--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the…" description: "\"Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.\" — Bil Keane" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/bil-keane-20367_future_yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-futu_2993306.png" --- # Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is… ![“Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.” quote by Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/bil-keane-20367_future_yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-futu_2993306.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/bil-keane-20367_future_yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-futu_2993306.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/bil-keane-20367_future_yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-futu_2993306.png) > “Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.” [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The present moment is a unique gift, distinct from past and future, deserving appreciation. **In simple terms:** Today is a gift, unlike yesterday or tomorrow. Key Takeaway Value and live fully in the present. Themes mindfulness time gratitude present Mood calm appreciative Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - daily routine - stress management - relationships - career decisions Key Concepts psychology philosophy well‑being Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor today’s gift? - What can you let go of to stay present? A Different Perspective Focusing only on now may ignore learning from past or planning for future. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-present-300534/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Future Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-today-1002221/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-tomorrow-1669967/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Today Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today-gift/) [Today is a gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today-is-a-gift/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday/) [Yesterday Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday-past-547970/) ## Related quotes > [Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, today is a suprise, that is why it is called the present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-is-the-past-tomorrow-is-the-future-today-is-a-suprise-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future and today's a gift, that's why they call it the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-future-and-today-s-a-gift-that-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yesterday is of the past, so move on. Tomorrow is of the future, which is unknown that has not happened yet. Today is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taskinsoy/yesterday-is-of-the-past-so-move-on-tomorrow-is-of-the-future-which/) [JOHN TASKINSOY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taskinsoy/) > [“But, as the turtle says in Kung Fu Panda: "Today is a gift, that is why it is called the present!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-vanleke/but-as-the-turtle-says-in-kung-fu-panda-today-is-a-gift-that-is-why/) [Monica Vanleke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-vanleke/) > [“YESTERDAY IS HISTORY. TOMORROW IS A MYSTERY. TODAY IS A GIFT. THAT’S WHY IT’S CALLED THE PRESENT. WORK HARD, BE HAPPY, AND ENJOY YOUR…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/yesterday-is-history-tomorrow-is-a-mystery-today-is-a-gift-that-s-why-3/) [Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/) > [Today Is A Gift. That's Why It's Called The Present...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/today-is-a-gift-that-s-why-it-s-called-the-present/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is Mystery, But today is a gift .that why it's called present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unwritten-angels/yesterday-is-history-tomorrow-is-mystery-but-today-is-a-gift-that-why/) [Unwritten\_Angels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unwritten-angels/) > [Yesterday is history, tommorow is a mystery, today is a gift that's why it's called the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-is-history-tommorow-is-a-mystery-today-is-a-gift-that-s-why/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yesterday was history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift...that is why it is called the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-was-history-tomorrow-is-a-mystery-but-today-is-a-gift-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today is a gift from God - that is why it is called the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/today-is-a-gift-from-god-that-is-why-it-is-called-the-present/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Yesturday is history. tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. that's why it's called the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesturday-is-history-tomorrow-is-a-mystery-today-is-a-gift-that-s-why/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/tomorrow-is-a-mystery-today-is-a-gift-that-is-why-it-is-called-the/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Yesterday is History.tomorrow is Mystery, today is a Gift that's why it's called Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/master-shifu-of-kungfu-panda/yesterday-is-history-tomorrow-is-mystery-today-is-a-gift-that-s-why/) [Master Shifu Of Kungfu Panda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/master-shifu-of-kungfu-panda/) > [Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-is-history-tomorrow-is-a-mystery-today-is-a-gift-that-s-why-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yesterday is history.Tommorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. Thats why its called present!!! ;-)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mckenzie/yesterday-is-history-tommorrow-is-a-mystery-today-is-a-gift-thats-why/) [Mckenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mckenzie/) ## More by Bil Keane > [In Roslyn, Pennsylvania, we started our real-life family circus. They provided the inspiration for my cartoons. I provided the perspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/in-roslyn-pennsylvania-we-started-our-real-life-family-circus-they/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [Many of my cartoons are not a belly laugh. I go for nostalgia, the lump in the throat, the tear in the eye, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/many-of-my-cartoons-are-not-a-belly-laugh-i-go-for-nostalgia-the-lump/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [I had this desk alongside the most beautiful Australian 18-year-old girl with long brown hair, and I got up enough nerve to ask her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/i-had-this-desk-alongside-the-most-beautiful-australian-18-year-old/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [I was portraying the family through my eyes. Everything that's happened in the strip has happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/i-was-portraying-the-family-through-my-eyes-everything-that-s/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [A peaceful home is as sacred a place as any chapel or cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/a-peaceful-home-is-as-sacred-a-place-as-any-chapel-or-cathedral/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [Mommy would never divorce Daddy. He's just like one of the family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/mommy-would-never-divorce-daddy-he-s-just-like-one-of-the-family/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [I like to feel that what I'm doing portrays this: a family where there is love between mother, father and the kids. