--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always live in the present. The future…" description: "\"I always live in the present. The future I can't know. The past I no longer have.\" — Fernando Pessoa" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/fernando-pessoa-177_future_i-always-live-in-the-present-the-future_423462.jpg" --- # I always live in the present. The future I can't know. The… ![“I always live in the present. The future I can't know. The past I no longer have.” quote by Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/fernando-pessoa-177_future_i-always-live-in-the-present-the-future_423462.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/fernando-pessoa-177_future_i-always-live-in-the-present-the-future_423462.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb1/fernando-pessoa-177_future_i-always-live-in-the-present-the-future_423462.jpg) > “I always live in the present. The future I can't know. The past I no longer have.” [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living fully in the present, accepting uncertainty of future and irretrievable past. **In simple terms:** Embrace now, let go of past and future. Key Takeaway Focus on present moment. Themes mindfulness existentialism temporal awareness Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - decision making - stress reduction Key Concepts philosophy self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - What practices help you stay present? - How do you reconcile present focus with future goals? A Different Perspective Future planning remains essential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Live in the present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-in-the-present/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I live in the present because the future is always chancy. When it comes to being with you, I'm willing to take the risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cinda-williams-chima/i-live-in-the-present-because-the-future-is-always-chancy-when-it/) [Cinda Williams Chima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cinda-williams-chima/) > [I live in the present and in the future. Not in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varg-vikernes/i-live-in-the-present-and-in-the-future-not-in-the-past/) [Varg Vikernes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varg-vikernes/) > [Live in the present, not the future, and certainly not the past. Never spend all the time regretting events that have already passed or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/live-in-the-present-not-the-future-and-certainly-not-the-past-never/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [Live in the present as if the future is going to become the past that you have changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-jason/live-in-the-present-as-if-the-future-is-going-to-become-the-past-that/) [Philip K. Jason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-jason/) > [I always live in the present. I don’t know the future and no longer have the past. The former oppresses me as the possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-always-live-in-the-present-i-don-t-know-the-future-and-no-longer/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Winners live in the present tense. People who come up short are consumed with future or past. I want to be living in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-rodriguez/winners-live-in-the-present-tense-people-who-come-up-short-are/) [Alex Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-rodriguez/) > [When I paint, I definitely live in the present, like someone in a shower whistling or singing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/when-i-paint-i-definitely-live-in-the-present-like-someone-in-a/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I live in the present. When I finish a film, it is behind me. My reward is in my work, not in a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-preminger/i-live-in-the-present-when-i-finish-a-film-it-is-behind-me-my-reward/) [Otto Preminger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-preminger/) > [I have realised how exciting and easy it is to be a time traveller by looking at paintings and films and architecture and playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jools-holland/i-have-realised-how-exciting-and-easy-it-is-to-be-a-time-traveller-by/) [Jools Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jools-holland/) > [“Live in the present. It won't last too long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murad-s-shah/live-in-the-present-it-won-t-last-too-long/) [Murad S. Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murad-s-shah/) > [The art of life is to live in the present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmet-fox/the-art-of-life-is-to-live-in-the-present-moment/) [Emmet Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmet-fox/) > [I live in the present and do not look that far ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sourav-ganguly/i-live-in-the-present-and-do-not-look-that-far-ahead/) [Sourav Ganguly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sourav-ganguly/) > [I live in the present; there is nothing more important than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mauricio-pochettino/i-live-in-the-present-there-is-nothing-more-important-than-that/) [Mauricio Pochettino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mauricio-pochettino/) > [But you have to live in the present. You have to take the old and make it new -- that's my point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-myracle/but-you-have-to-live-in-the-present-you-have-to-take-the-old-and-make/) [Lauren Myracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-myracle/) > [Never worry about anything. Live in the present. Live now. Be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsilio-ficino/never-worry-about-anything-live-in-the-present-live-now-be-happy/) [Marsilio Ficino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsilio-ficino/) ## More by Fernando Pessoa > [Everything interests me, but nothing holds me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/everything-interests-me-but-nothing-holds-me/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“If only, I feel now, if only I could be someone able to see all this as if he had no other relation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/if-only-i-feel-now-if-only-i-could-be-someone-able-to-see-all-this-as/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [What's given, in fact, always depends on the person or thing it's given to. A minor incident in the street brings the cook to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-s-given-in-fact-always-depends-on-the-person-or-thing-it-s-given/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Smell is a strange sight. It evokes sentimental landscapes through a sudden sketching of the subconscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/smell-is-a-strange-sight-it-evokes-sentimental-landscapes-through-a/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Tudo vale a pena quando a alma não é pequena”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/tudo-vale-a-pena-quando-a-alma-n-o-pequena/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“no nostalgia hurts as much as nostalgia for things that never existed!