--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The past attracts me, the present…" description: "\"The past attracts me, the present frightens me, because the future is death.\" — Guy de Maupassant" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3aa/guy-de-maupassant-1364_death_the-past-attracts-me-the-present-frighte_2074396.jpg" --- # The past attracts me, the present frightens me, because… ![“The past attracts me, the present frightens me, because the future is death.” quote by Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3aa/guy-de-maupassant-1364_death_the-past-attracts-me-the-present-frighte_2074396.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3aa/guy-de-maupassant-1364_death_the-past-attracts-me-the-present-frighte_2074396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3aa/guy-de-maupassant-1364_death_the-past-attracts-me-the-present-frighte_2074396.jpg) > “The past attracts me, the present frightens me, because the future is death.” [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He feels trapped by memories, fear of the present, and dread of death, reflecting existential anxiety. **In simple terms:** Past haunts, present scares, future kills. Key Takeaway Confront fear of time and mortality. Themes existential fear time death Mood melancholic thoughtful philosophical Type literary existential When to use this quote - grief counseling - mindfulness practice - life planning - creative writing Key Concepts philosophy psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - What does confronting mortality change your priorities? - How can you live fully despite fear? A Different Perspective Acceptance of death can be liberating; fear may paralyze action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Two words would comprehend my future -- death and hell: existence, after losing her, would be hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/two-words-would-comprehend-my-future-death-and-hell-existence-after/) [Emily Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [“He imagined his past gone, along with his future. 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Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [“At times she's so basic, at others so wise it frightens me that I got so far in this world without the benefit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-keaton/at-times-she-s-so-basic-at-others-so-wise-it-frightens-me-that-i-got/) [Diane Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-keaton/) > [It's irksome to read about someone I don't recognize. It frightens me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/it-s-irksome-to-read-about-someone-i-don-t-recognize-it-frightens-me/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) ## More by Guy de Maupassant > [“Because it is useless, and I tell them so at once. 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We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/there-are-some-delightful-places-in-this-world-which-have-a-sensual/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [A lawful kiss is never worth as much as a stolen one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/a-lawful-kiss-is-never-worth-as-much-as-a-stolen-one/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“There were some children round him playing in the dust on the paths. They had long fair hair, and with very earnest faces and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/there-were-some-children-round-him-playing-in-the-dust-on-the-paths/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“When we are young, our mornings are triumphant!” Then”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/when-we-are-young-our-mornings-are-triumphant-then/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“She was simple, not being able to adorn herself, but she was unhappy, as one out of her class; for women belong to no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/she-was-simple-not-being-able-to-adorn-herself-but-she-was-unhappy-as/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [Whatever you want to say, there is only one word to express it, only one verb to give it movement, only one adjective to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/whatever-you-want-to-say-there-is-only-one-word-to-express-it-only/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [The great artists are those who impose their personal vision upon humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/the-great-artists-are-those-who-impose-their-personal-vision-upon/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“How fathomless the mystery of the Unseen is! We cannot plumb its depths with our feeble senses - with eyes which cannot see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/how-fathomless-the-mystery-of-the-unseen-is-we-cannot-plumb-its/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“‟Whatever we may do or attempt, despite the embrace and transports of love, the hunger of the lips, we are always alone. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/whatever-we-may-do-or-attempt-despite-the-embrace-and-transports-of/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [She was the temptress who had ensnared the first man, and who still continued her work at damnation; she was the being who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/she-was-the-temptress-who-had-ensnared-the-first-man-and-who-still/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [Since governments take the right of death over their people, it is not astonishing if the people should sometimes take the right of death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/since-governments-take-the-right-of-death-over-their-people-it-is-not/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“For some years he had felt weighing on him the burden of loneliness which sometimes overwhelms old bachelors. He had been strong, active and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/for-some-years-he-had-felt-weighing-on-him-the-burden-of-loneliness/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) [Explore all 189 Guy de Maupassant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. 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Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. 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You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The past attracts me, the present frightens me, because the future is death.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Guy de Maupassant" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/the-past-attracts-me-the-present-frightens-me-because-the-future-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/the-past-attracts-me-the-present-frightens-me-because-the-future-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3aa/guy-de-maupassant-1364_death_the-past-attracts-me-the-present-frighte_2074396.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3aa/guy-de-maupassant-1364_death_the-past-attracts-me-the-present-frighte_2074396.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3aa/guy-de-maupassant-1364_death_the-past-attracts-me-the-present-frighte_2074396.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The past attracts me, the present frightens me, because the future is death.” — Guy de Maupassant", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Guy de Maupassant", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The past attracts me, the present...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/the-past-attracts-me-the-present-frightens-me-because-the-future-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/the-past-attracts-me-the-present-frightens-me-because-the-future-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```