“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”
Allen Saunders · Reader's Digest, 1957
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In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
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About this quote
Meaning
This quote draws a distinction between the quantity of a life and its quality. Simply accumulating years is not the same as living fully; what matters is how richly and deliberately those years are inhabited. The line encourages a shift in focus away from longevity as an end in itself and toward depth of experience, purpose, and engagement as the real measures of a life well spent.
Context
This quote is widely attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but researchers have found no reliable evidence that he ever said or wrote it. It does not appear in his documented speeches, letters, or other writings. Misattribution to Lincoln is extremely common because his name lends instant authority and warmth to any sentiment touching on character or perseverance. The actual origin of the line remains unclear, and it is likely a twentieth-century creation that attached itself to his name over time through repeated circulation.
About the author
Abraham Lincoln served as the sixteenth president of the United States, leading the country through the Civil War and playing a central role in the abolition of slavery. He is remembered as one of the most significant figures in American history and was known during his lifetime for his direct, plain-spoken communication style. Because he is so universally admired, his name has attracted an enormous number of quotes he never actually said, and scholars continue the ongoing work of separating the real from the invented.
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Neil Gaiman · The Sandman, 1989
Share this quote
“I've been making a list of the things they don't teach you at school. They don't teach you how to love somebody. They don't teach you how to be famous. They don't teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don't teach you how to walk away from someone you don't love anymore. They don't teach you how to know what's happening in someone else's mind. They don't teach you what to say to someone who's dying. They don't teach you anything worth knowing.”
“Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.”
Douglas Adams · The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 1979
“The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it.”
Franklin P. Jones · widely attributed
“I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.”
Fred Allen · widely attributed
“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?”
Ernest Hemingway · widely attributed
“I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then I look at the obituary page. If my name is not on it, I get up.”
Benjamin Franklin · widely attributed
“Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.”
Bob Marley · Get Up, Stand Up, 1973
“If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.”
Mark Twain · widely attributed to Twain
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”
Oscar Wilde · The Happy Prince and Other Tales, 1888
