--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The oldest thing of all is the present…" description: "\"“The oldest thing of all is the present, because there's never been anything else but present. No one has ever lived in the past, and no one lives in t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/harry-mulisch-12441_oldest_the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-b_465218.jpg" --- # The oldest thing of all is the present, because there's… ![“The oldest thing of all is the present, because there's never been anything else but present. No one has ever lived in the past, and no one lives in the future, either.” quote by Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/harry-mulisch-12441_oldest_the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-b_465218.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/harry-mulisch-12441_oldest_the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-b_465218.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/harry-mulisch-12441_oldest_the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-b_465218.jpg) > ““The oldest thing of all is the present, because there's never been anything else but present. No one has ever lived in the past, and no one lives in the future, either.”” [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) ## 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 emphasizes that only the present moment truly exists; past and future are mental constructs, not lived realities. **In simple terms:** Only now is real. Key Takeaway Focus on the present. Themes mindfulness temporal perception existence Mood contemplative calm Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - meditation - decision making - stress reduction - creative work Key Concepts philosophy psychology presentism Questions to Reflect On - How does focusing on now affect your goals? - What value do past experiences hold? A Different Perspective Neglecting past lessons or future planning can be detrimental. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lived Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lived-past-637159/) [Lives Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-future-1249556/) [Oldest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oldest/) [Oldest Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oldest-thing-854623/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“ In the front yard lives the oldest thing around, a white oak That I used to say is my love for the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-barks/in-the-front-yard-lives-the-oldest-thing-around-a-white-oak-that-i/) [Coleman Barks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleman-barks/) > [My grandkids believe I'm the oldest thing in the world. And after two or three hours with them, I believe it, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-perret/my-grandkids-believe-i-m-the-oldest-thing-in-the-world-and-after-two/) [Gene Perret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-perret/) > [“And the non-reading of books, you will object, should be characteristic of all collectors? This is news to me, you may say. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/and-the-non-reading-of-books-you-will-object-should-be-characteristic/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [Nobody ever lived in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/nobody-ever-lived-in-the-past/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [If a man carefully examine his thoughts he will be surprised to find how much he lives in the future. His well-being is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-a-man-carefully-examine-his-thoughts-he-will-be-surprised-to-find/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Like the wild beasts, she lives without a future. She inhabits only the present tense, a fugue of the continuous, a world of sensual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/like-the-wild-beasts-she-lives-without-a-future-she-inhabits-only-the/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [Taurus looks only towards the future and lives only for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/taurus-looks-only-towards-the-future-and-lives-only-for-the-future/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The truly important people in our lives are always in our future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-baratono/the-truly-important-people-in-our-lives-are-always-in-our-future/) [Ron Baratono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-baratono/) > [Life is an operation which is done in a forward direction. One lives toward the future, because to live consists inexorably in doing, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/life-is-an-operation-which-is-done-in-a-forward-direction-one-lives/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [No I'm nt SinGle I'm in a long DisTnce RealtnShip bcoz mY GF lives in FuTure!!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arkay/no-i-m-nt-single-i-m-in-a-long-distnce-realtnship-bcoz-my-gf-lives-in/) [Arkay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arkay/) > [As youth lives in the future, so the adult lives in the past: No one rightly knows how to live in the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/as-youth-lives-in-the-future-so-the-adult-lives-in-the-past-no-one/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [“Our lives and the lives of future generations do not only depend on the conflicts that take place, but also on the solutions we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akreyi/our-lives-and-the-lives-of-future-generations-do-not-only-depend-on/) [Widad Akreyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akreyi/) > [Life is not lived in the past, neither is it lived wandering in future. Life is for today, and it is today. Live it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-not-lived-in-the-past-neither-is-it-lived-wandering-in-future/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The autobiographical self is built on the basis of past memories and memories of the plans that we have made; it's the lived past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/the-autobiographical-self-is-built-on-the-basis-of-past-memories-and/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [“... all sorts of wonderful things got washed up on the beach – crates of clothes and cutlery and children’s toys, boxes of engine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-pugh/all-sorts-of-wonderful-things-got-washed-up-on-the-beach-crates-of/) [Rosie Pugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-pugh/) ## More by Harry Mulisch > [“Un comienzo no desaparece nunca, ni siquiera con un final.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/un-comienzo-no-desaparece-nunca-ni-siquiera-con-un-final/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“Still, national politics meant little to him: about as much as paper airplanes would mean to the survivor of a plane crash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/still-national-politics-meant-little-to-him-about-as-much-as-paper/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“People returning from a journey carry the distances they have traveled with them like outspread wings - until they put the key in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/people-returning-from-a-journey-carry-the-distances-they-have/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“He understood very well that it was just because of this intimacy that their marriage had not survived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/he-understood-very-well-that-it-was-just-because-of-this-intimacy/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“Iemand die van iemand anders houdt, zegt altijd dat dat komt doordat die ander zo mooi is, op een of andere manier, van buiten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/iemand-die-van-iemand-anders-houdt-zegt-altijd-dat-dat-komt-doordat/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“You could chat with anyone; being silent together without it becoming embarrassing was a lot rarer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/you-could-chat-with-anyone-being-silent-together-without-it-becoming/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“Hate is the darkness, that's no good. And yet we've got to hate Fascists, and that's considered perfectly all right. How is that possible?