Just as I have my own role to play, so does time. And time does its job much more faithfully, much more accurately, than I ever do. Ever since time began (when was that, I wonder?), it's been moving ever forward without a moment's rest. And one of the privileges given to those who've avoided dying young is the blessed right to grow old. 

Seeing a lot of water like that every day is probably an important thing for human beings. For human beings might be a bit of a generalization—but I do know it’s important for one person: me. If I go for a time without seeing water, I feel like something’s slowly draining out of me. It’s probably like the feeling a music lover has when, for whatever reason, he’s separated from music for a long time. The fact that I was raised near the sea might have something to do with it.

• only having yourself to beat instead of wanting to beat others competitively
• deeper interest in learning coming after NOT being forced to learn
• sustaining yourself through different veins/mediums so you never run dry
• stopping an activity just when you feel like you can do more, so you can return later with momentum
• focusing on improving over yesterday, you can make excuses for others but you can't fool yourself