“The man who is always worrying about whether or not his soul would be saved, is like a man who is always looking at his watch to see if it has stopped.”
What this quote means
Wilkie Collins compares the obsession with the soul's salvation to someone constantly checking their watch to see if it's still running. It's a metaphor for useless anxiety: we can't control time, nor grace. Constant worry prevents us from living in the present. This resonates with those who torment themselves over existential questions, forgetting that life unfolds here and now. It's a call to let go and trust the process.
How to apply it daily
Whenever you catch yourself ruminating on a worry, refocus on a concrete action in the present moment.
Continue
Related quotes
Same author or same theme — keep reading.
“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.”Create visual
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.”Create visual
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”Create visual
“This is the best of all possible worlds.”Create visual
“Music is the pleasure the human mind experiences from counting without being aware that it is counting.”Create visual
“He who understands the universe as a whole understands it as the best of all possible worlds.”Create visual