--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People think of time as a continuum…" description: "\"People think of time as a continuum composed of points which is stretched out at a line, and even if you add a direction to it and say one direction on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/william-lane-craig-8716_past_people-think-of-time-as-a-continuum-comp_279181.jpg" --- # People think of time as a continuum composed of points… ![“People think of time as a continuum composed of points which is stretched out at a line, and even if you add a direction to it and say one direction on the line is past and the other direction is future, or better, one direction is "earlier than" and the other direction is "later than", you're…” quote by William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/william-lane-craig-8716_past_people-think-of-time-as-a-continuum-comp_279181.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/william-lane-craig-8716_past_people-think-of-time-as-a-continuum-comp_279181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/william-lane-craig-8716_past_people-think-of-time-as-a-continuum-comp_279181.jpg) > “People think of time as a continuum composed of points which is stretched out at a line, and even if you add a direction to it and say one direction on the line is past and the other direction is future, or better, one direction is "earlier than" and the other direction is "later than", you're still thinking of it as like a geometrical line which is stretched out rather than as a dynamic process of becoming.” [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) ## 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 often imagined as a static line, but it may be better understood as a dynamic process of becoming. **In simple terms:** Time isn’t just a line; it’s a flow. Key Takeaway Consider time as an active, changing process. Themes philosophy physics metaphysics temporal ontology Mood analytical contemplative Type philosophical scientific When to use this quote - academic seminars - scientific research - personal reflection Key Concepts presentism process philosophy time perception Questions to Reflect On - Does viewing time as becoming change how you plan your life? - Can a dynamic view of time coexist with scientific models? A Different Perspective The line metaphor still aids practical measurement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Later Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later-thinking-2712127/) [Like Geometrical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-geometrical-2712128/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Think Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-time-250805/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Continuum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-continuum-761977/) ## Related quotes > [People who have it too easy in early life have a disadvantage for later on, because they get to thinking that everything is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-s-dresselhaus/people-who-have-it-too-easy-in-early-life-have-a-disadvantage-for/) [Mildred S. Dresselhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-s-dresselhaus/) > [“Come here, cat. You wouldn’t want to destroy the space-time continuum, would you? Meow. Meow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/come-here-cat-you-wouldn-t-want-to-destroy-the-space-time-continuum/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [I also live in the present, due to the constraints of the space-time continuum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/i-also-live-in-the-present-due-to-the-constraints-of-the-space-time/) [Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/) > [Since time is a continuum, the moment is always different, so the music is always different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/since-time-is-a-continuum-the-moment-is-always-different-so-the-music/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [There is a balance, a kind of standoff between the time continuum and the human entity, our frail bundle of soma and psyche. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-a-balance-a-kind-of-standoff-between-the-time-continuum-and/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“...for in the world of the mad, time is not a continuum but a fluid, shifting place, relative to nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smith/for-in-the-world-of-the-mad-time-is-not-a-continuum-but-a-fluid/) [Lee Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smith/) > [I think time is a merciless thing. I think life is a process of burning oneself out and time is the fire that burns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/i-think-time-is-a-merciless-thing-i-think-life-is-a-process-of/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [“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/) > [“Do not think that time simply flies away. Do not understand “flying” as the only function of time. If time simply flew away, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/do-not-think-that-time-simply-flies-away-do-not-understand-flying-as/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [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/) > [I think we're in a time when people are much more interested in a show than where you find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/i-think-we-re-in-a-time-when-people-are-much-more-interested-in-a/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [Don't you think now is the time to be adventurous, while we're still young?