Time flies when you're changing the world.

Craig Kielburger, who as a child dared to speak against the slavery of other children, once proclaimed with youthful fire and enduring truth: “Time flies when you’re changing the world.” These words, though light upon the tongue, carry the force of a great current. They remind us that when we give ourselves wholly to a cause greater than ourselves, the burden of labor is lifted, the hours are forgotten, and life itself becomes a river flowing swiftly toward meaning.

The meaning of this saying rests in the paradox of time. When the heart is idle, when days are spent in trivial pursuits, each hour drags like a stone. But when the spirit is aflame with purpose, when one’s hands are busy shaping justice, lifting the oppressed, or sowing hope, time ceases to weigh upon us. The hours vanish as though they were moments, and yet the work accomplished endures for generations. To change the world is to step into eternity, where minutes no longer chain the soul.

The origin of these words lies in Kielburger’s own life. At twelve years old, he read of a Pakistani boy, Iqbal Masih, who was murdered after speaking against child labor. This tragedy ignited in Craig a lifelong mission to fight for the freedom of children across the world. What began as the passion of one boy grew into WE Charity, a movement of millions. In those years of tireless speaking, organizing, and serving, Craig discovered this truth: the more one pours into the world, the faster time seems to pass. For the days consumed with justice are never wasted—they are filled with meaning too vast for the clock to measure.

History itself offers us luminous proof. Consider Florence Nightingale, who walked the wards of Crimea, nursing the wounded through nights that should have felt endless. Yet to her, the hours flew, for her purpose was greater than fatigue. Or Martin Luther King, Jr., whose years of marches, speeches, and sacrifices seemed but a breath, though they shook the foundations of a nation. For both, time was swift, because their souls were caught up in something timeless.

The lesson for us is clear: do not measure your life merely in years, but in purpose. One who lives a century without serving others may find time unbearably long, each day dragging into the next. But one who dares to spend themselves for justice, kindness, or creation will find that years pass swiftly, as though life itself were carried on wings. To live with meaning is to transcend time; to live without meaning is to be crushed by it.

Practical wisdom flows from this truth. Seek out causes greater than yourself. Dedicate part of your strength each day to lifting another, to healing a wound, to speaking truth. In doing so, you will find joy even in labor, and the days will cease to feel heavy. For time is not best measured in hours, but in the lives touched, the wounds mended, the injustices undone.

Thus, Craig Kielburger’s words echo as both invitation and challenge: “Time flies when you’re changing the world.” Do not waste your days lamenting their swiftness. Instead, rejoice that they are passing in noble service. For the one who spends time changing the world finds that though the days are fleeting, their impact is eternal. And so let us live, not fearing the speed of time, but embracing it—knowing that to give our lives to purpose is to rise beyond the reach of the clock itself.