--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a paradox that in our time of…" description: "\"It is a paradox that in our time of drastic rapid change, when the future is in our midst devouring the present before our eyes, we have never been les..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/eric-hoffer-343_certain_it-is-a-paradox-that-in-our-time-of-dras_2134384.jpg" --- # It is a paradox that in our time of drastic rapid change… ![“It is a paradox that in our time of drastic rapid change, when the future is in our midst devouring the present before our eyes, we have never been less certain about what is ahead of us.” quote by Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/eric-hoffer-343_certain_it-is-a-paradox-that-in-our-time-of-dras_2134384.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/eric-hoffer-343_certain_it-is-a-paradox-that-in-our-time-of-dras_2134384.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/eric-hoffer-343_certain_it-is-a-paradox-that-in-our-time-of-dras_2134384.jpg) > “It is a paradox that in our time of drastic rapid change, when the future is in our midst devouring the present before our eyes, we have never been less certain about what is ahead of us.” [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rapid change creates paradoxical uncertainty: the present is consumed, yet future predictions become harder. **In simple terms:** Change brings uncertainty about the future. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty as a catalyst. Themes change uncertainty paradox Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - technological disruption - career pivots - social movements Key Concepts Existentialism future studies Questions to Reflect On - How does uncertainty affect your decisions? - What opportunities arise from change? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on uncertainty can cause paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Certain Ahead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain-ahead-4413701/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-future/) [Devouring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devouring/) [Drastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drastic/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Future Midst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-midst-4413702/) [Midst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midst/) [Our time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-time/) [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) [Rapid change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapid-change/) [Rapids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapids/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Ur Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ur-eyes/) ## Related quotes > [“Kill a fly in the past and it may drastically change your future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-higa/kill-a-fly-in-the-past-and-it-may-drastically-change-your-future/) [Ryan Higa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-higa/) > [In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/in-a-time-of-drastic-change-it-is-the-learners-who-inherit-the-future-2/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“We can never really be prepared for that which is wholly new. 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He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/we-lie-the-loudest-when-we-lie-to-ourselves/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Our originality shows itself most strikingly not in what we wholly originate but in what we do with that which we borrow from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/our-originality-shows-itself-most-strikingly-not-in-what-we-wholly/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The creative mind is the playful mind. 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Compassion alone stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/in-the-alchemy-of-man-s-soul-almost-all-noble-attributes-courage/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The act of self-denial seems to confer on us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others. 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The desire for praise is more imperative than the desire for food and shelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/this-food-and-shelter-theory-concerning-man-s-efforts-is-without/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) [Explore all 658 Eric Hoffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. 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