---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When your attention moves into the Now…"
description: "\"When your attention moves into the Now, there is an alertness. It is as if you were waking up from a dream, the dream of thought, the dream of past and..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/eckhart-tolle-81_alertness_when-your-attention-moves-into-the-now-t_2418666.jpg"
---

#  When your attention moves into the Now, there is an…

![“When your attention moves into the Now, there is an alertness. It is as if you were waking up from a dream, the dream of thought, the dream of past and future. Such clarity, such simplicity. No room for problem-making. Just this moment as it is.” quote by Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/eckhart-tolle-81_alertness_when-your-attention-moves-into-the-now-t_2418666.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/eckhart-tolle-81_alertness_when-your-attention-moves-into-the-now-t_2418666.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/eckhart-tolle-81_alertness_when-your-attention-moves-into-the-now-t_2418666.jpg)

> “When your attention moves into the Now, there is an alertness. It is as if you were waking up from a dream, the dream of thought, the dream of past and future. Such clarity, such simplicity. No room for problem-making. Just this moment as it is.”

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Present-moment awareness dissolves mental chatter, revealing clarity and simplicity free from past-future worries.

**In simple terms:** Being present clears the mind.

Key Takeaway

Practice mindfulness now.

Themes

mindfulness presence clarity

Mood

calm focused

Type

spiritual inspirational

When to use this quote

- meditation
- stress reduction
- creative work
- decision making

Key Concepts

consciousness nonduality awakening

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your mind drift from the now?
- What practices keep you anchored?

A Different Perspective

Staying present can be difficult amid distractions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past and future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-and-future/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Simplicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simplicity/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-up/)

## Related quotes

> [If uncertainty is unacceptable to you, it turns into fear. If it is perfectly acceptable, it turns into increased aliveness, alertness, and creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/if-uncertainty-is-unacceptable-to-you-it-turns-into-fear-if-it-is/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [You simply have to surrender to the present moment. Be alert. Watch something in a state of alertness. Always, continuously, bring that into everyday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/you-simply-have-to-surrender-to-the-present-moment-be-alert-watch/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [When you take your attention into the present moment, a certain alertness arises. You become more conscious of what's around you, but also, strangely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-take-your-attention-into-the-present-moment-a-certain/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [To be aware of little, quiet things, you need to be quiet inside. A high degree of alertness is required. Be still. Look. Listen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-be-aware-of-little-quiet-things-you-need-to-be-quiet-inside-a-high/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [If the price of peace were a lowering of your consciousness, and the price of stillness a lack of vitality and alertness, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/if-the-price-of-peace-were-a-lowering-of-your-consciousness-and-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [When you become aware of silence, immediately there is that state of inner still alertness. You are present. You have stepped out of thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-become-aware-of-silence-immediately-there-is-that-state-of/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life. It means fear is no longer a dominant factor in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-become-comfortable-with-uncertainty-infinite-possibilities/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [The false self lives mainly through memory and anticipation. Past and future are its main preoccupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-false-self-lives-mainly-through-memory-and-anticipation-past-and/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [To the ego, the present moment hardly exists. Only past and future are considered important. This total reversal of the truth accounts for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-the-ego-the-present-moment-hardly-exists-only-past-and-future-are-2/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“Past and future veil God from our sight; burn up both of them with fire”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/past-and-future-veil-god-from-our-sight-burn-up-both-of-them-with-fire/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [For the ego to survive, it must make time - past and future - more important than the present moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/for-the-ego-to-survive-it-must-make-time-past-and-future-more/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“What you think of as the past is a memory trace, stored in the mind, of a former Now. When you remember the past,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/what-you-think-of-as-the-past-is-a-memory-trace-stored-in-the-mind-of/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“To the ego, the present moment hardly exists. Only past and future are considered important. This total reversal of the truth accounts for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-the-ego-the-present-moment-hardly-exists-only-past-and-future-are/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [When you are in the present moment, you break the continuity of your story, of past and future. Then true intelligence arises, and also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-are-in-the-present-moment-you-break-the-continuity-of-your/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“The pain that you create now is always some form of nonacceptance, some form of unconscious resistance to what is. On the level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-pain-that-you-create-now-is-always-some-form-of-nonacceptance/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

