--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can be nostalgic for the past, and I…" description: "\"“I can be nostalgic for the past, and I can romanticize the future, but I cannot sugar coat the here and now. I think that’s why I try not to think abo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/ellie-rose-mckee-48546_time_i-can-be-nostalgic-for-the-past-and-i-ca_2203485.jpg" --- # I can be nostalgic for the past, and I can romanticize the… ![“I can be nostalgic for the past, and I can romanticize the future, but I cannot sugar coat the here and now. I think that’s why I try not to think about it, and I think that’s the exact same reason why I need to.” quote by Ellie Rose McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/ellie-rose-mckee-48546_time_i-can-be-nostalgic-for-the-past-and-i-ca_2203485.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/ellie-rose-mckee-48546_time_i-can-be-nostalgic-for-the-past-and-i-ca_2203485.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/ellie-rose-mckee-48546_time_i-can-be-nostalgic-for-the-past-and-i-ca_2203485.jpg) > ““I can be nostalgic for the past, and I can romanticize the future, but I cannot sugar coat the here and now. I think that’s why I try not to think about it, and I think that’s the exact same reason why I need to.”” [Ellie Rose McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rose-mckee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often avoid confronting present reality because it feels uncomfortable, preferring nostalgia or idealized futures instead. **In simple terms:** Avoiding the present is common; we cling to past or future fantasies. Key Takeaway Face the present directly. Themes mindfulness reality psychology Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - mental health - decision making - creative work Key Concepts existentialism cognitive dissonance Questions to Reflect On - How does avoiding the present affect your choices? - What small step can you take to engage now? A Different Perspective It can be hard to stay present when past/future provide comfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nostalgic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgic/) [Romanticize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romanticize/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [We not only romanticize the future; we have also made it into a growth industry, a parlor game and a disaster movie all at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-kennedy/we-not-only-romanticize-the-future-we-have-also-made-it-into-a-growth/) [Eugene Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-kennedy/) > ["Romanticizing the past" is a familiar accusation, made mostly by people who think it is more grown-up to romanticize the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kingsnorth/romanticizing-the-past-is-a-familiar-accusation-made-mostly-by-people/) [Paul Kingsnorth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kingsnorth/) > [What the nostalgic past and the imaginary future seem to share in common is a form of idealism, perhaps a dream of wholeness. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/what-the-nostalgic-past-and-the-imaginary-future-seem-to-share-in/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) > [I am not nostalgic for the past. And for me, being a museum curator was a childhood dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-lacroix/i-am-not-nostalgic-for-the-past-and-for-me-being-a-museum-curator-was/) [Christian Lacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-lacroix/) > [One cannot afford to be nostalgic about the past and cling onto it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharmila-tagore/one-cannot-afford-to-be-nostalgic-about-the-past-and-cling-onto-it/) [Sharmila Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharmila-tagore/) > [“I find myself becoming increasingly nostalgic for the past, but after all I suppose that is the only thing one can be nostalgic about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rozoff/i-find-myself-becoming-increasingly-nostalgic-for-the-past-but-after/) [James Rozoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rozoff/) > [I am not nostalgic for the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-lacroix/i-am-not-nostalgic-for-the-past/) [Christian Lacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-lacroix/) > [She wonders if you can feel nostalgic for something before it's in the past, she wonders if perhaps her vocabulary is too small or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-mcgregor/she-wonders-if-you-can-feel-nostalgic-for-something-before-it-s-in/) [Jon McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-mcgregor/) > [“It's easy to romanticize after a couple of centuries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/it-s-easy-to-romanticize-after-a-couple-of-centuries/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Do not romanticize the poor...We are all people, human beings subject to the same temptations and faults as all others. Our poverty damages our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/do-not-romanticize-the-poor-we-are-all-people-human-beings-subject-to/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [“There’s so much more to life than finding someone who will want you, or being sad over someone who doesn’t. There’s a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-allen/there-s-so-much-more-to-life-than-finding-someone-who-will-want-you/) [Emery Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-allen/) > [I suppose I view my behavior in such a unique way. I frame it as an artist and maybe kind of make excuses for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-healy/i-suppose-i-view-my-behavior-in-such-a-unique-way-i-frame-it-as-an/) [Matthew Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-healy/) > [“It is easy to romanticize the past than it is to anticipate for the unknown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-b-alal/it-is-easy-to-romanticize-the-past-than-it-is-to-anticipate-for-the/) Catherine B. Alal > [When you romanticize something so extraordinarily in the hopes that it will divert you from agony, you're destined for a letdown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-hall/when-you-romanticize-something-so-extraordinarily-in-the-hopes-that/) [Brad Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-hall/) > [“The world must be romanticized. Only in that way will one rediscover its original senses. Romanticization is nothing less than a qualitative raising of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-world-must-be-romanticized-only-in-that-way-will-one-rediscover/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) ## More by Ellie Rose McKee > [“When I hear about injustice it takes every fiber of my being and strength to stop from exploding. What I don't understand is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-rose-mckee/when-i-hear-about-injustice-it-takes-every-fiber-of-my-being-and/) [Ellie Rose McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rose-mckee/) > [“Y’know, it’s not that we need equality. Because everyone’s already equal, it’s just that a ton of idiots lost the memo. Indeed, everyone just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-rose-mckee/y-know-it-s-not-that-we-need-equality-because-everyone-s-already/) [Ellie Rose McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rose-mckee/) > [“Not all fiction writers are evil, just the ones good at their job. After all, it's not a decent book if it can't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-rose-mckee/not-all-fiction-writers-are-evil-just-the-ones-good-at-their-job/) [Ellie Rose McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rose-mckee/) > [“Forget about how you’ll be perceived after you’re gone because the world will remember you the way it wants to, and you get very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-rose-mckee/forget-about-how-you-ll-be-perceived-after-you-re-gone-because-the/) [Ellie Rose McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rose-mckee/) > [“Too many people get away with truly awful ‘reasoning’, not because what they are arguing happens to be true, but because they are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-rose-mckee/too-many-people-get-away-with-truly-awful-reasoning-not-because-what/) [Ellie Rose McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rose-mckee/) > [“Sometimes you just gotta suck at being the person people think you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-rose-mckee/sometimes-you-just-gotta-suck-at-being-the-person-people-think-you-are/) [Ellie Rose McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rose-mckee/) > [“It's amazing how, over the course of one's life, you collect so much music you don't like, so many movies you don't watch and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-rose-mckee/it-s-amazing-how-over-the-course-of-one-s-life-you-collect-so-much/) [Ellie Rose McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rose-mckee/) [Explore all 8 Ellie Rose McKee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rose-mckee/) ## More Nostalgic quotes > [What the nostalgic past and the imaginary future seem to share in common is a form of idealism, perhaps a dream of wholeness. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/what-the-nostalgic-past-and-the-imaginary-future-seem-to-share-in/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) > [It's nice to have been around long enough to be a part of people's lives. A lot of people who come to my show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-easton/it-s-nice-to-have-been-around-long-enough-to-be-a-part-of-people-s/) [Sheena Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-easton/) > [Every innovation scraps its immediate predecessor and retrieves still older figures – it causes floods of antiques or nostalgic art forms and stimulates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/every-innovation-scraps-its-immediate-predecessor-and-retrieves-still/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [All these years I've had a story in my mind, the story about us that never really existed. And because of that story, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-schine/all-these-years-i-ve-had-a-story-in-my-mind-the-story-about-us-that/) [Cathleen Schine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-schine/) > [My heart, to put it more simply, got nostalgic for the present. Always a bad sign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/my-heart-to-put-it-more-simply-got-nostalgic-for-the-present-always-a/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“Nostalgia" How often we use this word reminiscing about the past - our childhood, school days, college days.. We feel nostalgic, we dwell in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanhita-baruah/nostalgia-how-often-we-use-this-word-reminiscing-about-the-past-our/) [Sanhita Baruah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanhita-baruah/) > [It's funny, I don't really feel that nostalgic. I only recently started putting up some photos from some of the sessions I've done over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-vig/it-s-funny-i-don-t-really-feel-that-nostalgic-i-only-recently-started/) [Butch Vig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-vig/) > [I remember when 'Nostalgic 64' first dropped, and it became popular, Shady wanted to sign me at one point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-remember-when-nostalgic-64-first-dropped-and-it-became-popular/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [I get nostalgic for things that didn't really exist. I might have a cassette from the first time a Melle Mel track, say, got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brown/i-get-nostalgic-for-things-that-didn-t-really-exist-i-might-have-a/) [Rob Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brown/) > [The words 'Space Age' have a quaint, nostalgic tone - sitting on midcentury modern furniture watching 'The Jetsons.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-words-space-age-have-a-quaint-nostalgic-tone-sitting-on/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I like the present. I'm always interested in new ideas, and what's happening. I'm not nostalgic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-like-the-present-i-m-always-interested-in-new-ideas-and-what-s/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Scents bring memories, and many memories bring nostalgic pleasure. We would be wise to plan for this when we plant a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thalassa-cruso/scents-bring-memories-and-many-memories-bring-nostalgic-pleasure-we/) [Thalassa Cruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thalassa-cruso/) > [ I think the relationship \[in Aquarius\] with her nephew shows that she's not nostalgic. She just wants to preserve what is important to her… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-braga/i-think-the-relationship-in-aquarius-with-her-nephew-shows-that-she-s/) [Sonia Braga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-braga/) > [If anyone looks back to the '70s, '80s with nostalgic rosy colored glasses and goes, 'Well, everything was awesome.' No, everything was not awesome!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oates/if-anyone-looks-back-to-the-70s-80s-with-nostalgic-rosy-colored/) [John Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oates/) > [It's curious the way we get nostalgic for some hoped-for thing that never happened, as if something that never happened were in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/it-s-curious-the-way-we-get-nostalgic-for-some-hoped-for-thing-that/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) [Browse all 364 Nostalgic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I can be nostalgic for the past, and I can romanticize the future, but I cannot sugar coat the here and now. 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