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Procrastination is the thief of time;
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“Procrastination is the thief of time;”

Edward Young

Source
Night Thoughts
Date
1742–1745
Meaning

Meaning of “Procrastination is the thief of time;”

Young personifies procrastination as something that steadily steals finite time while people postpone decisions and assume future opportunities will remain available.

Source context

Where does it come from?

Night Thoughts, Night I. The line appears in Young’s long religious and philosophical poem about mortality, delay and preparation for death; it is poetic moral reflection rather than productivity research.

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DeepDiscipline Quotes About Habits, Practice & ConsistencyGrowthInspirational Quotes About Hope, Courage & PossibilityLifeLife AdviceMotivation For LifeMotivational Quotes for Action, Effort & PersistenceSelf ImprovementShortThought-Provoking Quotes That Invite ReflectionTimeDeath
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Time is what we want most, but what, alas! we use worst;
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“Time is what we want most, but what, alas! we use worst;”

William Penn · Some Fruits of Solitude · 1693
Meaning & context

Penn argues that time is indispensable yet commonly spent carelessly, making attention to its use a central responsibility in the conduct of life.

Source details

Some Fruits of Solitude, Preface, reviewed against the Oxford Text Archive transcription of the licensed 1693 edition. Penn says time is what people want most but use worst and immediately frames stewardship of time in explicitly religious accountability to God, neighbour and self; it remains Quaker conduct-of-life reflection rather than productivity research.

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that we must cultivate our garden.
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“that we must cultivate our garden.”

Voltaire · Candide · 1759
Voice: Fictional character · Candide
Meaning & context

Candide turns away from endless abstract explanation toward concrete shared work, making the garden a practical answer to the suffering and argument that have filled the story.

Source details

Candide, Chapter XXX, Project Gutenberg #19942, uncredited public-domain English translation. Candide says “that we must cultivate our garden” to Pangloss and Martin near the tale’s close after reflecting on the old Turk’s life of work. This is translated fictional dialogue and literary resolution, not Voltaire autobiography or a literal guarantee that work resolves every hardship.

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The worth of work with the hands
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“The worth of work with the hands”

Booker T. Washington · Working With the Hands · 1904
Meaning & context

Washington opens the book by treating manual work as capable of contributing to education, dignity and practical development rather than merely supplying labor.

Source details

Working With the Hands, Chapter I, opening sentence; Project Gutenberg #64504. This deliberately short excerpt is presented with its educational context.

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The more you draw, the better. Draw everything you can.
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“The more you draw, the better. Draw everything you can.”

Frances Hodgson Burnett · The Lost Prince · 1915
Voice: Fictional character · Loristan
Meaning & context

Repeated drawing is treated as the route to improvement, making practice and quantity of attempts part of developing a useful skill.

Source details

The Lost Prince; Project Gutenberg #384. Loristan encourages Marco to strengthen a sketching ability useful to the story’s secret mission.

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Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself.
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“Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself.”

James Allen · As a Man Thinketh · 1903
Meaning & context

Circumstances can expose habits of thought and character that were already present, turning difficulty into information about what needs attention or change.

Source details

As a Man Thinketh; Allen uses circumstance as a mirror for character and habitual thought.

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To make each one many times was the best way to imbed it in his memory.
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“To make each one many times was the best way to imbed it in his memory.”

Frances Hodgson Burnett · The Lost Prince · 1915
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Meaning & context

The narration connects repeated practice with stronger recall, showing Marco deliberately using repetition to make a learned association more durable.

Source details

The Lost Prince; Project Gutenberg #384. The exercise involves repeatedly sketching faces connected with places for the novel’s secret mission.