--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We treat our future selves as though they…" description: "\"We treat our future selves as though they were our children, spending most of the hours of most of our days constructing tomorrows that we hope will ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/daniel-gilbert-8969_child_we-treat-our-future-selves-as-though-the_1149082.png" --- # We treat our future selves as though they were our… ![“We treat our future selves as though they were our children, spending most of the hours of most of our days constructing tomorrows that we hope will make them happy” quote by Daniel Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/daniel-gilbert-8969_child_we-treat-our-future-selves-as-though-the_1149082.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/daniel-gilbert-8969_child_we-treat-our-future-selves-as-though-the_1149082.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/daniel-gilbert-8969_child_we-treat-our-future-selves-as-though-the_1149082.png) > “We treat our future selves as though they were our children, spending most of the hours of most of our days constructing tomorrows that we hope will make them happy” [Daniel Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-gilbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We treat future selves like children, designing lives we hope will bring them joy, often overlooking present needs. **In simple terms:** We plan for future happiness, sometimes neglecting today. Key Takeaway Balance future planning with present well‑being. Themes future self‑care planning Mood contemplative optimistic Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - financial planning - career decisions - health goals - family planning Key Concepts psychology behavioral economics well‑being Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor your future self today? - What present actions support long‑term happiness? A Different Perspective Over‑planning can cause anxiety and indecision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Future self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-self/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Our future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-future/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) ## Related quotes > [“We treat our future selves as though they were our children, spending most of the hours of most of our days constructing tomorrows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-gilbert/we-treat-our-future-selves-as-though-they-were-our-children-spending/) [Daniel Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-gilbert/) > [We might neglect our future selves because of some failure of belief or imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-parfit/we-might-neglect-our-future-selves-because-of-some-failure-of-belief/) [Derek Parfit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-parfit/) > [We have these impossibly high standards and we'll probably never live up to our perfect fantasies of our future selves. 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