--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The present is not so glorious but that I…" description: "\"“The present is not so glorious but that I should wish to dwell a little in the past.”\" — Baroness Emma Orczy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/baroness-emma-orczy-55298_anger_the-present-is-not-so-glorious-but-that_2078871.jpg" --- # The present is not so glorious but that I should wish to… ![“The present is not so glorious but that I should wish to dwell a little in the past.” quote by Baroness Emma Orczy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/baroness-emma-orczy-55298_anger_the-present-is-not-so-glorious-but-that_2078871.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/baroness-emma-orczy-55298_anger_the-present-is-not-so-glorious-but-that_2078871.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/baroness-emma-orczy-55298_anger_the-present-is-not-so-glorious-but-that_2078871.jpg) > ““The present is not so glorious but that I should wish to dwell a little in the past.”” [Baroness Emma Orczy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baroness-emma-orczy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Longing for the past can coexist with present dissatisfaction, urging balance between nostalgia and reality. **In simple terms:** We may wish to escape present troubles by recalling better times. Key Takeaway Balance nostalgia with present action. Themes nostalgia present dissatisfaction balance Mood melancholic hopeful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal journaling - therapy sessions - creative writing Key Concepts psychology temporal perspective contentment Questions to Reflect On - What does the past offer you? - How can you improve the present? A Different Perspective Dwelling too much in the past can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I was at my best at a little past forty, when I was a professor at Oxford.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/i-was-at-my-best-at-a-little-past-forty-when-i-was-a-professor-at/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [I don't dwell, I'm not a dweller. I just like to keep moving forward, because life is short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-ballas/i-don-t-dwell-i-m-not-a-dweller-i-just-like-to-keep-moving-forward/) [Shirley Ballas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-ballas/) > [I'm not going to sit here and dwell on whether or not I am going to the Hall of Fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-payton/i-m-not-going-to-sit-here-and-dwell-on-whether-or-not-i-am-going-to/) [Gary Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-payton/) > [Tennis is like, it gives you a lot of chances, but if you don't take those chances, it takes a lot of chances away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sania-mirza/tennis-is-like-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-chances-but-if-you-don-t-take/) [Sania Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sania-mirza/) > [I've come to the conclusion that life is for the taking and just too short to dwell on the negative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-o-riordan/i-ve-come-to-the-conclusion-that-life-is-for-the-taking-and-just-too/) [Dolores O'Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-o-riordan/) > [“We all have things we regret…decisions we make that we have to live with. You can’t dwell on them and beat yourself up for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-ward/we-all-have-things-we-regret-decisions-we-make-that-we-have-to-live/) [Penelope Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-ward/) > [On the subject of emigration, it is not my intention to dwell at any length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sturt/on-the-subject-of-emigration-it-is-not-my-intention-to-dwell-at-any/) [Charles Sturt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sturt/) > [“dwell in stillness and to observe without reacting and without judging.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/dwell-in-stillness-and-to-observe-without-reacting-and-without-judging/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [I wish it wasn't so natural for me to dwell on the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/i-wish-it-wasn-t-so-natural-for-me-to-dwell-on-the-past/) [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) > [If a candidate for president said he believed that space aliens dwell among us, would that affect your willingness to vote for him? Personally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/if-a-candidate-for-president-said-he-believed-that-space-aliens-dwell/) [Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/) > [“You mustn't dwell on the inevitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-mustn-t-dwell-on-the-inevitable/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The point, however, is not where you reside but where you dwell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-d-mignolo/the-point-however-is-not-where-you-reside-but-where-you-dwell/) Walter D. Mignolo > [But when you dwell in a house you mislike, you will look out of a window a deal more than those that are content…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/but-when-you-dwell-in-a-house-you-mislike-you-will-look-out-of-a/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [I get a little tired of people telling me what might have been. I think I've done OK. I don't dwell on what might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr/i-get-a-little-tired-of-people-telling-me-what-might-have-been-i/) [Ken Griffey Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr/) > [I'm not one to dwell on rehearsal or preparation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-m-not-one-to-dwell-on-rehearsal-or-preparation/) [Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/) ## More by Baroness Emma Orczy > [“Hers was the perfect love that dwells on the other's happiness, and not on its own. She knew that, though for the time being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baroness-emma-orczy/hers-was-the-perfect-love-that-dwells-on-the-other-s-happiness-and/) [Baroness Emma Orczy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baroness-emma-orczy/) > [“Your conscience troubles you unnecessarily, and you see a deliberate intention in every simple act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baroness-emma-orczy/your-conscience-troubles-you-unnecessarily-and-you-see-a-deliberate/) [Baroness Emma Orczy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baroness-emma-orczy/) > [“The moral crisis she'd just gone through made her feel indulgent toward the faults, the delinquencies of others. How thoroughly a human being can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baroness-emma-orczy/the-moral-crisis-she-d-just-gone-through-made-her-feel-indulgent/) [Baroness Emma Orczy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baroness-emma-orczy/) > [“Anonymity crowned him as if t'were the halo of romantic glory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baroness-emma-orczy/anonymity-crowned-him-as-if-t-were-the-halo-of-romantic-glory/) [Baroness Emma Orczy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baroness-emma-orczy/) > [“She looks very virtuous and very melancholy." "Virtue is like the precious odors, most fragrant when it is crushed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baroness-emma-orczy/she-looks-very-virtuous-and-very-melancholy-virtue-is-like-the/) [Baroness Emma Orczy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baroness-emma-orczy/) [Explore all 6 Baroness Emma Orczy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baroness-emma-orczy/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The present is not so glorious but that I should wish to dwell a little in the past.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Baroness Emma Orczy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baroness-emma-orczy/the-present-is-not-so-glorious-but-that-i-should-wish-to-dwell-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anger" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baroness-emma-orczy/the-present-is-not-so-glorious-but-that-i-should-wish-to-dwell-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/baroness-emma-orczy-55298_anger_the-present-is-not-so-glorious-but-that_2078871.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/baroness-emma-orczy-55298_anger_the-present-is-not-so-glorious-but-that_2078871.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/baroness-emma-orczy-55298_anger_the-present-is-not-so-glorious-but-that_2078871.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The present is not so glorious but that I should wish to dwell a little in the past.” — Baroness Emma Orczy", "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": "Baroness Emma Orczy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baroness-emma-orczy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The present is not so glorious...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baroness-emma-orczy/the-present-is-not-so-glorious-but-that-i-should-wish-to-dwell-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baroness-emma-orczy/the-present-is-not-so-glorious-but-that-i-should-wish-to-dwell-a/#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 } } ] } ```