--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before, I always lived in anticipation…" description: "\"Before, I always lived in anticipation . . . that it was all a preparation for something else, something \"greater,\" more \"genuine.\" But that feeling ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/etty-hillesum-9002_anticipation_before-i-always-lived-in-anticipation-th_1390932.jpg" --- # Before, I always lived in anticipation . . . that it was… ![“Before, I always lived in anticipation . . . that it was all a preparation for something else, something "greater," more "genuine." But that feeling has dropped away from me completely. I live here and now, this minute, this day, to the full, and the life is worth living.” quote by Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/etty-hillesum-9002_anticipation_before-i-always-lived-in-anticipation-th_1390932.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/etty-hillesum-9002_anticipation_before-i-always-lived-in-anticipation-th_1390932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/etty-hillesum-9002_anticipation_before-i-always-lived-in-anticipation-th_1390932.jpg) > “Before, I always lived in anticipation . . . that it was all a preparation for something else, something "greater," more "genuine." But that feeling has dropped away from me completely. I live here and now, this minute, this day, to the full, and the life is worth living.” [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She shifted from living in anticipation of a greater purpose to embracing the present moment, finding life’s value in the now. **In simple terms:** Living fully in the present brings meaning. Key Takeaway Practice mindfulness and gratitude daily. Themes mindfulness presence existential resilience Mood calm inspired Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - daily meditation - creative work - relationships - stress management Key Concepts philosophy psychology spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance present joy with future goals? - What practices help sustain present‑moment awareness? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on present may neglect future planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anticipation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anticipation/) [Anticipation Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anticipation-preparation-4846986/) [Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Genuine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genuine/) [Genuine Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genuine-feeling-972160/) [Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater/) [Here and now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/here-and-now/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Life is worth living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-worth-living/) [Lived Anticipation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lived-anticipation-4846985/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) [This day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-day/) [Worth living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-living/) ## Related quotes > [All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/all-bad-poetry-springs-from-genuine-feeling/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [LOVE RAW IS A GENUINE FEELING ,TREASURE IT WHILE ITS STILL THERE KAZE ONCE LANG YAN BUMABYAHE ..CGURO NGA BUMABALIK PA ULIT PERO MAY…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhonna-sanda/love-raw-is-a-genuine-feeling-treasure-it-while-its-still-there-kaze/) [Jhonna Sanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhonna-sanda/) > [“As a writer, I like the list of "things to strive for" that Richard Yates kept above his typewriter: genuine clarity genuine feeling the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/as-a-writer-i-like-the-list-of-things-to-strive-for-that-richard/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [I try to treat whoever I meet as an old friend. This gives me a genuine feeling of happiness. It is the practice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-try-to-treat-whoever-i-meet-as-an-old-friend-this-gives-me-a/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Love is not a game, love is not a promises, love is not a desire, it is a genuine feeling if you feel real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berlindo-bianes/love-is-not-a-game-love-is-not-a-promises-love-is-not-a-desire-it-is/) [Berlindo Bianes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berlindo-bianes/) > [When in a relationship;It í's not about the labels of becoming official.It's about getting to knowsomeone well enough to develop genuine feeling for them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-in-a-relationship-it-s-not-about-the-labels-of-becoming-official/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Treat every moment as a gift, that is why it is called the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/treat-every-moment-as-a-gift-that-is-why-it-is-called-the-present/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“There are six canons of conservative thought: 1) Belief in a transcendent order, or body of natural law, which rules society as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/there-are-six-canons-of-conservative-thought-1-belief-in-a/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." "This life is worth living, we can say, since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-great-use-of-life-is-to-spend-it-for-something-that-will-outlast/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [LIFE is WORTH LIVING when you find PURPOSE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-vujicic/life-is-worth-living-when-you-find-purpose/) [Nick Vujicic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-vujicic/) > [“Is life worth living? Like everybody else, I have many times asked that question, usually deciding negatively, because I am most likely to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/is-life-worth-living-like-everybody-else-i-have-many-times-asked-that/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [“Life is worth living when God throws His Divine dice in your favor. HE has slow-stirred my life with Wisdom and discernment about all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-bond/life-is-worth-living-when-god-throws-his-divine-dice-in-your-favor-he/) [Tracey Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-bond/) > [The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-unexamined-life-is-not-worth-living-for-a-human-being/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Hardship in daily & routine life may hurt you but monotony will kill you. I can & I will is the moment when miracle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/hardship-in-daily-routine-life-may-hurt-you-but-monotony-will-kill/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [The people on the QVC shopping channel convince me that life is worth living. They see the good in everything. People who go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-vegas/the-people-on-the-qvc-shopping-channel-convince-me-that-life-is-worth/) [Johnny Vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-vegas/) ## More by Etty Hillesum > [A large group of us were crowded into the Gestapo hall, and at that moment the circumstances of all our lives were the same.