<p>The exact quote is</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. Unless you're too busy, then you should sit for an hour.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It is indeed an old Zen saying, but AFAIK the exact origin is not known.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-12T22:26:01.630Z
2014-12-12T22:26:01.630Z
THelper
<p>As per some masters in the Theravada tradition it is good to do 2 sessions a day. One in the morning and another in the evening. Ideally a minimum of 1 hour per session.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T15:37:47.717Z
As a zen quote, it really has nothing to do with meditation. It is more about labels and assumptions that we put on ourselves/reality. At least that was what I was taught as a zen practitioner.
Thien
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-25T04:28:31.483Z
2014-11-25T04:28:31.483Z
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
<p>It's just an old Buddhist saying that passed down to people. No one claimed to say that in particular.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-25T15:09:26.247Z
2014-11-25T15:09:26.247Z
frostshoxx
<p>It's all about priorities... you don't have time for meditation because you don't hold that importance for it which is needed. So you surely won't find the time to meditate for an hour a day, you will have to create the window. hope that helps..</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-12T16:07:25.390Z
2014-12-12T16:07:25.390Z
jinayshah
<p>Isn't this notion from meditation traditions in general?</p>
<p>James Altucher, in his <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/19/the-ultimate-cheat-sheet-for-reinventing-yourself/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ultimate Cheat Sheet For Reinventing Yourself</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>What if I don’t have time to sit in silence [for one hour a day]?</p>
<p>Then sit in silence for two hours a day.</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>which he <a href="http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2012/08/5-things-i-learn-from-gandhi/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">adapted (with an entrepreneurial slant)</a> from a story about Mahatma Gandhi.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-08T19:14:18.420Z
I think that the "sugar" story is mis-attributed (i.e. I think that it's not Ghandi who is the origin of the "sugar" story); so maybe the other ("hours of meditation") story is also mis-attributed.
ChrisW
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-08T19:39:15.077Z
@ChrisW, IFIRC, the sugar story is in [his autobiography](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_My_Experiments_with_Truth), but therein I don't recall him talking about meditation. Your second doubt may be correct.
joharr
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-08T13:28:26.353Z
2014-12-08T19:33:49.480Z
2020-06-17T09:56:10.877Z
joharr
<p>There is a zen quote that goes something like</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Meditate for an hour every day unless you are too busy. In that case
  meditate for two hours.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I'm not sure about the exact quote - it might be 0.5 hours/1 hour or some other timescale. Does anyone know what the exact quote is and who said it?</p>

<reference-request><zen><meditation-practicalities>
Who said 'if you are too busy meditate for two hours'?
# Who said 'if you are too busy meditate for two hours'?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-11-23)

There is a zen quote that goes something like

> Meditate for an hour every day unless you are too busy. In that case
> meditate for two hours.

I'm not sure about the exact quote - it might be 0.5 hours/1 hour or some other timescale. Does anyone know what the exact quote is and who said it?

**Tags:** reference-request, zen, meditation-practicalities


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## 5 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2014-12-08. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Isn't this notion from meditation traditions in general?

James Altucher, in his [Ultimate Cheat Sheet For Reinventing Yourself](http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/19/the-ultimate-cheat-sheet-for-reinventing-yourself/):

> What if I don’t have time to sit in silence [for one hour a day]?
>
> Then sit in silence for two hours a day.

* which he [adapted (with an entrepreneurial slant)](http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2012/08/5-things-i-learn-from-gandhi/) from a story about Mahatma Gandhi.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: I think that the "sugar" story is mis-attributed (i.e. I think that it's not Ghandi who is the origin of the "sugar" story); so maybe the other ("hours of meditation") story is also mis-attributed.  
> **username_6**: @username_7, IFIRC, the sugar story is in [his autobiography](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_My_Experiments_with_Truth), but therein I don't recall him talking about meditation. Your second doubt may be correct.  

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### Answer by username_1 on 2014-12-12. Score: 3

The exact quote is

> You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. Unless you're too busy, then you should sit for an hour.

It is indeed an old Zen saying, but AFAIK the exact origin is not known.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2014-11-25. Score: 0

As per some masters in the Theravada tradition it is good to do 2 sessions a day. One in the morning and another in the evening. Ideally a minimum of 1 hour per session.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: As a zen quote, it really has nothing to do with meditation. It is more about labels and assumptions that we put on ourselves/reality. At least that was what I was taught as a zen practitioner.  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2014-11-25. Score: 0

It's just an old Buddhist saying that passed down to people. No one claimed to say that in particular.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2014-12-12. Score: -1

It's all about priorities... you don't have time for meditation because you don't hold that importance for it which is needed. So you surely won't find the time to meditate for an hour a day, you will have to create the window. hope that helps..


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