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/hate-is-the-darkness-that-s-no-good-and-yet-we-ve-got-to-hate/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [That question is too good to spoil with an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/that-question-is-too-good-to-spoil-with-an-answer/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“When we heard those shots and he saw Ploeg lying in front of the house, what he said was, 'My God, the lizards!'" With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/when-we-heard-those-shots-and-he-saw-ploeg-lying-in-front-of-the/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [Perhaps, he thought, true pure love, like all flowers, flourished best with its roots in muck and mud. Perhaps that was a law of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/perhaps-he-thought-true-pure-love-like-all-flowers-flourished-best/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“His father in law, who was as old as the century, had just retired and was living in a country house in Gelderland. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/his-father-in-law-who-was-as-old-as-the-century-had-just-retired-and/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [All cows were like other cows, all tigers like all other tigers - What on earth happened to human beings?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/all-cows-were-like-other-cows-all-tigers-like-all-other-tigers-what/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“We underestimated human potential, both the strength of man's intellect and the weakness of his flesh, and therefore his receptivity to satanic inspiration --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/we-underestimated-human-potential-both-the-strength-of-man-s/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“If you believe we shouldn't have done it, then you also believe that, in the light of history, the human race shouldn't have existed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/if-you-believe-we-shouldn-t-have-done-it-then-you-also-believe-that/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“That's politics, power: it's all verbal, a continuous blizzard of words. But it's not just speaking, it's making statements. It's action; it's doing something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/that-s-politics-power-it-s-all-verbal-a-continuous-blizzard-of-words/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) [Explore all 38 Harry Mulisch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) ## More Oldest quotes > [Jake Johnson is one of my oldest friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/jake-johnson-is-one-of-my-oldest-friends/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [The oldest man he seemed that ever wore grey hairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-oldest-man-he-seemed-that-ever-wore-grey-hairs/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [ \[He\] fell right into the oldest conviction in the world-- that the girl you are in love with can't possibly be anything but true… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/he-fell-right-into-the-oldest-conviction-in-the-world-that-the-girl/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [You're nice,' Cushie told him, squeezing his hand. 'And you're my oldest friend.' But they both must have known that you can know someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-re-nice-cushie-told-him-squeezing-his-hand-and-you-re-my-oldest/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I just can't tell you what fun I've had being a member of the world's second oldest profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/i-just-can-t-tell-you-what-fun-i-ve-had-being-a-member-of-the-world-s/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) > [Once I tried to make a standardization of staircases. Probably that is one of the oldest of the standardizations. Of course, we design new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/once-i-tried-to-make-a-standardization-of-staircases-probably-that-is/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [It was the oldest sound there was. Souls flying away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/it-was-the-oldest-sound-there-was-souls-flying-away/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Live your life, take chances, be crazy. Don't wait cause right now is the oldest you've ever been & the youngest you'll be ever again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/live-your-life-take-chances-be-crazy-don-t-wait-cause-right-now-is/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“We loved—and were fated to sorrow. But from our striving and from our sorrow we fashioned The Oldest Story in the World.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-lockridge-jr/we-loved-and-were-fated-to-sorrow-but-from-our-striving-and-from-our/) [Ross Lockridge Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-lockridge-jr/) > [You have been the oldest friend I have ever had. Thank you for being such a lump of sugar to me, sissy. And no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-been-the-oldest-friend-i-have-ever-had-thank-you-for-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't get enough of 'Call of Duty.' I'm the oldest guy who plays on PlayStation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jones/i-can-t-get-enough-of-call-of-duty-i-m-the-oldest-guy-who-plays-on/) [Steve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jones/) > [“The oldest books are still only just out to those who have not read them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/the-oldest-books-are-still-only-just-out-to-those-who-have-not-read/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [I was the oldest child, and both my parents worked, so I had a great deal of responsibility from a very young age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/i-was-the-oldest-child-and-both-my-parents-worked-so-i-had-a-great/) [Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/) > [Shaking's one of the oldest practices known to man. Standing round a fire and connecting with the Earth and moving energy through the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-flynn/shaking-s-one-of-the-oldest-practices-known-to-man-standing-round-a/) [Jerome Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-flynn/) > [That'll be my claim to fame: My grandmother-in-law is the oldest iPad user!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/that-ll-be-my-claim-to-fame-my-grandmother-in-law-is-the-oldest-ipad/) [Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/) [Browse all 231 Oldest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oldest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The oldest thing of all is the present, because there's never been anything else but present. No one has ever lived in the past, and no one lives in the future, either.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harry Mulisch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-because-there-s-never-been/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Oldest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-because-there-s-never-been/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/harry-mulisch-12441_oldest_the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-b_465218.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/harry-mulisch-12441_oldest_the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-b_465218.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/harry-mulisch-12441_oldest_the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-b_465218.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The oldest thing of all is the present, because there's never been anything else but present. No one has…” — Harry Mulisch", "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": "Harry Mulisch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The oldest thing of all is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-because-there-s-never-been/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-because-there-s-never-been/#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 } } ] } ```