"I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours"
About this Quote
Bernard Berenson’s evocative words conjure an image of yearning: a person standing humbly at a busy street corner, figuratively extending a hat, not for spare coins but for the intangible currency of wasted time. He transforms the notion of time, so often overlooked, squandered, or killed, into something as precious and elusive as money. Berenson expresses a deep appreciation and longing for hours, moments that others thoughtlessly discard, and frames them as invaluable treasures he would gladly collect, if only it were possible.
A striking contrast surfaces in this metaphor. On the one hand, we see the familiar sight of a beggar, someone in need of life’s essentials, asking for help in the form of money. On the other, there is an often invisible poverty: the hunger for time. It is a poignant commentary on how casually people treat the hours allotted to them, failing to see their extraordinary potential. If hours were coins, how much richer might a person become by collecting those discarded by others who fail to recognize their worth?
Beyond highlighting the universality of wasted experience, Berenson’s words reflect on the finite nature of life. His longing does not stem from greed, but from a recognition of life’s brevity and a desire to use every available moment meaningfully. Implied here is an urge to live deliberately, to create, contemplate, and savor the life that is so easily consumed by distraction or idleness. The image of “begging” for wasted hours also suggests humility: a willingness to recognize one's need, and perhaps a regret for one’s own lapses in time use.
At the core of Berenson’s observation is an implicit exhortation to value time, to treat hours with reverence, and to understand that the wealth of life resides not in material possessions, but in the careful, mindful accumulation and use of fleeting moments.
A striking contrast surfaces in this metaphor. On the one hand, we see the familiar sight of a beggar, someone in need of life’s essentials, asking for help in the form of money. On the other, there is an often invisible poverty: the hunger for time. It is a poignant commentary on how casually people treat the hours allotted to them, failing to see their extraordinary potential. If hours were coins, how much richer might a person become by collecting those discarded by others who fail to recognize their worth?
Beyond highlighting the universality of wasted experience, Berenson’s words reflect on the finite nature of life. His longing does not stem from greed, but from a recognition of life’s brevity and a desire to use every available moment meaningfully. Implied here is an urge to live deliberately, to create, contemplate, and savor the life that is so easily consumed by distraction or idleness. The image of “begging” for wasted hours also suggests humility: a willingness to recognize one's need, and perhaps a regret for one’s own lapses in time use.
At the core of Berenson’s observation is an implicit exhortation to value time, to treat hours with reverence, and to understand that the wealth of life resides not in material possessions, but in the careful, mindful accumulation and use of fleeting moments.
Quote Details
| Topic | Time |
|---|
More Quotes by Bernard
Add to List
