--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is the first age that's ever paid…" description: "\"This is the first age that's ever paid much attention to the future, which is a little ironic since we may not have one.\" — Arthur C. Clarke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/arthur-c-clarke-640_age_this-is-the-first-age-that-s-ever-paid-m_2121854.jpg" --- # This is the first age that's ever paid much attention to… ![“This is the first age that's ever paid much attention to the future, which is a little ironic since we may not have one.” quote by Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/arthur-c-clarke-640_age_this-is-the-first-age-that-s-ever-paid-m_2121854.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/arthur-c-clarke-640_age_this-is-the-first-age-that-s-ever-paid-m_2121854.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/arthur-c-clarke-640_age_this-is-the-first-age-that-s-ever-paid-m_2121854.jpg) > “This is the first age that's ever paid much attention to the future, which is a little ironic since we may not have one.” [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society focuses on the future despite uncertain prospects, highlighting irony. **In simple terms:** We worry about a future that may not exist. Key Takeaway Balance present actions with future planning. Themes future uncertainty irony Mood thoughtful cautious Type speculative reflective When to use this quote - policy making - long‑term investing - environmental planning Key Concepts existential risk technological optimism Questions to Reflect On - What should we prioritize now? - How do we prepare for unknown futures? A Different Perspective Future predictions can be unreliable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [We need to do whatever it takes to get our children together and pay attention to them, because that's our future. What's in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-gossett-jr/we-need-to-do-whatever-it-takes-to-get-our-children-together-and-pay/) [Louis Gossett, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-gossett-jr/) > [I see our future; you and me and our little ones whenever I look into those beautiful eyes of yours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine/i-see-our-future-you-and-me-and-our-little-ones-whenever-i-look-into/) [Josephine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine/) > [“I don't believe in trading in your future for a little extra power in the present.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cinda-williams-chima/i-don-t-believe-in-trading-in-your-future-for-a-little-extra-power-in/) [Cinda Williams Chima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cinda-williams-chima/) > [“Don't be afraid of the future, little Julia. Take your present life and live it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/don-t-be-afraid-of-the-future-little-julia-take-your-present-life-and/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [ \[Maigret\] is terribly self-contained, not that I would ever wish him to be any more comic, particularly, but in the second film we've made… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/maigret-is-terribly-self-contained-not-that-i-would-ever-wish-him-to/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [I always try to look at the episode overall, and try to figure out where I can add something that's a little ironic or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meaghan-rath/i-always-try-to-look-at-the-episode-overall-and-try-to-figure-out/) [Meaghan Rath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meaghan-rath/) > [Isn't it a little ironic here? We pick politicians by how they look on TV and Miss America on where she stands on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/isn-t-it-a-little-ironic-here-we-pick-politicians-by-how-they-look-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [It is a little ironic that one thing a babysitter should not do is sit on a baby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/it-is-a-little-ironic-that-one-thing-a-babysitter-should-not-do-is/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I feel like I've paid attention to all the great coaches who have coached me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/i-feel-like-i-ve-paid-attention-to-all-the-great-coaches-who-have/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [I've never paid much attention to those who have written me off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humza-yousaf/i-ve-never-paid-much-attention-to-those-who-have-written-me-off/) [Humza Yousaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humza-yousaf/) > [I've been a fan of Mads since the “Casino Royale” movie. I really sat up and paid attention to him. I was like, “Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-fishburne/i-ve-been-a-fan-of-mads-since-the-casino-royale-movie-i-really-sat-up/) [Laurence Fishburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-fishburne/) > [I paid attention to how Floyd Mayweather adapts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-garcia/i-paid-attention-to-how-floyd-mayweather-adapts/) [Ryan Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-garcia/) > [“Because the song was that great and because we all really paid attention to it. Five minutes of a lifetime were truly spent, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/because-the-song-was-that-great-and-because-we-all-really-paid/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [“No one paid any attention to them. Perhaps they saw nothing at all. Perhaps they saw what their minds were instructed to see, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/no-one-paid-any-attention-to-them-perhaps-they-saw-nothing-at-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“I realized that I was a bad listener: I paid too much attention to the words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-iossel/i-realized-that-i-was-a-bad-listener-i-paid-too-much-attention-to-the/) [Mikhail Iossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-iossel/) ## More by Arthur C. Clarke > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I am unable to distinguish clearly between your religious ceremonies and apparently identical behavior at the sporting and cultural functions you have transmitted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-am-unable-to-distinguish-clearly-between-your-religious-ceremonies/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-don-t-believe-in-astrology-i-m-a-sagittarius-and-we-re-skeptical/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [You can't have it both ways. You can't have both free will and a benevolent higher power who protects you from yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/you-can-t-have-it-both-ways-you-can-t-have-both-free-will-and-a/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Astronomy, as nothing else can do, teaches men humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/astronomy-as-nothing-else-can-do-teaches-men-humility/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Nowhere in space will we rest our eyes upon the familiar shapes of trees and plants, or any of the animals that share our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/nowhere-in-space-will-we-rest-our-eyes-upon-the-familiar-shapes-of/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“The universe is full of energy, but much of it is at equilibrium. At equilibrium no energy can flow, and therefore it cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/the-universe-is-full-of-energy-but-much-of-it-is-at-equilibrium-at/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“Here the trees surrounded them with an invisible, anechoic blanket, so that every word seemed sucked into silence the moment it was uttered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/here-the-trees-surrounded-them-with-an-invisible-anechoic-blanket-so/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“I’m a scientific expert; that means I know nothing about absolutely everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-m-a-scientific-expert-that-means-i-know-nothing-about-absolutely/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [There were some things that only time could cure. Evil men could be destroyed, but nothing could be done with good men who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/there-were-some-things-that-only-time-could-cure-evil-men-could-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“Pure coincidence, of course, but a sensible man makes coincidences work for him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/pure-coincidence-of-course-but-a-sensible-man-makes-coincidences-work/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [They will have time enough, in those endless aeons, to attempt all things, and to gather all knowledge no Gods imagined by our minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/they-will-have-time-enough-in-those-endless-aeons-to-attempt-all/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“One thing seems certain. Our galaxy is now in the brief springtime of its life—a springtime made glorious by such brilliant blue-white stars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/one-thing-seems-certain-our-galaxy-is-now-in-the-brief-springtime-of/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Now I understand,” said the last man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/now-i-understand-said-the-last-man/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) [Explore all 415 Arthur C. Clarke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? 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That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This is the first age that's ever paid much attention to the future, which is a little ironic since we may not have one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur C. 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