“Time is the coin of your life. Source It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”
This powerful metaphor captures a profound truth about our existence. Carl Sandburg – Poetry and Literature (Poet Laureate) We often think of money as our most valuable asset. However, this quote suggests a different perspective. It frames time not just as a resource, but as the fundamental currency of our lives. Unlike money, you cannot earn more time. Once you spend a moment, it is gone forever. This realization carries immense weight. It forces us to confront how we allocate our days, hours, and minutes. The quote serves as a crucial reminder to be intentional with our most precious, non-renewable asset.
Every decision we make is a transaction. We trade a piece of our limited time for an experience, a task, or a relationship. Therefore, we must act as wise investors of our own lives. This means consciously choosing where our temporal coins go. Do we invest them in growth, joy, and connection? Or do we allow them to be spent carelessly on distractions and obligations that do not align with our values? The responsibility, as the quote makes clear, is ours alone.
The Mysterious Origin of a Timeless Quote
Many people attribute this profound statement to the celebrated American poet Carl Sandburg. Interestingly, the quote does not appear in any of his published books, poems, or recorded speeches. Its origin story is more personal and relies entirely on the accounts of one man: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ralph McGill. The attribution hinges on a private conversation, making its history both intimate and elusive.
According to McGill, he heard these words directly from Sandburg. In a later column, McGill provided a vivid backdrop for the exchange. He recalled visiting Sandburg in 1951 at the poet’s home on Big Glassy Mountain in North Carolina. While walking together, they stopped to rest on a rock, and it was there that Sandburg shared his philosophy on the currency of time. This personal anecdote is the sole foundation for attributing the quote to the famous poet. Without McGill’s recollection, this piece of wisdom might have been lost.
F
Explore More About Carl Sandburg
If you’re interested in learning more about Carl Sandburg and their impact on history, here are some recommended resources:
- Carl Sandburg: A Biography
- Discovering Carl Sandburg: The Eclectic Life of an American Icon
- Hyperbole – Educational Poster featuring Carl Sandburg Quote. Vintage Style Literary Term Classroom Poster
- Quote Books: Carl Sandburg Quotes
- Poetry Is An Echo Asking A Shadow To Dance Carl Sandburg Famous Motivational Inspirational Quote Cool Wall Art Print Poster 12×18
- Chicago Poems
- The Movies Are: Carl Sandburg’s Film Reviews and Essays, 1920-1928
- Day Carl Sandburg Died
- Johnstown Flood
- The Nature of Modernism: E. Stewart Williams, Architect
- Aberrant Architectures? Diller & Scofidio at the Whitney Museum
- Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
rom a Private Conversation to Public WisdomThe quote first entered the public sphere through McGill’s journalism. Source He published it in his newspaper column in October 1959, presenting it as a direct statement from his friend Carl Sandburg. This initial publication set the stage for its journey into the collective consciousness. It was a powerful idea, and it began to spread rapidly.
Within weeks, other newspapers started picking it up. For example, the Santa Cruz Sentinel featured a slightly altered version in a