--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wasted time, and now doth time waste…" description: "\"I wasted time, and now doth time waste me; For now hath time made me his numbering clock: My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar Their watche..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/william-shakespeare-4_bells_i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me_750101.jpg" --- # I wasted time, and now doth time waste me; For now hath… ![“I wasted time, and now doth time waste me; For now hath time made me his numbering clock: My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch, Whereto my finger, like a dial's point, Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears. Now sir, the sound…” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/william-shakespeare-4_bells_i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me_750101.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/william-shakespeare-4_bells_i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me_750101.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/william-shakespeare-4_bells_i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me_750101.jpg) > “I wasted time, and now doth time waste me; For now hath time made me his numbering clock: My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch, Whereto my finger, like a dial's point, Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears. Now sir, the sound that tells what hour it is Are clamorous goans, which strike upon my heart, Which is the bell: so sighs and tears and groans Show minutes, times, and hours.” [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He reflects on time's relentless passage and its impact on human thoughts and emotions. **In simple terms:** Time controls thoughts and feelings. Key Takeaway Respect time's influence on life. Themes time mortality reflection humanity emotion Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - personal journaling - meditation - life planning - grief processing Key Concepts philosophy poetry temporal awareness Questions to Reflect On - What does time reveal about our priorities? - How can we use time awareness to improve well‑being? A Different Perspective May overemphasize fatalism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) [Cleansing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleansing/) [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Clock Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock-thoughts-5838142/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers/) [Hath Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hath-time-5372826/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Jars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jars/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Minutes Sighs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes-sighs-5838144/) [My heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-heart/) [My thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-thoughts/) [Pointing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pointing/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Sigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sigh/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Tells Hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tells-hour-5838143/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Doth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-doth-691998/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Wasted time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasted-time/) [Wasting time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasting-time/) [Watches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watches/) ## Related quotes > [I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth And delves the parallels in beauty's brow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-doth-transfix-the-flourish-set-on-youth-and-delves-the-parallels/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [We see which way the stream of time doth run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-see-which-way-the-stream-of-time-doth-run/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth, stolen on his wing my three-and-twentieth year!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/how-soon-hath-time-the-subtle-thief-of-youth-stolen-on-his-wing-my/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Think'st thou existence doth depend on time? It doth; but actions are our epochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/think-st-thou-existence-doth-depend-on-time-it-doth-but-actions-are/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [“Time doth flit; oh shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/time-doth-flit-oh-shit/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Israel should have exploited the repression of the demonstrations in China, when world attention focused on that country, to carry out mass expulsions among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/israel-should-have-exploited-the-repression-of-the-demonstrations-in/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [“cleansing your friends doesn’t mean you have to expel them from your life forever, but depending on the level of their negativity and potentially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-alden/cleansing-your-friends-doesn-t-mean-you-have-to-expel-them-from-your/) [Michael Alden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-alden/) > [“Laugh now, and laugh hard. For laughter is the bell. And when it rings, it cleanses the air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/laugh-now-and-laugh-hard-for-laughter-is-the-bell-and-when-it-rings/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I don't want to say I drank the Kool-Aid because I'm definitely not religious and I don't buy into any religion at all. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ladyhawke/i-don-t-want-to-say-i-drank-the-kool-aid-because-i-m-definitely-not/) [Ladyhawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ladyhawke/) > [When I get home at night, then it's time for the real cleansing deal. I go to town either with the Clarisonic or ProActiv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-torres/when-i-get-home-at-night-then-it-s-time-for-the-real-cleansing-deal-i/) [Eve Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-torres/) > [I find the greatest songs in the world come out of pain, and I don't like it! Here's what it does: It strips away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-richie/i-find-the-greatest-songs-in-the-world-come-out-of-pain-and-i-don-t/) [Lionel Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-richie/) > [I use Bioderma. It's like a cleansing oil. I just use that to cleanse my face, I use moisturizer and that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-consani/i-use-bioderma-it-s-like-a-cleansing-oil-i-just-use-that-to-cleanse/) [Alex Consani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-consani/) > [We must not forget; but we must forgive. Suffering often such compassion from the Jewish community. It was Jewish groups in the US