Time & Perspective Quote by John Mason Brown

Impatience rarely sounds this elegant. "I am ready any time. Do not keep me waiting" is the kind of line that pretends to be logistical while quietly staging a power play. John Mason Brown, a critic by trade, understood that readiness is not just a schedule; it's a stance. He compresses an entire relationship dynamic into two clipped sentences: first, a declaration of competence and availability; then, a boundary drawn with a ruler.

The intent is performative control. "I am ready any time" signals preparedness without pleading. It denies the other party the excuse of delay-by-disorganization. The second sentence sharpens the blade: "Do not keep me waiting" is a command disguised as etiquette. Brown doesn't ask for respect; he assumes it, and by doing so, he tests whether you will comply. That assumption is the subtext: my time matters, and if yours is going to govern mine, you're already failing.

As context, it fits the critic's world, where attention is currency and deadlines are moral theater. Critics sit in the strange role of both supplicant (needing the performance, the book, the access) and judge (granting or withholding cultural legitimacy). Brown flips that vulnerability into authority: he will show up, he will be prepared, but he will not be treated as an afterthought.

The line works because it’s not loud. It’s crisp, self-contained, and faintly menacing in its politeness - a reminder that punctuality is never just punctuality. It’s hierarchy, stated in perfect meter.