## More by Eckhart Tolle

> [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“A powerful spiritual practice is consciously to allow the diminishment of ego when it happens without attempting to restore it. I recommend that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/a-powerful-spiritual-practice-is-consciously-to-allow-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [To become aware of the subtlety of nature you need to be alert. The moment you become alert you become still... thinking subsides. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-become-aware-of-the-subtlety-of-nature-you-need-to-be-alert-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [When you are not honoring the present moment by allowing it to be, you are creating drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-are-not-honoring-the-present-moment-by-allowing-it-to-be-you/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a joyous energy behind what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/on-a-deeper-level-you-are-already-complete-when-you-realize-that/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/life-will-give-you-whatever-experience-is-most-helpful-for-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [You may not yet be able to bring your unconscious mind activity into awareness as thoughts, but it will always be reflected in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/you-may-not-yet-be-able-to-bring-your-unconscious-mind-activity-into/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“War is a mind-set, and all action that comes out of such a mind-set will either strengthen the enemy, the perceived evil, or, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/war-is-a-mind-set-and-all-action-that-comes-out-of-such-a-mind-set/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Whenever you step out of the noise of thinking, that is meditation, and a different state of consciousness arises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/whenever-you-step-out-of-the-noise-of-thinking-that-is-meditation-and/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Get the inside right, and the outside will take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/get-the-inside-right-and-the-outside-will-take-care-of-itself/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [It is very hard to tell when I started to be a spiritual teacher. There was a time when occasionally somebody would come and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/it-is-very-hard-to-tell-when-i-started-to-be-a-spiritual-teacher/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Most people spend their entire life imprisoned within the confines of their own thoughts. They never go beyond a narrow, mind-made, personalized sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/most-people-spend-their-entire-life-imprisoned-within-the-confines-of/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Let the end of the world be inside you, then you don't need to fear the end of the world out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/let-the-end-of-the-world-be-inside-you-then-you-don-t-need-to-fear/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“Jeste li zabrinuti? Razmišljate li često: »Što bi bilo da sam...?« To znači da ste se poistovjetili s umom, koji se projicira u neku…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/jeste-li-zabrinuti-razmi-ljate-li-esto-to-bi-bilo-da-sam-to-zna-i-da/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

[Explore all 1,493 Eckhart Tolle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

## More Alertness quotes

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Jesus Christ does not teach us a spirituality “of closed eyes”, but one of “alertness”, one which entails an absolute duty to take notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/jesus-christ-does-not-teach-us-a-spirituality-of-closed-eyes-but-one/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [Sailing a boat calls for quick action, a blending of feeling with the wind and water as well as with the very heart and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-matthew-adams/sailing-a-boat-calls-for-quick-action-a-blending-of-feeling-with-the/)

[George Matthew Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-matthew-adams/)

> [Shoulda, coulda, and woulda won't get it done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/shoulda-coulda-and-woulda-won-t-get-it-done/)

[Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/)

> [The same is the case when you enter a womb, enter into a fresh body, and start the journey of desires. But if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-same-is-the-case-when-you-enter-a-womb-enter-into-a-fresh-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [Quick naps improve your senses, alertness, decision making, and creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/quick-naps-improve-your-senses-alertness-decision-making-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I believe that every person, male and female, needs to be in a protective mode at all times of alertness to potential danger. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-every-person-male-and-female-needs-to-be-in-a/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [Forgiveness feels most dramatic when some ancient pattern of self-punishment collapses in a torrent of tears. But it is just as effective when practiced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-patrick-miller/forgiveness-feels-most-dramatic-when-some-ancient-pattern-of-self/)

[D. Patrick Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-patrick-miller/)

> [Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/alertness-is-the-hidden-discipline-of-familiarity/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [When you take your attention into the present moment, a certain alertness arises. You become more conscious of what's around you, but also, strangely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-take-your-attention-into-the-present-moment-a-certain/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“•To become more expert at anything, the community needs to encourage and support the brain/ mind principle of relaxed alertness. Fear can hinder the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-a-flores/to-become-more-expert-at-anything-the-community-needs-to-encourage/)

Kelly a Flores

> [To be aware of little, quiet things, you need to be quiet inside. A high degree of alertness is required. Be still. Look. Listen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-be-aware-of-little-quiet-things-you-need-to-be-quiet-inside-a-high/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“that alertness for measuring and weighing event against eventuality, circumstance against human nature, his own fallible judgement and mortal clay against not only human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/that-alertness-for-measuring-and-weighing-event-against-eventuality/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

> [What we must remember, however, is that preservation of liberties does not depend on motives. A suppression of liberty has the same effect whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/what-we-must-remember-however-is-that-preservation-of-liberties-does/)

[William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/)

> [The practice of 'asanas' and 'pranayama' wards off disease and helps to maintain alertness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivananda/the-practice-of-asanas-and-pranayama-wards-off-disease-and-helps-to/)

[Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivananda/)

Browse all 82 Alertness quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When your attention moves into the Now, there is an alertness. It is as if you were waking up from a dream, the dream of thought, the dream of past and future. Such clarity, such simplicity. No room for problem-making. Just this moment as it is.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eckhart Tolle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-your-attention-moves-into-the-now-there-is-an-alertness-it-is-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alertness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-your-attention-moves-into-the-now-there-is-an-alertness-it-is-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/eckhart-tolle-81_alertness_when-your-attention-moves-into-the-now-t_2418666.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/eckhart-tolle-81_alertness_when-your-attention-moves-into-the-now-t_2418666.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/eckhart-tolle-81_alertness_when-your-attention-moves-into-the-now-t_2418666.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When your attention moves into the Now, there is an alertness. It is as if you were waking up from a dream…” — Eckhart Tolle",
                "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": "Eckhart Tolle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When your attention moves into the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-your-attention-moves-into-the-now-there-is-an-alertness-it-is-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-your-attention-moves-into-the-now-there-is-an-alertness-it-is-as/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```