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/a-large-group-of-us-were-crowded-into-the-gestapo-hall-and-at-that/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Every word born of an inner necessity - writing must never be anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/every-word-born-of-an-inner-necessity-writing-must-never-be-anything/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [That fear of missing out on things makes you miss out on everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/that-fear-of-missing-out-on-things-makes-you-miss-out-on-everything/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [There are moments when I feel like giving up or giving in, but I soon rally again and do my duty as I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/there-are-moments-when-i-feel-like-giving-up-or-giving-in-but-i-soon/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Here, beside this great black surface that is my desk, I feel as though I am on a desert island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/here-beside-this-great-black-surface-that-is-my-desk-i-feel-as-though/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [The externals are simply so many props; everything we need is within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/the-externals-are-simply-so-many-props-everything-we-need-is-within-us/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [If one finds the strength to deal with small things, one finds it to deal with the large ones as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-finds-the-strength-to-deal-with-small-things-one-finds-it-to/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [All disasters stem from us. Why is there a war? Perhaps because now and then I might be inclined to snap at my neighbour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/all-disasters-stem-from-us-why-is-there-a-war-perhaps-because-now-and/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-the-most-important-thing-in-a-whole-day-is-the-rest-we-take/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [We human beings cause monstrous conditions, but precisely because we cause them we soon learn to adapt ourselves to them. Only if we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/we-human-beings-cause-monstrous-conditions-but-precisely-because-we/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Despite everything, life is full of beauty and meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/despite-everything-life-is-full-of-beauty-and-meaning/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Sometimes my day is crammed full of people and talk and yet I have the feeling of living in utter peace and quiet. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-my-day-is-crammed-full-of-people-and-talk-and-yet-i-have/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [To live fully, outwardly and inwardly, not to ignore the external reality for the sake of the inner life, or the reverse, that's quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/to-live-fully-outwardly-and-inwardly-not-to-ignore-the-external/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [If one burdens the future with one's worries, it cannot grow organically. I am filled with confidence, not that I shall succeed in worldly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-burdens-the-future-with-one-s-worries-it-cannot-grow/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies. We make mental provisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/we-have-to-fight-them-daily-like-fleas-those-many-small-worries-about/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) [Explore all 62 Etty Hillesum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) ## More Anticipation quotes > [There is something to be said though when you have 4 or 5 guys playing with no net, there is a sense of urgency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-mendoza/there-is-something-to-be-said-though-when-you-have-4-or-5-guys/) [Marco Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-mendoza/) > [Long intros are cool because there's a little bit of anticipation, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/long-intros-are-cool-because-there-s-a-little-bit-of-anticipation-you/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) > [Playing shortstop is 75 to 80 percent anticipation, knowing the hitter and the pitch being thrown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-boudreau/playing-shortstop-is-75-to-80-percent-anticipation-knowing-the-hitter/) [Lou Boudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-boudreau/) > [Marriages are always moving from one season to another. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times we experience springtime, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/marriages-are-always-moving-from-one-season-to-another-sometimes-we/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [“O I'm so afraid that it's true about to travel hopefully being better than to arrive. It might be all in the quest, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/o-i-m-so-afraid-that-it-s-true-about-to-travel-hopefully-being-better/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/science-is-not-a-system-of-certain-or-established-statements-nor-is/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [\[It is hard to know what is good luck and what isn't and therefore whether we should be happy or sad about it. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelig-pliskin/it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and-what-isn-t-and-therefore/) [Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelig-pliskin/) > [The so called unconscious inferences can be traced back to the all-preserving memory, which presents us with parallel experiences and hence already knows the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-so-called-unconscious-inferences-can-be-traced-back-to-the-all/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [ The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i-do-dance-with-women-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. ... The unexpected around the corner gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/many-live-in-dread-of-what-is-coming-why-should-we-the-unknown-puts/) [E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/) > [The pilot who is always dreading a rock or a tempest must not complain if he remain a poor fisherman. We must at times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/the-pilot-who-is-always-dreading-a-rock-or-a-tempest-must-not/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [I am honoured to be asked to take on this role, especially as it comes at such an integral time for our relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-boateng/i-am-honoured-to-be-asked-to-take-on-this-role-especially-as-it-comes/) [Paul Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-boateng/) > [“I can handle Evil, but I cannot handle Anticipation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabbo-de-la-parra/i-can-handle-evil-but-i-cannot-handle-anticipation/) [Gabbo De La Parra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabbo-de-la-parra/) > [Hope is itself a species of happiness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/hope-is-itself-a-species-of-happiness/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Browse all 758 Anticipation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anticipation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before, I always lived in anticipation . . . that it was all a preparation for something else, something \"greater,\" more \"genuine.\" But that feeling has dropped away from me completely. 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