Last Updated on December 20, 2022
Living in the moment is easier said than done.
No matter how passionately we endeavor to engage in the present, there’s always that nagging desire to take a trip down memory lane and relive those glorious moments we left behind. We always want to go a month, a year, or even decades back to wallow in the glory of our past achievements.
Unfortunately, the past can be a prison of its kind. And those who dwell on it rarely escape early enough to pursue their full measure of happiness. That’s especially true for a past full of failure, regrets, and broken dreams.
The past has often been described as a ghost. Perhaps due to its tendency to conjure up unsettling memories. Most people who already appreciate this fact tend to settle with their past and choose to focus more on their future.
But is dwelling on the future the better alternative?
Well, not quite.
The future is noted for its sheer unpredictability. No matter how meticulously you lay down your plans for tomorrow, things will not always go as you envisioned. While it’s great to be proactive, fate will always have the last laugh.
Since we have no control over our pasts and little say over what our futures hold, we can choose to shift all our plans, dreams, and aspirations to the present. That’s what constitutes living in the moment.
Living in the moment entails accepting two uncomfortable facts – that the past is unchangeable and that the future is unpredictable. By so doing, you’ll be able to tune your mind to the present and engage fully in the things that make you happy now.
But with memories of the past hanging over your shoulder and fears of the future looming large, you need an extra dose of motivation to help you cultivate the art of living in the present. You can get that much-required inspiration from the below collection of 50 powerful quotes about living in the moment.
Living In The Moment Quotes
1. “The past, the present and the future are really one: they are today.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe
2. “I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.” – Alan Watts
3. “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” – Alice Morse Earle
4. “The next message you need is always right where you are.” – Ram Dass
5. “Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
6. “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” – Buddha
7. “Children have neither a past nor a future. Thus they enjoy the present, which seldom happens to us.” – Jean de La Bruyère
8. “Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed.” – Coreta Kent
9. “Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.” – Eckhart Tolle
10. “The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is. When the mind is perfectly clear, “what is” is what we want.” – Byron Katie
11. “The meeting of two eternities, the past and the future… is precisely the present moment.” – Henry David Thoreau
12. “The first recipe for happiness is: Avoid too lengthy meditation on the past.” – André Maurois
13. “Remember then: there is only one time that is important – Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power.” – Leo Tolstoy
14. “Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.” – Oprah
15. “The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.” – Abraham Maslow
16. “Past and future are in the mind only – I am now.” – Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
17. “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau
18. “The past is never there when you try to go back. It exists, but only in memory. To pretend otherwise is to invite a mess.” – Chris Cobbs
19. “People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” – Albert Einstein
20. “One today is worth two tomorrows.” – Benjamin Franklin
21. “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” —Thornton Wilder
22. “There is no distance on this earth as far away as yesterday.” – Robert Nathan, So Love Returns
23. “Having spent the better part of my life trying either to relive the past or experience the future before it arrives, I have come to believe that in between these two extremes is peace.” – Author Unknown
24. “Forever is composed of nows.” – Emily Dickinson
25. “You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.” – Jan Glidewell
26. “If you were conscious, that is to say totally present in the Now, all negativity would dissolve almost instantly. It could not survive in your presence.” – Eckhart Tolle
27. “Today is life — the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.” – Dale Carnegie
28. “Living in the present moment creates the experience of eternity.” ― Deepak Chopra
29. “Every morning is a fresh beginning. Every day is the world made new. Today is a new day. Today is my world made new. I have lived all my life up to this moment, to come to this day. This moment–this day–is as good as any moment in all eternity. I shall make of this day–each moment of this day–a heaven on earth. This is my day of opportunity.” – Dan Custer
30. “Don’t let the past steal your present.” – Cherralea Morgen
31. “Stress is the distance between where your thoughts are and where your life is happening.” ― Dean Jackson
32. “It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day-to-day basis.” – Margaret Bonnano
33. “Happiness, not in another place but this place… not for another hour, but this hour.” ― Walt Whitman
34. “Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here right now. Don’t miss it.” – Leo Buscaglia
35. “Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.” – James Thurber
36. “You are only here now; you’re only alive in this moment.” ― Jon Kabat-Zinn
37. “If you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is.” – Author Unknown
38. “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.” – Eckhart Tolle
39. “In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so with present time.” – Leonardo da Vinci
40. “The living moment is everything.” – D.H. Lawrence
41. “Eternity is not something that begins after you are dead. It is going on all the time” – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
42. “Nothing is more precious than being in the present moment. Fully alive, fully aware.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh
43. “We seem to be going through a period of nostalgia, and everyone seems to think yesterday was better than today. I don’t think it was, and I would advise you not to wait ten years before admitting today was great. If you’re hung up on nostalgia, pretend today is yesterday and just go out and have one hell of a time.” – Art Buchwald
44. “Nothing is worth more than this day.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
45. “… The foundation for greatness is honoring the small things of the present moment instead of pursuing the idea of greatness.” – Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
46. “We know nothing of tomorrow; our business is to be good and happy today.” – Sydney Smith
47. “There is one thing we can do, and the happiest people are those who can do it to the limit of their ability. We can be completely present. We can be all here. We can give all our attention to the opportunity before us.” – Mark Van Doren
48. “My past and my future depends on today.” – Trevor Hall, Origami Crane
49. “History is more or less bunk. It’s tradition. We don’t want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that’s worth a tinker’s damn is the history we make today.” – Henry Ford
50. “Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” – Cherokee Indian Proverb