George Gissing: Miserable Time

Posted by admin on Sunday, April 24, 2022

George Gissing Money Quote saying Money is time so I buy hours with that money which makes me owe. George Gissing said:
 

“Money is time. With money I buy for cheerful use the hours which otherwise would not in any sense be mine; nay, which would make me their miserable bondsman” — George Gissing

 

 

In this quote, George Gissing is expressing the view that money represents or equates to time. Specifically, he suggests that by having money, one is able to purchase or “buy” time that would otherwise not be available to them.

Gissing notes that without money, people must spend their hours working to survive, making them “bondsmen” or slaves to the demands of simply earning a living. However, wealth allows one to free up time from work obligations and instead spend it on “cheerful use” or leisure activities they find fulfilling.

The best interpretation is that Gissing believed money affords people a sense of freedom and control over their hours by enabling discretionary time not dominated by work. From this perspective, money quite literally translates into additional time available for enjoyment and self-determination rather than being “miserably” beholden to others’ schedules and needs.