“You know,” a low voice drawls as a warm hand squeezes my shoulder. “There’s time to feed the kitty before we get dressed for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarina-bowen/you-know-a-low-voice-drawls-as-a-warm-hand-squeezes-my-shoulder-there/) [Sarina Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarina-bowen/) > [Today is a big day in TV history. On this day forty-one years ago, the Beverly Hillbillies aired for the first time right here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/today-is-a-big-day-in-tv-history-on-this-day-forty-one-years-ago-the/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [“I just called to tell you good night. Get some sleep, Theia. Tomorrow is a big day.” “I would sleep much better if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-hayes/i-just-called-to-tell-you-good-night-get-some-sleep-theia-tomorrow-is/) [Gwen Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-hayes/) > [“Mavis.’ He paled a bit. ‘Eve, tell me you’re not going shopping with Mavis.’ His reaction brightened her mood a little. ‘She has this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/mavis-he-paled-a-bit-eve-tell-me-you-re-not-going-shopping-with-mavis/) [J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/) > [You hear this story that we're all on the left, but when there's a demonstration, you count how many actors actually come out. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/you-hear-this-story-that-we-re-all-on-the-left-but-when-there-s-a/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [Morning is the best time to thank God. We are given another big day to live and enjoy his daily blessings so live, laugh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/analiza-garcia/morning-is-the-best-time-to-thank-god-we-are-given-another-big-day-to/) [Analiza Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/analiza-garcia/) > [Its is that sometimes your mind play games on you but your eyes will always miss guide you 1st !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/militon-munney/its-is-that-sometimes-your-mind-play-games-on-you-but-your-eyes-will/) [Militon Munney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/militon-munney/) > [Sometimes when I'm healthier on a big day, I feel better about myself. If I eat terribly and I don't sleep well and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-sims/sometimes-when-i-m-healthier-on-a-big-day-i-feel-better-about-myself/) [Molly Sims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-sims/) [Browse all 65 Big day quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-day/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In a long life there are thirty or thirty-five thousand days to be got through, but only a few dozen that really matter, Big Days when Something Momentous Happens. 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