--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do not look back and do not dream about…" description: "\"Do not look back and do not dream about the future. It will neither give you back the past, nor satisfy your other daydreams. Your duty, your reward, y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_daydreaming_do-not-look-back-and-do-not-dream-about_2068163.jpg" --- # Do not look back and do not dream about the future. It… ![“Do not look back and do not dream about the future. It will neither give you back the past, nor satisfy your other daydreams. Your duty, your reward, your destiny, is in the present moment” quote by Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_daydreaming_do-not-look-back-and-do-not-dream-about_2068163.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_daydreaming_do-not-look-back-and-do-not-dream-about_2068163.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_daydreaming_do-not-look-back-and-do-not-dream-about_2068163.jpg) > “Do not look back and do not dream about the future. It will neither give you back the past, nor satisfy your other daydreams. Your duty, your reward, your destiny, is in the present moment” [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on the present, as past cannot be reclaimed and future fantasies never fulfill. **In simple terms:** Live now, not in past or imagined future. Key Takeaway Act in the present. Themes mindfulness duty time purpose Mood reflective calm Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal decision - stress management - goal setting - spiritual practice Key Concepts Existentialism Stoicism presence Questions to Reflect On - How does present focus improve your daily choices? - What risks arise from ignoring past or future? A Different Perspective Neglecting past lessons or future planning can cause imbalance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Daydreaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daydreaming/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dream Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-future-237319/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Future Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-past/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Our destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-destiny/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-moment/) [Reward Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward-destiny-3980170/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Satisfy Daydreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfy-daydreams-3980169/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Your destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-destiny/) ## Related quotes > [Never let success hide its emptiness from you, achievement its nothingness, toil its desolation. And so...keep alive the incentive to push on further, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/never-let-success-hide-its-emptiness-from-you-achievement-its/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [“Lenorah, it has always, and will always be you. I love you like nothing else I have ever known. You are the reason I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-richardson/lenorah-it-has-always-and-will-always-be-you-i-love-you-like-nothing/) [Angela Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-richardson/) > [“One mustn’t dream of one’s future; one must earn it. And you have no future, Salgado. Neither you, nor a country that keeps producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/one-mustn-t-dream-of-one-s-future-one-must-earn-it-and-you-have-no/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“It is not all about the certificate,it is your dream Your dream is what you stand for Your dream is your future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-lekwuwa/it-is-not-all-about-the-certificate-it-is-your-dream-your-dream-is/) [f.c. lekwuwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-lekwuwa/) > [One mustn't dream of one's future; one must earn it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/one-mustn-t-dream-of-one-s-future-one-must-earn-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [We live in the present, we dream of the future and we learn eternal truths from the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiang-kai-shek/we-live-in-the-present-we-dream-of-the-future-and-we-learn-eternal/) [Chiang Kai-shek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiang-kai-shek/) > [“I sigh, and keep getting back in that chair and dream of a future in which women in the public eye don’t need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/i-sigh-and-keep-getting-back-in-that-chair-and-dream-of-a-future-in/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [Keep looking up! I learn from the past, dream about the future and look up. There's nothing like a beautiful sunset to end a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-boston/keep-looking-up-i-learn-from-the-past-dream-about-the-future-and-look/) [Rachel Boston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-boston/) > [“We learn from the past, dream of the future but don’t do shit in the present. Or at least I don’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-baynes/we-learn-from-the-past-dream-of-the-future-but-don-t-do-shit-in-the/) [Zach Baynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-baynes/) > [“I couldn't dream of a future, I couldn't reliably remember my past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-collison/i-couldn-t-dream-of-a-future-i-couldn-t-reliably-remember-my-past/) [Linda Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-collison/) > [“Bird memories are therefore a tree's dream of the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-george-haskell/bird-memories-are-therefore-a-tree-s-dream-of-the-future/) [David George Haskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-george-haskell/) > [Thus my faith grew that my beautiful dream for the future would become reality after all, even though this might require long years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/thus-my-faith-grew-that-my-beautiful-dream-for-the-future-would/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [As human beings, it is our nature to dream about the future, but there is no future without a healthy nature. It's the common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-human-beings-it-is-our-nature-to-dream-about-the-future-but-there/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [“A friend once told me the hurt that came with the end of a relationship was painful because it was the death of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/a-friend-once-told-me-the-hurt-that-came-with-the-end-of-a/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“Sometimes," Helena continued, "I have a terrible dream of the future. Not now, but presently, people may forget their loyalty to their kings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/sometimes-helena-continued-i-have-a-terrible-dream-of-the-future-not/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) ## More by Dag Hammarskjold > [“Didst thou give me this inescapable loneliness so that it would be easier for me to give thee all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/didst-thou-give-me-this-inescapable-loneliness-so-that-it-would-be/) [Dag Hammarskjöld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Beneath the hush a whisper from long ago, promising peace of mind and a burden shared. No peace which is not peace for all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/beneath-the-hush-a-whisper-from-long-ago-promising-peace-of-mind-and/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [For the sacrificed, in the hour of sacrifice, only one thing counts: faith-alone among enemies and skeptics. Faith, in spite of the humiliation