--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best preparation for the future is…" description: "\"The best preparation for the future is the present well seen to, and the last duty done.\" — George MacDonald" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/george-macdonald-295_done_the-best-preparation-for-the-future-is-t_2898589.png" --- # The best preparation for the future is the present well… ![“The best preparation for the future is the present well seen to, and the last duty done.” quote by George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/george-macdonald-295_done_the-best-preparation-for-the-future-is-t_2898589.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/george-macdonald-295_done_the-best-preparation-for-the-future-is-t_2898589.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/george-macdonald-295_done_the-best-preparation-for-the-future-is-t_2898589.png) > “The best preparation for the future is the present well seen to, and the last duty done.” [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing the present clearly prepares you for future duties; present awareness is the best preparation. **In simple terms:** Present awareness prepares future. Key Takeaway Focus on now. Themes mindfulness preparation duty Mood peaceful thoughtful Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - daily planning - goal setting - spiritual meditation Key Concepts temporal awareness personal growth spiritual practice Questions to Reflect On - How does present awareness help you? - What present actions shape your future? A Different Perspective Future focus can distract from present joy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The best preparation for the future is a well-spent today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-best-preparation-for-the-future-is-a-well-spent-today/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The best possible preparation for the future is a well lived present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-brimhall/the-best-possible-preparation-for-the-future-is-a-well-lived-present/) George H. Brimhall > [Don't waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/don-t-waste-life-in-doubts-and-fears-spend-yourself-on-the-work/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I believe that reading widely is the best preparation for writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-lasky/i-believe-that-reading-widely-is-the-best-preparation-for-writing/) [Kathryn Lasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-lasky/) > [Sometimes having no script, having no idea what is going to happen next, having no map, might be the way to go. Because life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-thomas/sometimes-having-no-script-having-no-idea-what-is-going-to-happen/) [Valerie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-thomas/) > [The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today's work superbly well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/the-best-preparation-for-tomorrow-is-to-do-today-s-work-superbly-well/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [“Unsaid was her conviction that all this was in preparation for some future endeavor. But what?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wellman/unsaid-was-her-conviction-that-all-this-was-in-preparation-for-some/) [Sam Wellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wellman/) > [“Your past is your experiences and your teacher as well, and your future is your hope, your dream and your fate, while the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jinnul-jr/your-past-is-your-experiences-and-your-teacher-as-well-and-your/) [Jinnul Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jinnul-jr/) > [Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/education-therefore-is-a-process-of-living-and-not-a-preparation-for/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Life is a preparation for the future; and the best preparation for the future is to live as if there were none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/life-is-a-preparation-for-the-future-and-the-best-preparation-for-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lynn-phillips/every-experience-god-gives-us-every-person-he-puts-in-our-lives-is/) Sarah Lynn Phillips > [Conservatism... offers no redress for the present, and makes no preparation for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/conservatism-offers-no-redress-for-the-present-and-makes-no/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [“Learn from the past, to maximize the present, in preparation for the future. Hadji VanDerVeer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadji-vanderveer/learn-from-the-past-to-maximize-the-present-in-preparation-for-the/) Hadji VanderVeer > [Donnt waste ur lyf in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pooja/donnt-waste-ur-lyf-in-doubts-and-fears-spend-yourself-on-the-work/) [Pooja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pooja/) > [If you have a sense of your place in the world, that's the best preparation for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/if-you-have-a-sense-of-your-place-in-the-world-that-s-the-best/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) ## More by George MacDonald > [“No revelation can be other than partial. 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