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/i-like-to-feel-that-what-i-m-doing-portrays-this-a-family-where-there/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [We have five children whom I love dearly and have exploited mercilessly for my cartoons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/we-have-five-children-whom-i-love-dearly-and-have-exploited/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [I did cartoons for four high school publications and then and there decided I wanted to spend my life at the drawing board.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/i-did-cartoons-for-four-high-school-publications-and-then-and-there/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [Even the strictest religious person from the strictest religious sect allows a little levity. Today, they congratulate you for carrying the Christian message into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/even-the-strictest-religious-person-from-the-strictest-religious-sect/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [On radio and television, magazines and the movies, you can't tell what you're going to get. When you look at the comic page, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/on-radio-and-television-magazines-and-the-movies-you-can-t-tell-what/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [OF COURSE I'd like to be the ideal mother. But I'm too busy raising children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/of-course-i-d-like-to-be-the-ideal-mother-but-i-m-too-busy-raising/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [I don't just try to be funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/i-don-t-just-try-to-be-funny/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [Religion was a part of our home life when I was growing up. I attended Catholic school. It was a good education - for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/religion-was-a-part-of-our-home-life-when-i-was-growing-up-i-attended/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [Many of the network television shows have done takeoffs on 'Family Circus,' including 'David Letterman,' 'Friends,' 'Roseanne,' and others, and, in my estimation the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/many-of-the-network-television-shows-have-done-takeoffs-on-family/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) [Explore all 30 Bil Keane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) ## More Future quotes > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you can connect people, you can create the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heiferman/if-you-can-connect-people-you-can-create-the-future/) [Scott Heiferman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heiferman/) > [A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/a-strong-durable-puerto-rican-economy-will-leave-the-island-better/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [“We have no idea, now, of who or what the inhabitants of our future might be. In that sense, we have no future. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/we-have-no-idea-now-of-who-or-what-the-inhabitants-of-our-future/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. Your future is in the hands of the Lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-are-destiny-for-greatness-your-future-is-in-the-hands-of-the-lord/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I'm just always looking forwards. I spend very little time, looking backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-m-just-always-looking-forwards-i-spend-very-little-time-looking/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [Football is my passion, and who knows where I will play in the future - you cannot foresee that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edinson-cavani/football-is-my-passion-and-who-knows-where-i-will-play-in-the-future/) [Edinson Cavani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edinson-cavani/) > [When I was 17, I broke up with my future wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-allen/when-i-was-17-i-broke-up-with-my-future-wife/) [Kris Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-allen/) > [I think everybody in the future has stopped talking to each other and we all just use emojis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/i-think-everybody-in-the-future-has-stopped-talking-to-each-other-and/) [Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/) > [When you continue to dwell on the past, there's no chance for a future. History repeats itself, thus, it's ok to LOOK back at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-continue-to-dwell-on-the-past-there-s-no-chance-for-a-future/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am no different from a lot of people. I am concerned for the future of my children and concerned for the future of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/i-am-no-different-from-a-lot-of-people-i-am-concerned-for-the-future/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) > [Starting a new job can be nerve-racking , but it's also exciting. You're embarking on a new future, positioning yourself to write a fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adena-friedman/starting-a-new-job-can-be-nerve-racking-but-it-s-also-exciting-you-re/) [Adena Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adena-friedman/) [Browse all 12,349 Future quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bil Keane" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-future-but-today-is-a-gift-that-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Future" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-future-but-today-is-a-gift-that-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/bil-keane-20367_future_yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-futu_2993306.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/bil-keane-20367_future_yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-futu_2993306.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/bil-keane-20367_future_yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-futu_2993306.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.” — Bil Keane", "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": "Bil Keane", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-future-but-today-is-a-gift-that-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/yesterday-s-the-past-tomorrow-s-the-future-but-today-is-a-gift-that-s/#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 } } ] } ```