--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My last defense / Is the present tense." description: "\"My last defense / Is the present tense.\" — Gwendolyn Brooks" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/gwendolyn-brooks-5624_defense_my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense-757_7579.png" --- # My last defense / Is the present tense. ![“My last defense / Is the present tense.” quote by Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/gwendolyn-brooks-5624_defense_my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense-757_7579.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/gwendolyn-brooks-5624_defense_my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense-757_7579.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/gwendolyn-brooks-5624_defense_my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense-757_7579.png) > “My last defense / Is the present tense.” [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emphasizes living in the now, using present awareness as a shield against past regrets and future anxieties. **In simple terms:** Focus on present as protection. Key Takeaway Present awareness guards against temporal distress. Themes temporal focus self‑protection mindfulness resilience existential agency Mood reflective determined hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - stressful decision‑making - overcoming past trauma - anticipatory anxiety - daily mindfulness practice Key Concepts time perception psychological defense mechanisms consciousness Practical Applications - therapy for anxiety - coaching for performance Questions to Reflect On - How does present‑centered thinking affect long‑term growth? - What risks arise from ignoring past and future contexts? A Different Perspective Relying solely on present focus may ignore valuable lessons from past experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense/) [Defense Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense-present-329949/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Live in the moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-in-the-moment/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present/) [Present tense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-tense/) [Tense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tense/) ## Related quotes > [Winners live in the present tense. People who come up short are consumed with future or past. 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Which is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/almost-by-definition-secularism-cannot-be-a-future-it-s-a-present-2/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [A money-lender--he serves you in the present tense; he lends you in the conditional mood; keeps you in the conjunctive; and ruins you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/a-money-lender-he-serves-you-in-the-present-tense-he-lends-you-in-the/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“To remember was an act not of excavation but of self-creation in the present tense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-secor/to-remember-was-an-act-not-of-excavation-but-of-self-creation-in-the/) [Laura Secor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-secor/) > [“Oh God, Alaska, I love you. I love you," and the Colonel whispered, "I'm so sorry, Pudge. I know you did," and I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/oh-god-alaska-i-love-you-i-love-you-and-the-colonel-whispered-i-m-so/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“For children, childhood is timeless. It is always the present. Everything is in the present tense. Of course, they have memories. Of course, time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/for-children-childhood-is-timeless-it-is-always-the-present/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Sometimes I would have to take my glasses off simply so the world would smudge and recede for a moment and cease to seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/sometimes-i-would-have-to-take-my-glasses-off-simply-so-the-world/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [“When we talk about literature, we do so in the present tense. When we speak of the dead, we are not so kind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/when-we-talk-about-literature-we-do-so-in-the-present-tense-when-we/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Chronocanine Envy: Sadness experienced when one realized that, unlike one's dog, one cannot live only in the present tense. As Kierkegaard said, "Life must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/chronocanine-envy-sadness-experienced-when-one-realized-that-unlike/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [And the first till last alshemist wrote over every square inch of the only foolscap available, his own body, till by its corrosive sublimation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/and-the-first-till-last-alshemist-wrote-over-every-square-inch-of-the/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Life is like a grammar lesson. You find the past perfect and the present tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-grammar-lesson-you-find-the-past-perfect-and-the/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“That’s probably the worst thing about death. Is turns into was. Everything that was once present tense is now in the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-reese/that-s-probably-the-worst-thing-about-death-is-turns-into-was/) [Caleb Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-reese/) ## More by Gwendolyn Brooks > [Nothing could stop Mississippi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/nothing-could-stop-mississippi/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [Very early in life I became fascinated with the wonders language can achieve. And I began playing with words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/very-early-in-life-i-became-fascinated-with-the-wonders-language-can/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/we-real-cool-we-left-school-we-lurk-late-we-strike-straight-we-sing/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [I've always thought of myself as a reporter. When people ask why I don't stop writing, I say, 'Look at what's happening in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/i-ve-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-reporter-when-people-ask-why-i-don/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [She was afraid to suggest to him that to most people, nothing "happens." That most people merely live from day to day until they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/she-was-afraid-to-suggest-to-him-that-to-most-people-nothing-happens/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [A writer should get as much education as possible, but just going to school is not enough; if it were, all owners of doctorates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/a-writer-should-get-as-much-education-as-possible-but-just-going-to/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [Reading is important - read between the lines. Don't swallow everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/reading-is-important-read-between-the-lines-don-t-swallow-everything/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [No man can give me any word but Wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/no-man-can-give-me-any-word-but-wait/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [The forties and fifties were years of high poet-incense; the language-flowers were thickly sweet. Those flowers whined and begged white folks to pick them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/the-forties-and-fifties-were-years-of-high-poet-incense-the-language/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [It frightens me to realize that, if I had died before the age of fifty, I would have died a 'Negro' fraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/it-frightens-me-to-realize-that-if-i-had-died-before-the-age-of-fifty/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [One reason cats are happier than people is that they have no newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/one-reason-cats-are-happier-than-people-is-that-they-have-no/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [We are each other's magnitude and bond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/we-are-each-other-s-magnitude-and-bond/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [What I'm fighting for now in my work... for an expression relevant to all manner of blacks, poems I could take into a tavern,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/what-i-m-fighting-for-now-in-my-work-for-an-expression-relevant-to/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [And if sun comes / How shall we greet him? / Shall we not dread him, / Shall we not fear him / After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/and-if-sun-comes-how-shall-we-greet-him-shall-we-not-dread-him-shall/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [I think it must be lonely to be God. Nobody loves a master. No.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/i-think-it-must-be-lonely-to-be-god-nobody-loves-a-master-no/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) [Explore all 100 Gwendolyn Brooks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) ## More Defense quotes > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Football is not just all about throwing the ball. You got to run the ball, too. Defense has to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-jefferson/football-is-not-just-all-about-throwing-the-ball-you-got-to-run-the/) [Justin Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-jefferson/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Witness for the defense, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/witness-for-the-defense-albus-percival-wulfric-brian-dumbledore/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You say I have a bad attitude. But have you ever stopped to check yours?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-marie/you-say-i-have-a-bad-attitude-but-have-you-ever-stopped-to-check-yours/) [Tasha Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasha-marie/) > [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [He should release the tax returns tomorrow. It's crazy. You've got to release six, eight, ten years back tax returns. Take the hit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/he-should-release-the-tax-returns-tomorrow-it-s-crazy-you-ve-got-to/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/defense-is-a-definite-part-of-the-game-and-a-great-part-of-defense-is/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [When you shoot someone who is fleeing, it's not self-defense. It's an execution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-shoot-someone-who-is-fleeing-it-s-not-self-defense-it-s-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Humor is a great defense, and an offense too. Usually the recipient isn't too happy about it, but the people around are laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/humor-is-a-great-defense-and-an-offense-too-usually-the-recipient-isn/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) [Browse all 2,426 Defense quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My last defense / Is the present tense.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gwendolyn Brooks" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Defense" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/gwendolyn-brooks-5624_defense_my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense-757_7579.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/gwendolyn-brooks-5624_defense_my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense-757_7579.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/gwendolyn-brooks-5624_defense_my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense-757_7579.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My last defense / Is the present tense.” — Gwendolyn Brooks", "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": "Gwendolyn Brooks", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My last defense / Is the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense/#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 } } ] } ```