Life is made up of constant calls to action, and we seldom have time for more than hastily contrived answers.

The remark frames ordinary life as a sequence of urgent demands—decisions, duties, and interruptions—that require immediate response. Hand’s phrasing suggests that human judgment is often improvised under pressure rather than formed through leisurely reflection. The line carries a mild skepticism about the completeness or perfection of our choices: we do what we can with limited time, information, and calm. Read in light of Hand’s broader reputation for practical wisdom about judgment and responsibility, it can also be taken as a plea for humility—both about our own decisions and in evaluating others—because most “answers” are necessarily provisional and shaped by circumstance.