Time & Perspective Quote by Daniel Goleman

The quietest flex in Daniel Goleman’s line is its refusal to perform enlightenment. “Began meditating” could be the opening to a conversion story, but he undercuts the expected arc with a shrug: “continued on and off.” That modesty is strategic. Goleman made his name translating inner life into public language - emotional intelligence as a skill set, not a mystic gift - and this sentence works like his broader project: demystify, normalize, keep it usable.

The intent reads as credibility without evangelism. He’s signaling firsthand contact with the practice while dodging the guru trope. “About that time” hints at a formative period (Goleman’s early exposure to Asian contemplative traditions and the 1970s Western fascination with meditation), but he doesn’t romanticize it. The temporal vagueness is also a rhetorical shield: the story isn’t about a single revelation; it’s about a habit that competes with life.

The subtext is almost behavioral-science in its realism. Meditation isn’t a permanent identity; it’s a tool people pick up, drop, and return to when the costs and benefits shift. In an era when mindfulness gets marketed as a lifestyle brand or workplace productivity hack, “on and off” is an anti-slogan. It suggests a durable relationship rather than a pristine streak.

Context matters: Goleman’s authority comes from bridging research, psychology, and contemplative practice. This line positions him in that bridge-space - experienced, skeptical of hype, and more interested in what actually sticks than what sounds impressive.