OKAY I WAS PUZZLED, but I JUST FIGURED IT OUT, I THINK?
MisterClandestine
Posts: 54
This Elizabeth Taylor quote was driving me crazy, “It is strange that the years teach us patience; that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting”. I just posted this on our groups main page for the motivational quote of the week.
Does everyone know about the group main page and check it out from time to time? I update it with new info a few times a week. Please make sure you check it out and give me some feedback when you can.
Back to the quote, so at first I didn’t get what it meant or what she (Elizabeth Taylor) meant. The quote itself sounded contradictive; hence her first few words are “It is Strange” which lead me to believe that Elizabeth (we are on a first name basis now) also was saying that it doesn’t make sense.
When I first read the quote it felt like two different quotes combined into one quote. The first one being “years teach us patience”, which we have all heard, we all understand and I myself can testify that this is true. I have alot more patience now than I did when I was in my teens and early twenties. The second part of this quote is the one that was puzzling to me, “the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting”. This part when combined with the first part is what made no sense to me at first, they sounded like they contradicted each other. “The shorter our time”, did that mean the younger we are the more capacity we have for waiting? Or did that mean the less time we have to wait (i.e. standing in line) the greater our capacity for waiting is? So does that mean if we are in a short line the easier it is to wait and if we are in a long line the harder it is to wait? Well that makes sense to me, but it still doesn’t go together with the first part and what the heck does one have to do with the other? So for a few days these questions were bouncing around in my head, I tried looking up the meaning of this quote online to no avail. I have emailed a few smart people I know and none of them have gotten back to me yet. So I wasn’t even sure if I should use this quote if I don’t fully understand it yet, but there was something about it that kept tugging away at my inner spirit, either that or it was Elizabeth’s Eyes piercing deep into my soul.
Then it finally hit me, the meaning to this quote, what Elizabeth was saying in this sentence that she wrote, the message that she was trying to get us all to understand, because I think it is very important, now that I get it. What she is saying is that “it is strange that as we grow older and as we get closer and closer to death, that is when we don’t mind waiting”.
To put it in a less morbid frame-of-mind, in a more positive light, “It is strange that the years teach us patience” as we grow older we become more and more patient, as the days go by and we have fewer and fewer days left on this planet just based on sheer mathematics. That is when we become more patient; that is when our capacity to wait becomes greater? That is strange!
That is actually stupid! That is what she is saying! As our time becomes shorter that is when we should be pursuing life, our dreams; not with patience, but with a sense of urgency. What she is saying is that just because our capacity for waiting is greater as we grow older does not mean that we have to use that capacity, it’s nice to have and its nice to know its there if we need it, but we only want to use it when necessary. Kind of like a Superhero or a Superhero’s power, the Superpower of patience, it is a Superpower that we gain as we grow older, but comes with great responsibility and should only be used when necessary. It is definitely good to have, because there are times when we really do need it, but when used too much it can be damaging, it can cause you to lose out on alot of things in LIFE!
What I think Elizabeth Taylor is saying; and I want everyone’s opinion on this please; is that if you think about it everyday that goes by we have one day less on this planet, so we should not waste one day by being too patient. We should think of each day as one less day that we have to get everything done, which includes all of our dreams and wishes; which includes all of our goals, career and personal goals. All of our weight-loss goals, all of our health goals, all the things we want to do with other people in our lives, all the places we want to go and visit. It does not matter how old we are; whether you are 15 or 50 does not matter, everyday that is wasted by being too patient is one less day we have to realize Happiness.
Think about it, if you have 50 years left on this planet starting today, tomorrow you will have 49 years 364 days left, the day after that you will have 49 years 363 days left, 10 days from then you will have 49 years 353 days left and so on.
I think what she was saying is that as we grow older we gain all this patience, but as we grow older we have fewer days left to use it and the last thing we should be doing is exercising our patience, if anything we should be exercising our organs, our muscles and our brain. Treating each and everyday as it should be treated, one day less that we have to achieve Happiness, doing the things that bring us Happiness and not sitting around being too patient.
What do you think?
Does everyone know about the group main page and check it out from time to time? I update it with new info a few times a week. Please make sure you check it out and give me some feedback when you can.
