"The clouds that could paralyze the sundial, the freezing that could stop the water clock on a winter night, were no longer obstacles to time-keeping: summer or winter, day or night, one was aware of the measured clank of the clock. [T]he regular striking of the bells brough a new regularity into the life of the workman and the merchant[;]for, the clock is not merely a means of keeping track of the hours, but of synchronizing the actions of men(26)."

–Lewis Mumford, "Technics and Civilization" (with some rearrangements)

"[From the fifteenth century on, w]aste of time became for Protestant religious preachers, like Richard Baxter, one of the most heinous sins. To spend time in mere sociability, or even in sleep, was reprehensible(27)."

–ibid

"Remember that there is only one important time and that is now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion(40)."

–Thich Nhat Hanh, "The Miracle of Mindfulness:a manual on meditation"