proverb · Words worth keeping
Time is the master of him who has no master.
Time is the master of him who has no master.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes time a master even for someone who has no human master. It pictures limits that remain despite personal independence.
Example
Someone working independently still considers the time a commitment requires and its agreed deadline.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Master personifies time as a governing force; the supplied gloss instead says time has no master, reversing the relationship. A responsible interpretation discusses deadlines, duration or change without endorsing domination between people. Independence does not remove every constraint, but the image gives no exact account of those constraints.
When to use it
Use it to explain time-related limits with the source’s direction retained.
Keep in mind
The image does not endorse coercive authority or establish a specific timetable.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown