---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tomorrows were full of awful things…"
description: "\"Tomorrows were full of awful things. Today, now, was the essential.\" — Ariana Franklin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68c/ariana-franklin-22318_awful_tomorrows-were-full-of-awful-things-toda_3068598.png"
---

#  Tomorrows were full of awful things. Today, now, was the…

![“Tomorrows were full of awful things. Today, now, was the essential.” quote by Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68c/ariana-franklin-22318_awful_tomorrows-were-full-of-awful-things-toda_3068598.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68c/ariana-franklin-22318_awful_tomorrows-were-full-of-awful-things-toda_3068598.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68c/ariana-franklin-22318_awful_tomorrows-were-full-of-awful-things-toda_3068598.png)

> “Tomorrows were full of awful things. Today, now, was the essential.”

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She contrasts future anxieties with present necessity, suggesting that the present moment is essential despite looming fears.

**In simple terms:** Present matters despite future fears.

Key Takeaway

Focus on now, not dread.

Themes

mindfulness anxiety temporal perspective

Mood

calm hopeful

Type

inspirational practical

When to use this quote

- daily routines
- stressful events
- goal setting

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you anchor yourself in the present?
- What practices help you accept the now?

A Different Perspective

Future concerns can dominate attention.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm working for the women in the world, today; that's my essential issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-bachelet/i-m-working-for-the-women-in-the-world-today-that-s-my-essential-issue/)

[Michelle Bachelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-bachelet/)

> [I think a sense of history and perspective for our young people today is essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-lynn/i-think-a-sense-of-history-and-perspective-for-our-young-people-today/)

[Vera Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-lynn/)

> [“People have to do awful things for money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/people-have-to-do-awful-things-for-money/)

[Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/)

> [I'm fascinated by the awful, awful things that human beings do to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/i-m-fascinated-by-the-awful-awful-things-that-human-beings-do-to-each/)

[Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/)

> [It's just a big excuse to say awful things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/it-s-just-a-big-excuse-to-say-awful-things/)

[Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/)

> [“It seemed awful that the only things she knew about him were those that made him miserable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she-knew-about-him-were-those/)

[Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/)

> [I assure you that some of the most awesome things God has ever done for me have come out of the most awful things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/i-assure-you-that-some-of-the-most-awesome-things-god-has-ever-done/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-accept-that-people-are-going-to-call-me-awful-things-every-day-and/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [And I sing and sing of awful things The pleasure that my sadness brings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/and-i-sing-and-sing-of-awful-things-the-pleasure-that-my-sadness/)

[Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/)

> [Nobody has had more awful things written about them than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigitte-nielsen/nobody-has-had-more-awful-things-written-about-them-than-me/)

[Brigitte Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigitte-nielsen/)

> [“Regret, Joss. Regret does awful things to a person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-young/regret-joss-regret-does-awful-things-to-a-person/)

[Samantha Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-young/)

> [“There's a funny thing I've noticed about life. When you really dread something, it turns out not to be so bad. It's the unexpected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-funny-thing-i-ve-noticed-about-life-when-you-really-dread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Personally I believe sometimes ugly things happen to good people and sometimes good people do awful things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-parker/personally-i-believe-sometimes-ugly-things-happen-to-good-people-and/)

[Scott Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-parker/)

> [Here I am, a product of something really vicious, product of the Atlantic slave trade. And yet, I give nary a thought to some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/here-i-am-a-product-of-something-really-vicious-product-of-the/)

[Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/)

> [There are two responses to really awful things. One is to lament and say, "Oh my God, oh lord." And the other is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/there-are-two-responses-to-really-awful-things-one-is-to-lament-and/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

