Jean de La Bruyère on Time

Early last month, Mr. Reavely tweeted this quote from Jean de La Bruyère. I’ve been thinking about it a lot –especially as I’ve entered the school year and been part of many conversations that reflect on how the last 3 months have gone. I found the original on Google Books. It’s definitely worth thinking about. I’ll give you a question about it on Thursday.

“Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity; as they waste it in dressing themselves, in eating and sleeping, in foolish conversations, in making up their minds what to do, and, generally, in doing nothing at all, they want some more for their business or for their pleasures, whilst those who make the best use of it have some to spare.

“There is no minister of State so busy but he knows he loses two hours every day, which amounts to a great deal in a long life; and if this waste is still greater among other conditions of men, what a large loss is there of what is most precious in this world, and of which every one complains he has not enough.”

Bruyère, Jean de La. The ‘Characters’. Trans. Henri Van Laun. P. 363-64.