A lost inch of gold may be reclaimed, but never a lost inch of time.
—Chinese proverb.
The Emmet’s inch and Eagle’s Mile
Make Lame Philosophy to smile.
—William Blake (1757–1827)
Gloucester. Is’t not the King?
Lear. Ay, every inch a king!
When I do stare, see how the subject quakes!
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)