## More by Ariana Franklin

> [Ghosts cannot be put on the witness stand, or have their fingerprints taken. They are completely proof against proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/ghosts-cannot-be-put-on-the-witness-stand-or-have-their-fingerprints/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [“Adelia, you must not quail. You are confounding inhumanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/adelia-you-must-not-quail-you-are-confounding-inhumanity/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [“But it’s a pretense, it’s artificial,” Adelia protested. “Love, honor, respect. When are they ever extended to everyday women? I doubt if that boy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/but-it-s-a-pretense-it-s-artificial-adelia-protested-love-honor/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [“This infatuation must be dispelled; it is necessary for me not to admire you. I do not wish to fall in love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/this-infatuation-must-be-dispelled-it-is-necessary-for-me-not-to/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [Man hovers between Paradise and the Pit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/man-hovers-between-paradise-and-the-pit/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [“You are a drab, she told herself, seduced into infatuation by a soldier’s tale. Outremer, bravery, crusade, it is illusory romance. Pull yourself together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/you-are-a-drab-she-told-herself-seduced-into-infatuation-by-a-soldier/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [A daughter,' Rowley scooped up the child and held her high. The baby blinked from sleep and crowed with him. 'Any fool can have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/a-daughter-rowley-scooped-up-the-child-and-held-her-high-the-baby/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [Insanity has excuses; wickedness has not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/insanity-has-excuses-wickedness-has-not/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [“... Turn over that stone" - she pointed to a flint nearby - "and you will find a charlatan who will dazzle you with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/turn-over-that-stone-she-pointed-to-a-flint-nearby-and-you-will-find/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [To what do you not drive human hearts, cursed for craving gold!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/to-what-do-you-not-drive-human-hearts-cursed-for-craving-gold/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [“Adelia began to get cross. Why was it women who were to blame for everything—everything, from the Fall of Man to these blasted hedges?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/adelia-began-to-get-cross-why-was-it-women-who-were-to-blame-for/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [Crime, after all, can be a way of establishing identity or acquiring security - at least the magistrate addresses you by name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/crime-after-all-can-be-a-way-of-establishing-identity-or-acquiring/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [Obviously, not everybody who dies becomes a ghost, otherwise those who are psychic would be aware of shouldering through deep crowds of assorted shades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/obviously-not-everybody-who-dies-becomes-a-ghost-otherwise-those-who/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [“Sister Walburga ate some of the sausage she was taking upriver for the anchorites, but you'd think from her distress that she was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/sister-walburga-ate-some-of-the-sausage-she-was-taking-upriver-for/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [“Loyalty could come only of exchange and mutual regard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/loyalty-could-come-only-of-exchange-and-mutual-regard/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

[Explore all 27 Ariana Franklin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

## More Awful quotes

> [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/)

[Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/)

> [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/)

[Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/)

> [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. "I have wanted to, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/layla-brought-her-arms-around-herself-no-doubt-because-she-was/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [You've seen the first issue and what happened in the last page. Some pretty awful stuff. I don't know why I seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-shalvey/you-ve-seen-the-first-issue-and-what-happened-in-the-last-page-some/)

[Declan Shalvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-shalvey/)

> [It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-not-like-studying-german-where-you-mull-along-in-a-groping/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There was a special challenge in describing the awful childhood of a person who happens to be my own husband. It was very painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-was-a-special-challenge-in-describing-the-awful-childhood-of-a/)

[Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/)

> [On balance the moral influence of religion has been awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/on-balance-the-moral-influence-of-religion-has-been-awful/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/when-you-finish-a-poem-it-clicks-shut-like-the-top-of-a-jewel-box-but/)

[Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/)

> [Fascism: awful stench of saw and axe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-leiris/fascism-awful-stench-of-saw-and-axe/)

[Michel Leiris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-leiris/)

> [No one with a bad tie is getting my vote. Some Lib Dems wear the most shockingly awful ties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/no-one-with-a-bad-tie-is-getting-my-vote-some-lib-dems-wear-the-most/)

[Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/)

> [“Here she was back in the brightly lit world she had been avoiding for twenty years, and it was exactly as awful as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/here-she-was-back-in-the-brightly-lit-world-she-had-been-avoiding-for/)

[Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/)

> [I'm pretty indiscriminating, and I have awful taste, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-m-pretty-indiscriminating-and-i-have-awful-taste-generally/)

[Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/)

> [The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-blessed-religion-revealed-in-the-word-of-god-will-remain-an/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [“I am awful. I am heartless. I am scared that these things are actually true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-awful-i-am-heartless-i-am-scared-that-these-things-are-actually/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/democracy-is-an-awful-way-to-run-a-country-but-it-s-the-best-system/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

Browse all 1,826 Awful quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Tomorrows were full of awful things. Today, now, was the essential.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ariana Franklin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/tomorrows-were-full-of-awful-things-today-now-was-the-essential/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awful"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/tomorrows-were-full-of-awful-things-today-now-was-the-essential/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68c/ariana-franklin-22318_awful_tomorrows-were-full-of-awful-things-toda_3068598.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68c/ariana-franklin-22318_awful_tomorrows-were-full-of-awful-things-toda_3068598.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68c/ariana-franklin-22318_awful_tomorrows-were-full-of-awful-things-toda_3068598.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Tomorrows were full of awful things. Today, now, was the essential.” — Ariana Franklin",
                "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": "Ariana Franklin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Tomorrows were full of awful things....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/tomorrows-were-full-of-awful-things-today-now-was-the-essential/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/tomorrows-were-full-of-awful-things-today-now-was-the-essential/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