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/no-nostalgia-hurts-as-much-as-nostalgia-for-things-that-never-existed/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [pg.9 "In my heart there's a peaceful anguish, and my calm is made of resignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/pg-9-in-my-heart-there-s-a-peaceful-anguish-and-my-calm-is-made-of/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“The feelings that hurt most, the motions that sting most, are those that are absurd; the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-motions-that-sting-most-are-those/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“I try to say what I feel Without thinking about what I feel. I try to place words right next to my idea So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-try-to-say-what-i-feel-without-thinking-about-what-i-feel-i-try-to/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Have you ever considered, beloved other, how invisible we are to each other? We look at each other without seeing. We listen to each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/have-you-ever-considered-beloved-other-how-invisible-we-are-to-each/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“To associate is to die. Only my consciousness of myself is real for me; other people are hazy phenomena in this consciousness, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-associate-is-to-die-only-my-consciousness-of-myself-is-real-for-me/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“When it comes to dreams, I’m no different from the errand boy and the seamstress. The only thing that distinguishes me from them is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/when-it-comes-to-dreams-i-m-no-different-from-the-errand-boy-and-the/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“No intelligent idea can gain general acceptance unless some stupidity is mixed in with it. Collective thought is stupid because it’s collective. Nothing passes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/no-intelligent-idea-can-gain-general-acceptance-unless-some-stupidity/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [God gave the sea the danger and the abyss, but it was in it that He mirrored the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/god-gave-the-sea-the-danger-and-the-abyss-but-it-was-in-it-that-he/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Everything that surrounds us becomes part of us, it seeps into us with every experience of the flesh and of life and, like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/everything-that-surrounds-us-becomes-part-of-us-it-seeps-into-us-with/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) [Explore all 781 Fernando Pessoa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) ## More Future quotes > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you can connect people, you can create the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heiferman/if-you-can-connect-people-you-can-create-the-future/) [Scott Heiferman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heiferman/) > [A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/a-strong-durable-puerto-rican-economy-will-leave-the-island-better/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [“We have no idea, now, of who or what the inhabitants of our future might be. In that sense, we have no future. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/we-have-no-idea-now-of-who-or-what-the-inhabitants-of-our-future/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. Your future is in the hands of the Lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-are-destiny-for-greatness-your-future-is-in-the-hands-of-the-lord/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I'm just always looking forwards. I spend very little time, looking backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-m-just-always-looking-forwards-i-spend-very-little-time-looking/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [Football is my passion, and who knows where I will play in the future - you cannot foresee that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edinson-cavani/football-is-my-passion-and-who-knows-where-i-will-play-in-the-future/) [Edinson Cavani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edinson-cavani/) > [When I was 17, I broke up with my future wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-allen/when-i-was-17-i-broke-up-with-my-future-wife/) [Kris Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-allen/) > [I think everybody in the future has stopped talking to each other and we all just use emojis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/i-think-everybody-in-the-future-has-stopped-talking-to-each-other-and/) [Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/) > [When you continue to dwell on the past, there's no chance for a future. History repeats itself, thus, it's ok to LOOK back at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-continue-to-dwell-on-the-past-there-s-no-chance-for-a-future/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am no different from a lot of people. I am concerned for the future of my children and concerned for the future of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/i-am-no-different-from-a-lot-of-people-i-am-concerned-for-the-future/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) > [Starting a new job can be nerve-racking , but it's also exciting. You're embarking on a new future, positioning yourself to write a fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adena-friedman/starting-a-new-job-can-be-nerve-racking-but-it-s-also-exciting-you-re/) [Adena Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adena-friedman/) [Browse all 12,349 Future quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always live in the present. The future I can't know. 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