I have little patience or time for nonsense that's spread

Hear the voice of Ravi Shastri, a man of sport and discipline, who declared with clarity: “I have little patience or time for nonsense that’s spread around.” Though spoken in the arena of cricket, his words carry the weight of timeless wisdom. For they remind us that in a world overflowing with noise, rumor, and distraction, one must guard both patience and time as sacred treasures. To squander them on triviality is to betray the strength of the spirit, and to dilute the power of one’s purpose.

The heart of his utterance lies in the rejection of nonsense. Every age has known its share of falsehood, idle talk, and hollow disputes. The ancients called it gossip, slander, or vanity. Today it may come as rumor, empty criticism, or shallow distraction. Shastri’s voice cuts through it with the sharpness of a sword: he will not waste his patience, nor give his time to what diminishes rather than builds. His is the call of one who knows that greatness requires focus, and that attention is a finite coin not to be spent on what is worthless.

History itself bears witness to this truth. Consider Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-king of Rome. Surrounded by intrigue, flatterers, and endless whispers of politics, he wrote in his Meditations: “Do not waste the remainder of your life in thoughts about others, when you neglect to direct your own.” He, like Shastri, had little tolerance for nonsense, for he knew that every moment wasted on it was stolen from the pursuit of virtue and duty. And it was by this discipline of focus that he endured the burdens of empire.

In the realm of cricket, too, the lesson is clear. Shastri himself faced critics, controversies, and endless chatter from the outside world. But by refusing to indulge the noise, he preserved his strength for what truly mattered: performance on the field, leadership off it, and the unrelenting pursuit of excellence. The crowd may speak, the press may roar, but the wise athlete or leader does not let nonsense steal his focus. Instead, he turns his energy toward the task at hand, and by doing so, writes his answer not with words, but with deeds.

Yet let us not misunderstand: to have little patience for nonsense does not mean to be unkind or dismissive of others. It means to discern what is true and valuable from what is false and distracting. It means to choose carefully where one invests attention, so that the river of life is not squandered on barren fields. Patience must be given to growth, to wisdom, to the building of character. Time must be offered to what strengthens the heart and uplifts the soul. But both must be denied to the empty and the trivial.

The lesson for us is this: guard your time as a warrior guards his weapon, and guard your patience as a farmer guards his seed. When falsehoods, idle gossip, or trivial distractions surround you, turn your eyes instead to what is worthy—your craft, your family, your principles, your vision. Waste not your energy in the marketplace of nonsense, for it will only drain you and leave you poorer than before.

Practical counsel is simple. When you encounter nonsense, ask yourself: Does this serve my purpose? Does this strengthen me or weaken me? If it is empty, let it pass. Speak truth when needed, but do not wrestle with shadows. Focus your patience on learning, your time on building, your heart on creating. In this way, your life will not be scattered among trivialities, but gathered into a force that can move mountains.

And so, let Shastri’s words stand as a shield for all who strive: “I have little patience or time for nonsense that’s spread around.” Live by this creed, and you will find that your energy is preserved for what is noble, your days are given to what endures, and your soul remains unentangled in the webs of emptiness. For in the end, greatness belongs not to those who listen to every voice, but to those who silence the noise and follow the call of purpose.