Skip to main content

The Importance of Time

Mr. Carter was born in Chicago in 1967 and was confined in 2014. His letters to his family and friends were later published and described as the art of success. In one letter, he writes about adoration, and in his second letter, he discusses having an open mind. This third letter is about time. 

He writes:

“I recommend you take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves.”

This means that if you make good use of your minutes, your hours will naturally be well spent. Taking care of small moments is just as important as managing the bigger picture because the whole is made up of parts. People often neglect the small details in favor of focusing on the bigger goal. This imbalance eventually leads to a lack of direction. The moral here is to never waste a moment of your available time. By managing your minutes wisely, you can take control of your months and even your years.

If you waste just five minutes every hour, that adds up to two hours wasted in a day. This results in 60 hours lost each month and 720 hours lost in a year. This is how many individuals unknowingly waste valuable time. If we consider a person who lives to be 80 years old, they may end up wasting nearly 40 years of their life simply by misusing small moments each day.

Time is your greatest possession, and you should protect it carefully. All great achievements ultimately come from the accumulation of small successes. Once you focus on achieving small successes, greater accomplishments will naturally follow.

📬

These stories arrive by mail.

Every month, a physical envelope arrives at your door, postmarked from San Quentin Village, California. Inside, you will find original artwork, writing, and recipes from real contributors, along with a personal letter from me, Diane Kahn, founder of Humans of San Quentin, about the people who made them. You read it. You keep it.

Every piece comes from someone serving a sentence. Every piece reminds you they are so much more than that.

📬 Join the Mail Club

2 Comments

  • A.M.E. says:

    I’d love to read his two poetry letters Adoration and Open Mind. I searched and was unable to find them. Mr. Carter is/was a genius. His penmanship is breathtaking.

  • A. E. says:

    The message in poetry is beautifully delivered. The penmanship of the writer is art work within itself. The writing is amazing!!!! Is this written by a man???

Leave a Reply

Receive more inspiring stories and news from incarcerated people around the world.