which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/for-the-sacrificed-in-the-hour-of-sacrifice-only-one-thing-counts/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Friendship needs no words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/friendship-needs-no-words/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [If even dying is to be made a social function, then, grant me the favor of sneaking out on tiptoe without disturbing the party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/if-even-dying-is-to-be-made-a-social-function-then-grant-me-the-favor/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Your position never gives you the right to command. It only imposes on you the duty of so living your life that others can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/your-position-never-gives-you-the-right-to-command-it-only-imposes-on/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [I have only my own burden to bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/i-have-only-my-own-burden-to-bear/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Life yields only to the conqueror. Never accept whatcan be gained by giving in. You will be living off stolen goods, and your muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/life-yields-only-to-the-conqueror-never-accept-whatcan-be-gained-by/) [Dag Hammarskjöld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [I never discuss discussions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/i-never-discuss-discussions/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [We all have within us a center of stillness surrounded by silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/we-all-have-within-us-a-center-of-stillness-surrounded-by-silence/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [There is a point at which everything becomes simple and there is no longer any question of choice, because all you have staked will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/there-is-a-point-at-which-everything-becomes-simple-and-there-is-no/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day when our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/god-does-not-die-on-the-day-when-we-cease-to-believe-in-a-personal/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [The concept of loyalty is distorted when it is understood to mean blind acceptance. It is correctly interpreted when it is assumed to cover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/the-concept-of-loyalty-is-distorted-when-it-is-understood-to-mean/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Those who invoke history will certainly be heard by history. And they will have to accept its verdict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/those-who-invoke-history-will-certainly-be-heard-by-history-and-they/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Your body must become familiar with its death - in all its possible forms and degrees - as a self-evident, imminent, and emotionally neutral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/your-body-must-become-familiar-with-its-death-in-all-its-possible/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) [Explore all 155 Dag Hammarskjold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) ## More Daydreaming quotes > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [An excessive preponderance of an idealistic mood is harmful to society: it creates daydreaming, political Don Quixotism, hope for heavenly intervention. This is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henryk-sienkiewicz/an-excessive-preponderance-of-an-idealistic-mood-is-harmful-to/) [Henryk Sienkiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henryk-sienkiewicz/) > [Sometimes the worst thing that can happen is, 'Oh, I'm on stage playing a song,' because you're daydreaming about something else, you're on autopilot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/sometimes-the-worst-thing-that-can-happen-is-oh-i-m-on-stage-playing/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [“... stability prevents daydreaming about 'what if...' and inserts us totally into what we are doing, causing us to live with a new intensity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wilkes/stability-prevents-daydreaming-about-what-if-and-inserts-us-totally/) [Paul Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wilkes/) > [Do not confuse fantasy with imagination; the former consumes itself in daydreaming, the latter stimulates creativity in the arts and in the sciences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fausto-cercignani/do-not-confuse-fantasy-with-imagination-the-former-consumes-itself-in/) [Fausto Cercignani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fausto-cercignani/) > [He is a great enough magician to tap our most common nightmares, daydreams and twilight fancies, but he never invented them either: he found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/he-is-a-great-enough-magician-to-tap-our-most-common-nightmares/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [When the writing is really working, I think there is something like dreaming going on. I don't know how to draw the line between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/when-the-writing-is-really-working-i-think-there-is-something-like/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [The only big ideas I've ever had came from daydreaming, but modern life keeps people from daydreaming. Every moment of the day your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-maccready/the-only-big-ideas-i-ve-ever-had-came-from-daydreaming-but-modern/) [Paul MacCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-maccready/) > [“Kids are naturally curious about the world around them. Everything is fascinating and holds their attention as they explore their new surroundings. Adults however,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-murphy/kids-are-naturally-curious-about-the-world-around-them-everything-is/) [James A. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-murphy/) > [A writer, or at least a poet, is always being asked by people who should know better: “Whom do you write for?” The question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-writer-or-at-least-a-poet-is-always-being-asked-by-people-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'll listen to a song so much that ideas start to form out of daydreaming. It's as if I'm reverse-scoring the track and building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiro-murai/i-ll-listen-to-a-song-so-much-that-ideas-start-to-form-out-of/) [Hiro Murai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiro-murai/) > [If you've never stared off in the distance, then your life is a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-duritz/if-you-ve-never-stared-off-in-the-distance-then-your-life-is-a-shame/) [Adam Duritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-duritz/) > [Without its daydreams, the self is apt to shrink down to the size and shape of the estimation of others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/without-its-daydreams-the-self-is-apt-to-shrink-down-to-the-size-and/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Daydreaming had started me on the way; but story writing, once I was truly in its grip, took me and shook me awake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/daydreaming-had-started-me-on-the-way-but-story-writing-once-i-was/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [The real thing, when done right , is always better than a daydream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/the-real-thing-when-done-right-is-always-better-than-a-daydream/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) [Browse all 333 Daydreaming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daydreaming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Do not look back and do not dream about the future. 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