Lao Tzu’s Quote of the Day: “Time is a created thing. Saying “I don’t have time” is like saying “I don’t want to” and a reality check on priorities
Laozi (also written as Laozi) was an ancient Chinese philosopher and author who is traditionally considered the founder of Taoism (or Taoism). He is believed to have lived around the sixth century BC, roughly the same time as Confucius. Legend has it that he served as a scholar and royal archivist during the Zhou Dynasty, but later grew tired of society’s corruption and rode a buffalo to the West, where he wrote the Tao Te Ching, a core text of Taoist thought, before disappearing.Whether Lao Tzu is a historical figure or a title representing a group of wise men, his influence on Eastern philosophy is huge. Taoism focuses on living in harmony with the Tao (“Tao”), the naturally flowing order of the universe. Taoism does not force things, fight against reality, or chase endless desires, but rather preaches simplicity, humility, and effortless conformity to the natural rhythms of life.“Time is a created thing. Saying ‘I don’t have time’ is like saying ‘I don’t want to’ is one of Lao Tzu’s most memorable quotes because it is timeless. It tells us something that we encounter every day – someone who uses the excuse of not having much time, but actually clarifies their priorities.
Nothing in nature is rushed
In modern, Westernized culture, we tend to think of time as a ticking clock, a rigid, ever-depleting scarce resource. We break our days into minutes, create strict schedules, and measure our worth based on our productivity.Laozi and early Taoists had very different views on the world. In nature, he said, nothing is rushed but everything gets done. Seasons change on their own, trees grow effortlessly, and rivers skirt around obstacles without forcing their way through.For Taoists, nature does not run by the clock; It operates based on presence and priority. When humans invented clocks, calendars, and rigid daily routines, we artificially created the concept of “not enough time.” Lao Tzu’s philosophy reminds us that time is not a physical monster chasing us: it is a mental construct shaped entirely by the things we choose to care about.
Timeless on-time quotes
This quote is a blunt, radical reality check on human agency, responsibility, and priorities.What Lao Tzu calls time, as we understand it, is not an unyielding physical constraint like gravity. Time is made of choices. Everyone on earth has the same 24 hours in a day. The structure of the day expands or contracts depending on how we choose to fill it. When you say, “I wish I had time to exercise” or “I don’t have time to read,” you are acting as if time is an external boss that rules over you. In fact, you are the creator of your schedule. You “create” time for the things you value and waste time for the things you ignore.Not having time to do something is a lie. If you don’t have time to do something, it means you don’t want to do it. I stripped away our excuses. He points out that saying “I don’t have time” is almost always a passive-aggressive translation:“It’s not a priority for me right now.”“I don’t care enough about it to make room for it.”“I’m not willing to sacrifice other things to do this.”It forces us to own our own decisions. If you really want to do something, you’ll give up some of the less important things to make room for it.While this statement may sound harsh at first, its deeper purpose is actually liberating. If time is truly a prison over which you have no control, you will become a helpless victim of a busy life. But if you create time, then you hold the key. You are in complete control of your priorities. Realizing this can help you stop feeling guilty about things you don’t do. Instead of saying “I don’t have time to learn the language,” you can honestly say: “I choose to focus on my career and family right now, so learning the language is not my top priority.“This simple shift can restore your personal agency.