Back to the quote, so at first I didn’t get what it meant or what she (Elizabeth Taylor) meant. The quote itself sounded contradictive; hence her first few words are “It is Strange” which lead me to believe that Elizabeth (we are on a first name basis now) also was saying that it doesn’t make sense.
When I first read the quote it felt like two different quotes combined into one quote. The first one being “years teach us patience”, which we have all heard, we all understand and I myself can testify that this is true. I have alot more patience now than I did when I was in my teens and early twenties. The second part of this quote is the one that was puzzling to me, “the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting”. This part when combined with the first part is what made no sense to me at first, they sounded like they contradicted each other. “The shorter our time”, did that mean the younger we are the more capacity we have for waiting? Or did that mean the less time we have to wait (i.e. standing in line) the greater our capacity for waiting is? So does that mean if we are in a short line the easier it is to wait and if we are in a long line the harder it is to wait? Well that makes sense to me, but it still doesn’t go together with the first part and what the heck does one have to do with the other? So for a few days these questions were bouncing around in my head, I tried looking up the meaning of this quote online to no avail. I have emailed a few smart people I know and none of them have gotten back to me yet. So I wasn’t even sure if I should use this quote if I don’t fully understand it yet, but there was something about it that kept tugging away at my inner spirit, either that or it was Elizabeth’s Eyes piercing deep into my soul.
Then it finally hit me, the meaning to this quote, what Elizabeth was saying in this sentence that she wrote, the message that she was trying to get us all to understand, because I think it is very important, now that I get it. What she is saying is that “it is strange that as we grow older and as we get closer and closer to death, that is when we don’t mind waiting”.
To put it in a less morbid frame-of-mind, in a more positive light, “It is strange that the years teach us patience” as we grow older we become more and more patient, as the days go by and we have fewer and fewer days left on this planet just based on sheer mathematics. That is when we become more patient; that is when our capacity to wait becomes greater? That is strange!
That is actually stupid! That is what she is saying! As our time becomes shorter that is when we should be pursuing life, our dreams; not with patience, but with a sense of urgency. What she is saying is that just because our capacity for waiting is greater as we grow older does not mean that we have to use that capacity, it’s nice to have and its nice to know its there if we need it, but we only want to use it when necessary. Kind of like a Superhero or a Superhero’s power, the Superpower of patience, it is a Superpower that we gain as we grow older, but comes with great responsibility and should only be used when necessary. It is definitely good to have, because there are times when we really do need it, but when used too much it can be damaging, it can cause you to lose out on alot of things in LIFE!
What I think Elizabeth Taylor is saying; and I want everyone’s opinion on this please; is that if you think about it everyday that goes by we have one day less on this planet, so we should not waste one day by being too patient. We should think of each day as one less day that we have to get everything done, which includes all of our dreams and wishes; which includes all of our goals, career and personal goals. All of our weight-loss goals, all of our health goals, all the things we want to do with other people in our lives, all the places we want to go and visit. It does not matter how old we are; whether you are 15 or 50 does not matter, everyday that is wasted by being too patient is one less day we have to realize Happiness.
Think about it, if you have 50 years left on this planet starting today, tomorrow you will have 49 years 364 days left, the day after that you will have 49 years 363 days left, 10 days from then you will have 49 years 353 days left and so on.
I think what she was saying is that as we grow older we gain all this patience, but as we grow older we have fewer days left to use it and the last thing we should be doing is exercising our patience, if anything we should be exercising our organs, our muscles and our brain. Treating each and everyday as it should be treated, one day less that we have to achieve Happiness, doing the things that bring us Happiness and not sitting around being too patient.
What do you think?
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I think that when she says "the shorter our time" she means that as we grow older we have less time (shorter time) until the end of our life; "the greater our capacity for waiting"...we are wiser and realize that good things take time and don't happen instantaneously.This Elizabeth Taylor quote was driving me crazy, “It is strange that the years teach us patience; that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting”. I just posted this on our groups main page for the motivational quote of the week.
Just my opinion...but I really enjoyed reading your post...it was very entertaining to say the least...lol.
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Group page looks beautiful! That pic of Liz Taylor in the short white dress (top right)...damn, she looks good! I want to look that good! :noway:0