who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/we-must-not-forget-but-we-must-forgive-suffering-often-such/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [I put hibiscus flower in every cup of tea I have. It's sweet, sexy, and cleansing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/i-put-hibiscus-flower-in-every-cup-of-tea-i-have-it-s-sweet-sexy-and/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) ## More by William Shakespeare > [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/divers-philosophers-hold-that-the-lips-is-parcel-of-the-mouth/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-a-smoke-made-with-the-fume-of-sighs-being-purg-d-a-fire/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies Which busy care draws in the brains of men; Therefore thou sleep’st so sound. Julius Caesar (2.1.248-251)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thou-hast-no-figures-nor-no-fantasies-which-busy-care-draws-in-the/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Truth needs no color; beauty, no pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/truth-needs-no-color-beauty-no-pencil/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Have you not heard it said full oft, A woman's nay doth stand for naught?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/have-you-not-heard-it-said-full-oft-a-woman-s-nay-doth-stand-for/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Omittance is no quittance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/omittance-is-no-quittance/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Yes, madam: yet I cannot choose but laugh, To think it should leave crying and say 'Ay.' And yet, I warrant, it had upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/yes-madam-yet-i-cannot-choose-but-laugh-to-think-it-should-leave/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-take-thee-at-thy-word-call-me-but-love-and-i-ll-be-new-baptized/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Explore all 5,604 William Shakespeare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More Bells quotes > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Your name is a golden bell hung in my heart. I would break my body to pieces to call you once by your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/your-name-is-a-golden-bell-hung-in-my-heart-i-would-break-my-body-to/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [“Suddenly the air was full of that deep clangor of bells which periodically covers Rome with a roof of silver.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/suddenly-the-air-was-full-of-that-deep-clangor-of-bells-which/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Hercules used noise! Brass bells! He scared them away with the most horrible sound he could-" said Percy "Percy... Chiron's collection!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hercules-used-noise-brass-bells-he-scared-them-away-with-the-most/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Above the clouds I lift my wing To hear the bells of Heaven ring; Some of their music, though my fights be wild, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/above-the-clouds-i-lift-my-wing-to-hear-the-bells-of-heaven-ring-some/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [“But it’s bells at twenty-seven thousand feet as the plane breaks into the clear again, as its motion steadies again; it is bells; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/but-it-s-bells-at-twenty-seven-thousand-feet-as-the-plane-breaks-into/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [You run the football for toughness. You run the ball to tell your opponent that you're as tough as they are. But you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-glanville/you-run-the-football-for-toughness-you-run-the-ball-to-tell-your/) [Jerry Glanville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-glanville/) > [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [There is nothing better for me than to bring the bells in, in Scotland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharleen-spiteri/there-is-nothing-better-for-me-than-to-bring-the-bells-in-in-scotland/) [Sharleen Spiteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharleen-spiteri/) > [Now see that noble and most sovereign reason, Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/now-see-that-noble-and-most-sovereign-reason-like-sweet-bells-jangled/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [ I became an instant fan of the show \[Underground\] seconds into the opening frames of the pilot. When that drone shot carried us through… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-hinds/i-became-an-instant-fan-of-the-show-underground-seconds-into-the/) [Aisha Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-hinds/) > [This world o' God's is brighter Than we ever dream or know; Its burdens growin' lighter- An' it's Love that makes 'em so! An'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lebby-stanton/this-world-o-god-s-is-brighter-than-we-ever-dream-or-know-its-burdens/) [Frank Lebby Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lebby-stanton/) > [Believe it or not, Mexican cooking, for those of you who have not gone farther south than Taco Bell, uses a lot of vegetables.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/believe-it-or-not-mexican-cooking-for-those-of-you-who-have-not-gone/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) [Browse all 790 Bells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wasted time, and now doth time waste me; For now hath time made me his numbering clock: My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch, Whereto my finger, like a dial's point, Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears. Now sir, the sound that tells what hour it is Are clamorous goans, which strike upon my heart, Which is the bell: so sighs and tears and groans Show minutes, times, and hours.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shakespeare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me-for-now-hath-time-made-me/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bells" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me-for-now-hath-time-made-me/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/william-shakespeare-4_bells_i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me_750101.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/william-shakespeare-4_bells_i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me_750101.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/william-shakespeare-4_bells_i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me_750101.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wasted time, and now doth time waste me; For now hath time made me his numbering clock: My thoughts are…” — William Shakespeare", "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 Shakespeare", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I wasted time, and now doth...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me-for-now-hath-time-made-me/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-wasted-time-and-now-doth-time-waste-me-for-now-hath-time-made-me/#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 } } ] } ```