what does 'time is of the essence' mean - literally?
374230
"In essence,.." = "Basically,"\n\n"The essence of..." = "the main(basic) part of..."\n\n"Time is of the essence...." = "Time is of the utmost importance"
186908
It means something similar to 'Idle hand are the Devils playthings'... they both mean in essence..\nIf you have too much time on your hands, you are going to get in trouble.
117864
As others have said, it translates as "that's life", but it contains the implication that we all understand that life has its ups and its downs, and that we couldn't appreciate the former without the latter.\n\nThat life is, in fact, beautiful.
132891
All the answers above are correct. It comes from chronos which is greek for the word "time" and logee which is greek for "to write". Thus it basically means the time that has been written (has passed) and stands for the actual amount of time you have existed, as opposed to how 'old' you act in reference to the rest of society (the norm.)
241342
I agree with flandargo. The basic quantities mass, length and time and in elecricity the quantity charge cannot be difined.\nThese are all concepts understood by intution. We can define their units.\n\nSome may define that 'time is the interval between two events'.  But the question is what is interval.\n\nSimilarly mass is defined by some as quantity of matter.\nThe question is .'what is matter' \n\nHence Time cannot be defined.
859079
Your existence is eternal \nYour bliss is eternal\nYour consciousness is eternal\nIllumine my mind.
969401
Time is a thing invented by man.  Planets and such like don't care about time, they just keep on going forever which is a really long time.
551976
I answered another similar question today with this:\n\nTime is a property of this universe only - this is not only a belief of Christian cosmology, it is also the standard belief of modern scientific cosmology, the way Stephen Hawking modeled it in "A Brief History of Time." Time is quite specific to our universe. Time has no meaning or applicability outside of the universe.\n\nSince God, from "outside" or "above" our universe, is a non-temporal being - totally outside time and all its concepts - temporal concepts such as "beginning", "created" or "origins" are utterly inapplicable. They quite literally have no meaning where God is concerned. God's today is also his yesterday, which is also his tomorrow. He does not originate because origination only means something in the context of time. It may be difficult for beings such as ourselves to understand existing outside of time, because we are stuck in it. But the limits of our imagination are a problem for our comprehension, and not a problem for God's existence.\n\nAs St. Augustine said:\n\n'Nor do you precede any given period of time by another period of time, or you would not precede all periods of time. In the eminence of your ever-present eternity, you precede all times past, and extend beyond all future times, for they are still to come--and when they have come, they will be past. But "you are always the same and your years shall have no end." Your years neither go nor come; but ours both go and come in order that all separate moments may come to pass. All your years stand together as one, since they are abiding. Nor do your years past exclude the years to come because your years do not pass away. All these years of ours shall be with you, when all of them have ceased to be. Your years are but a day, and your day is not recurrent, but always today. Your "today" does not yield to tomorrow and does not follow yesterday. Your "today" is eternity. '
974059
It means that you show wisdom that should normally take a long time to develop. An 'old soul' has experienced many lifetimes at many different jobs, and so has much understanding of many phases of human existence. I've been a shaman, a soldier, a sinner and a saint. I watched Atlantis fall and sailed for the East India Tea  Company in their Clipper ships. Yet I am far from achieving the wisdom of an old soul.
485075
to me it means that it is the highlight of my life. i am alone, but i have this burning like i have never had before. if you dont understand what i mean, then i dont know how to explain it any better.
679992
Of course! The only time that exists is the PRESENT. Today is the present. It is a gift, that's why they call it that. Treat every day as if it were your last!
277718
Yes...it means Time.\n\nChronology is the science of time, dates, sequences of events.\nIf a list of events were written in a chronological order, they would be written in the order in which they actually happened.
205405
The essence of Buddhism is not that difficult to state. To understand, now that's another story.\n\nIn short, the essence is Mindfulness and Compassion. \n\nBuddhists believes that all beings are united and are a part of each other, thus the ego is in fact detrimental to our own happiness since if we embrace the ego, we will unintentional hurt others and if we are a part of one another, then we will in fact be hurting ourselves.\n\nBuddhists also believe that compassion is the key to happiness and that the Buddha Mind, that which we must nurture if we wish to become enlightened, is our natural state.\n\nFore more detail, please read on:\n\nThe Basic  teachings are:\n\nThe Four Nobel Truths:\n1) All worldly life is suffering. Causing us to lead an unsatisfactory, disjointed life.\n2) Suffering is caused by the ego. Things such as attachment and desire are rooted in the ego through ignorance.\n3) There is a way to end suffering. \n4) The way to end suffering is found in the Noble Eightfold Path\n\nThe Noble Eightfold Path: (Divided into three categories)\n>Wisdom\n1) Right Understanding - Looking at the world without attachment and desire, without ego.\n2) Right Thought - Keeping the mind on what is at hand and being resolved on renunciation, freedom from ill will, and on harmlessness.\n\n>Ethical Conduct\n3) Right Speech - Abstaining from lying, divisive, abusive and idle chatter.\n4) Right Action - Abstaining from taking life, stealing and improper sexual activities\n5) Right Livelihood - Doing what is right with ones life.\n\n>Concentration or Mental Development\n6) Right Effort - A persistent desire and an matching endeavor to participate in proper activates the are good and just. \n7) Right Mindfulness - Remaining focused on ones actions, speech, thoughts and lively hood. \n8) Right Concentration - by abandoning all selfishness and adopting a heart of compassion, keeping ones mind on what needs to be do including the helping of others.\n\nOn a more spiritual level, Buddhist generally believe in reincarnation, a cycle of birth, death and rebirth. This is called samsara. When we reach enlightenment, this cycle is broken and we are able to move into the next step of existence, Nirvana. \n\nThere are many schools and sects of Buddhism and some very in practice greatly. However, the underlying principals are virtually identical regardless of the school or tradition of Buddhism. \n\nFor more detailed information, please check out the references I have posted bellow.
811849
Below is a RHYTHMICAL answer to your questions:\n\nImplanted to the first-born being\nAt the first epilogue of time creation\nWhen there were no civil to define\nOr redress the essence of the mind.\n\nWar implies unending dire of greed\nIt is the heart of the human ills\nLike the wind that blows in all direction\nEver returning back on its course.\n\nWhen generations came and generations go\nIt stilts abound to the minds anew\nDestructive schemes and lingering views\nDwell on people and failed to subdue.\n\nA dreadful end pre-destined to this world \nThe only planet of life and of the living\nBut the living is aweless and has gone too far\nEyeing and gripping the tumult of war!\n\nRobertito T. Cordova\nCopyright © 2006 Robertito Cordova
291753
"When" is not a question- rather an assertation of the eventuality of all things.  As all things are in constant change; eventually, all things become all things.  There is no "if", only "when".\n\nFurther, "now", is the essence of this very moment.  Just as an object can either be precisely measured in space or velocity- but not both- so is the everchanging world around us measurable only in the moment.  "Now" is synonymous, therefore, with "what".\n\nSince all things in their eventuality are the same, and yet immeasurable when removed from their essence, and all things measured are themselves momentary, so too are all things when, all things if, all things now, and all things what.  The world defies our attempts to measure it, and escapes our understanding as soon as we require it.
926844
It does mean something like: "The only truth is the finality of death" or "True annihilation lies in Death".\n\nIt is also a phrase used in a type of Heavy Metal music, called "Death Metal", characterized by deep growls, loud bass, and screams.
1155410
time is a consequence of non-simultaneity of everything. Sequenced events necessarily create time in their wake.\n"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once" -Buckaroo Banzai