--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The power of memories and expectations is…" description: "\"The power of memories and expectations is such that for most human beings, the past and the future are not as real, but rather more real than the prese..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/alan-watts-587_expectations_the-power-of-memories-and-expectations-i_1803863.jpg" --- # The power of memories and expectations is such that for… ![“The power of memories and expectations is such that for most human beings, the past and the future are not as real, but rather more real than the present.” quote by Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/alan-watts-587_expectations_the-power-of-memories-and-expectations-i_1803863.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/alan-watts-587_expectations_the-power-of-memories-and-expectations-i_1803863.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/alan-watts-587_expectations_the-power-of-memories-and-expectations-i_1803863.jpg) > “The power of memories and expectations is such that for most human beings, the past and the future are not as real, but rather more real than the present.” [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Memories and expectations make past and future feel more real than present. **In simple terms:** Past and future dominate perception. Key Takeaway Stay present in the moment. Themes mindfulness temporal perception psychology Mood contemplative calm Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - meditation practice - daily reflection - stress management Key Concepts subjective reality cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - How do memories shape current decisions? - What techniques help anchor you in the now? A Different Perspective Present awareness can be difficult to maintain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Motivational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivational/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past And The Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-and-the-future/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present. I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/if-my-happiness-at-this-moment-consists-largely-in-reviewing-happy/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The past and the future are abstractions without any concrete reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-past-and-the-future-are-abstractions-without-any-concrete-reality/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [“The past and the future, are in the present”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-past-and-the-future-are-in-the-present/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [For many human beings, an interest in the past starts with themselves. That is, in part, a result of biology. Like other creatures, humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/for-many-human-beings-an-interest-in-the-past-starts-with-themselves/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Mum and Dad had high expectations of us as human beings - it wasn't just about education. It's a fantastic way to go about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/mum-and-dad-had-high-expectations-of-us-as-human-beings-it-wasn-t/) [Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/) > [The satirical direction I have chosen is an indication of my disappointment in man, which is the opposite way of saying that I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-levine/the-satirical-direction-i-have-chosen-is-an-indication-of-my/) [Jack Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-levine/) > [Sometimes I feel the past and the future pressing so hard on either side that theres no room for the present at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/sometimes-i-feel-the-past-and-the-future-pressing-so-hard-on-either/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“Only by being present can you be happy. Too much attention to the past and the future takes the now away. And once it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/only-by-being-present-can-you-be-happy-too-much-attention-to-the-past/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [“I felt as though the past and the future, cause and effect, patterns and connections, were a huge complicated artifice, and it was only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/i-felt-as-though-the-past-and-the-future-cause-and-effect-patterns/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“Your body moves always in the present, the dividing line between the past and the future, but your mind is more free. It can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/your-body-moves-always-in-the-present-the-dividing-line-between-the/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“The past and the future are not a collection of instants shared by all space, but a collection of events that correspond to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/the-past-and-the-future-are-not-a-collection-of-instants-shared-by/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“Inhale the present, exhale the past and the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/inhale-the-present-exhale-the-past-and-the-future/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The past and the future were just blinders we wore so that infinity wouldn’t drive us mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/the-past-and-the-future-were-just-blinders-we-wore-so-that-infinity/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“The past and the future are what's complicated. It's the present that's simple. And the simplicity is the sensation of it being just her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-past-and-the-future-are-what-s-complicated-it-s-the-present-that/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## More by Alan Watts > [“The self-conscious feedback mechanism of the cortex allows us the hallucination that we are two souls in one body -a rational soul and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-self-conscious-feedback-mechanism-of-the-cortex-allows-us-the/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The more we try to catch hold of the present moment the more elusive it becomes. It is like trying to clutch water in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-more-we-try-to-catch-hold-of-the-present-moment-the-more-elusive/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The Universe is the game of the self, which plays hide and seek forever and ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-which-plays-hide-and-seek/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present. I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/if-my-happiness-at-this-moment-consists-largely-in-reviewing-happy/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [...mysticism and empiricism go together in opposition to scholasticism...they base themselves on the non-linear world of experience rather than the linear world of letters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/mysticism-and-empiricism-go-together-in-opposition-to-scholasticism/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The hallucination of being a separate ego will not stand up to biological tests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-hallucination-of-being-a-separate-ego-will-not-stand-up-to/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Although profoundly "inconsequential," the Zen experience has consequences in the sense that it may be applied in any direction, to any conceivable human activity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/although-profoundly-inconsequential-the-zen-experience-has/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Everything is perpetually becoming new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/everything-is-perpetually-becoming-new/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The psychotherapist ... tries to help the individual to be himself and to go it alone without giving unnecessary offense to his community, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-psychotherapist-tries-to-help-the-individual-to-be-himself-and-to/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [“As you make more and more powerful microscopic instruments, the universe has to get smaller and smaller in order to escape the investigation. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/as-you-make-more-and-more-powerful-microscopic-instruments-the/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [We are at the moment looking at space as something to be entered by the tremendous thrust of a rocket because that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/we-are-at-the-moment-looking-at-space-as-something-to-be-entered-by/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [A philosopher is a sort of intellectual yokel who gawks at things that sensible people take for granted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/a-philosopher-is-a-sort-of-intellectual-yokel-who-gawks-at-things/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The best way to convince someone is by making him realize that what you speak came from his own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-best-way-to-convince-someone-is-by-making-him-realize-that-what/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The myths underlying our culture and underlying our common sense have not taught us to feel identical with the universe, but only parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-myths-underlying-our-culture-and-underlying-our-common-sense-have/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [To feel that life is meaningless unless “I” can be permanent is like having fallen desperately in love with an inch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/to-feel-that-life-is-meaningless-unless-i-can-be-permanent-is-like/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) [Explore all 460 Alan Watts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) ## More Expectations quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I say this all the time: I've always been really good at managing my expectations so that I'm not let down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-say-this-all-the-time-i-ve-always-been-really-good-at-managing-my/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Keeping up with everybody's expectation is soooo hard!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi/keeping-up-with-everybody-s-expectation-is-soooo-hard/) [Naomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“Does your reality match your expectations? If not it's time to change either your expectations or your reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/does-your-reality-match-your-expectations-if-not-it-s-time-to-change/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [Jesus' kingdom was not like the popular expectation. He used the phrase 'kingdom of God' with a different meaning. His kingdom was not of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harpur/jesus-kingdom-was-not-like-the-popular-expectation-he-used-the-phrase/) [Tom Harpur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harpur/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [It's a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/it-s-a-good-place-when-all-you-have-is-hope-and-not-expectations/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [When we give from a place of love, rather than from a place of expectation, more usually comes back to us than we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/when-we-give-from-a-place-of-love-rather-than-from-a-place-of/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) [Browse all 4,210 Expectations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The power of memories and expectations is such that for most human beings, the past and the future are not as real, but rather more real than the present.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Watts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-power-of-memories-and-expectations-is-such-that-for-most-human/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expectations" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-power-of-memories-and-expectations-is-such-that-for-most-human/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/alan-watts-587_expectations_the-power-of-memories-and-expectations-i_1803863.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/alan-watts-587_expectations_the-power-of-memories-and-expectations-i_1803863.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/alan-watts-587_expectations_the-power-of-memories-and-expectations-i_1803863.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The power of memories and expectations is such that for most human beings, the past and the future are not…” — Alan Watts", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Watts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The power of memories and expectations...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-power-of-memories-and-expectations-is-such-that-for-most-human/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-power-of-memories-and-expectations-is-such-that-for-most-human/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```