"I might have lived long enough to learn all this in the long haul, but I would have been just another soul taking up time and space for a long spell before I learned"

This quote by Lou Rawls talks to the idea of taking the time to learn and grow. He recommends that it would have taken him a very long time to find out the things he has, but he is glad that he was able to learn them earlier instead of later on. He suggests that if he had taken the long route, he would have been just another person taking up time and area, and not truly making any development. This quote encourages us to make the effort to find out and grow, and to not waste our lives away. It is a pointer to make the most of our time and to not be content with simply taking up space. We must make every effort to learn and grow, and to take advantage of our lives.