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-you-think-now-is-the-time-to-be-adventurous-while-we-re-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The things that the world fills time with are enough to turn the heart to stone, but the goodness of time itself is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/the-things-that-the-world-fills-time-with-are-enough-to-turn-the/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [I'm not going to save the world or anything, but I think it's time I did my bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-casey/i-m-not-going-to-save-the-world-or-anything-but-i-think-it-s-time-i/) [Paul Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-casey/) > [“I think about you every time I play. Every single day, I take you with me wherever I go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-stewart/i-think-about-you-every-time-i-play-every-single-day-i-take-you-with/) [Kate Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-stewart/) ## More by William Lane Craig > [Part of the broader task of Christian scholarship is to help create and sustain a cultural milieu in which the gospel can be heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/part-of-the-broader-task-of-christian-scholarship-is-to-help-create/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [The point is this: If God does not exist, then life is objectively meaningless; but man cannot live consistently and happily knowing that life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/the-point-is-this-if-god-does-not-exist-then-life-is-objectively/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [“By setting such strong, harsh dichotomies God taught Israel that any assimilation to pagan idolatry is intolerable. It was His way of preserving Israel’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/by-setting-such-strong-harsh-dichotomies-god-taught-israel-that-any/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [If you're sincerely seeking God, God will make His existence evident to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/if-you-re-sincerely-seeking-god-god-will-make-his-existence-evident/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [Scepticism, ironically, draws its life's blood from claims to have a good deal of knowledge. For example, your friends claim to know, 'Since every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/scepticism-ironically-draws-its-life-s-blood-from-claims-to-have-a/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [“...if there's a supernatural agent that is working in the natural world, then the idealized conditions described by the law are no longer in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/if-there-s-a-supernatural-agent-that-is-working-in-the-natural-world/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [If true love came at a price, the price would be all worth while if i was spending it on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/if-true-love-came-at-a-price-the-price-would-be-all-worth-while-if-i/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [“There are various virtues of what counts as a best explanation, and I imagine familiarity is one of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/there-are-various-virtues-of-what-counts-as-a-best-explanation-and-i/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [“...if God does not exist and there is no immortality, then all the evil acts of men go unpunished and all the sacrifices of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/if-god-does-not-exist-and-there-is-no-immortality-then-all-the-evil/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [“So how do you find out what God thinks? The Christian says, you look in the Bible. And the Bible tells us that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/so-how-do-you-find-out-what-god-thinks-the-christian-says-you-look-in/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [So whom does God wrong in commanding the destruction of the Canaanites? Not the Canaanite adults, for they were corrupt and deserving of judgment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/so-whom-does-god-wrong-in-commanding-the-destruction-of-the/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [ Richard \[Carrier\] takes the extremist position that Jesus of Nazareth never even existed, that there was no such person in history. This is a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/richard-carrier-takes-the-extremist-position-that-jesus-of-nazareth/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [ I am an Orangeman first and a politician and member of this parliament \[Stormont\] afterwards. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/i-am-an-orangeman-first-and-a-politician-and-member-of-this/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [“In addition to these physical problems, sexually transmitted diseases are rampant among the homosexual population. 75% of homosexual men carry one or more sexually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/in-addition-to-these-physical-problems-sexually-transmitted-diseases/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [“Now how does all this relate to Islamic jihad? Islam sees violence as a means of propagating the Muslim faith. Islam divides the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/now-how-does-all-this-relate-to-islamic-jihad-islam-sees-violence-as/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) [Explore all 78 William Lane Craig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "People think of time as a continuum composed of points which is stretched out at a line, and even if you add a direction to it and say one direction on the line is past and the other direction is future, or better, one direction is \"earlier than\" and the other direction is \"later than\", you're still thinking of it as like a geometrical line which is stretched out rather than as a dynamic process of becoming.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Lane Craig" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/people-think-of-time-as-a-continuum-composed-of-points-which-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clock" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/people-think-of-time-as-a-continuum-composed-of-points-which-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/william-lane-craig-8716_past_people-think-of-time-as-a-continuum-comp_279181.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/william-lane-craig-8716_past_people-think-of-time-as-a-continuum-comp_279181.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/william-lane-craig-8716_past_people-think-of-time-as-a-continuum-comp_279181.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People think of time as a continuum composed of points which is stretched out at a line, and even if you add…” — William Lane Craig", "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": "William Lane Craig", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People think of time as a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/people-think-of-time-as-a-continuum-composed-of-points-which-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/people-think-of-time-as-a-continuum-composed-of-points-which-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 } } ] } ```