--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The past is gone and the future is still…" description: "\"“The past is gone and the future is still to happen. Only the present moment is real. I believe we all know this very well. As for me, I have been prac..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/franco-santoro-14540_art_the-past-is-gone-and-the-future-is-still_571737.jpg" --- # The past is gone and the future is still to happen. Only… ![“The past is gone and the future is still to happen. Only the present moment is real. I believe we all know this very well. As for me, I have been practising the art of being in the here and now for three decades. I have used many techniques aimed at focusing the attention on the present, while…” quote by Franco Santoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/franco-santoro-14540_art_the-past-is-gone-and-the-future-is-still_571737.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/franco-santoro-14540_art_the-past-is-gone-and-the-future-is-still_571737.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/franco-santoro-14540_art_the-past-is-gone-and-the-future-is-still_571737.jpg) > ““The past is gone and the future is still to happen. Only the present moment is real. I believe we all know this very well. As for me, I have been practising the art of being in the here and now for three decades. I have used many techniques aimed at focusing the attention on the present, while releasing attachment to past and future. There are also many courses and workshops on the topic. And I can provide details, if you are interested. Yet, I warn you, learning to be in the present requires lots of hard work, time and money. Yet there is one circumstance when results are immediate, with no effort and also free of charge. This is when both looking ahead or backwards is so painful and horrible, that the only option is looking straight into the present. Hence, if it is the case for you now, rejoice, this may be your greatest chance, and you are in good company!”” [Franco Santoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franco-santoro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote stresses that only the present moment truly exists, and that focusing on it can be both a practice and a relief when past or future pain dominates. **In simple terms:** Only now is real; focus on it. Key Takeaway Cultivate present‑moment awareness. Themes mindfulness presence self‑growth Mood reflective calm Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - meditation - therapy - stress relief - creative work Key Concepts psychology temporal perception Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate present awareness into daily routines? - What triggers your mind to drift? A Different Perspective Present focus can be hard to sustain without discipline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Good company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-company/) [Looking ahead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-ahead/) [Past and future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-and-future/) [Present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-moment/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time and money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-and-money/) ## Related quotes > [“Mindfulness & Meditation help focus on the moment while at the same time knowing we cannot capture that moment, we are in a flow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/mindfulness-meditation-help-focus-on-the-moment-while-at-the-same/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [Worry is the product of feverish imagination working under the stimulus of desires... 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I also like being by myself and making things and performing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-askew/i-have-enjoyed-teaching-most-of-the-times-that-i-have-done-it-i-also/) [Ed Askew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-askew/) > [“Learning itself is a present, the best one anyone can give or get.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/learning-itself-is-a-present-the-best-one-anyone-can-give-or-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Learning itself is a present, you know. The best one anybody can give or get.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/learning-itself-is-a-present-you-know-the-best-one-anybody-can-give/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Nothing Exists outside the NOW Nothing ever happened in the past - It happened in the Now. 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The only thing not sure about the future is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-green/the-only-thing-that-is-sure-about-the-future-is-that-it-will-happen/) Ronald Green > [Dont rush anything, if destiny has planned it in your future than it will happen if not dont force it to for all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megannn/dont-rush-anything-if-destiny-has-planned-it-in-your-future-than-it/) Megannn ## More by Franco Santoro > [“I hid my wound under my clothes. Nobody could see it, including myself, and I completely forgot about it. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. 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