---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We make provisions for this life as if it…"
description: "\"We make provisions for this life as if it were never to have an end, and for the other life as though it were never to have a beginning.\" — Joseph Addison"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c05/joseph-addison-377_change_we-make-provisions-for-this-life-as-if-i_2161814.png"
---

#  We make provisions for this life as if it were never to…

![“We make provisions for this life as if it were never to have an end, and for the other life as though it were never to have a beginning.” quote by Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c05/joseph-addison-377_change_we-make-provisions-for-this-life-as-if-i_2161814.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c05/joseph-addison-377_change_we-make-provisions-for-this-life-as-if-i_2161814.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c05/joseph-addison-377_change_we-make-provisions-for-this-life-as-if-i_2161814.png)

> “We make provisions for this life as if it were never to have an end, and for the other life as though it were never to have a beginning.”

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People prepare for this life as if endless, and for the afterlife as if it begins now, reflecting dual perspectives on mortality.

**In simple terms:** Life and afterlife planning differ.

Key Takeaway

Balance present and future.

Themes

mortality philosophy duality

Mood

contemplative balanced

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- Estate planning
- spiritual practice
- legacy projects
- daily mindfulness

Key Concepts

Existentialism temporal perspective

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you prioritize present vs. future?
- What rituals honor both?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on one view can cause imbalance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-beginning-438429/) [Make Provisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-provisions-4589857/) [Provision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provision/) [Provisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provisions/) [Provisions Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provisions-life-4589856/) [This life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-life/)

## Related quotes

> [“Make no provisions for failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hyles/make-no-provisions-for-failure/)

[Jack Hyles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hyles/)

> [Humanity lives and always has lived on certain elemental provisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wagner/humanity-lives-and-always-has-lived-on-certain-elemental-provisions/)

[Charles Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wagner/)

> [The provisions of the Constitution are not mathematical formulas having their essence in their form; they are organic, living institutions transplanted from English soil.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/the-provisions-of-the-constitution-are-not-mathematical-formulas/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [If I had political responsibility, I would want to prepare for a plan B that would foresee that the European currency union, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peer-steinbruck/if-i-had-political-responsibility-i-would-want-to-prepare-for-a-plan/)

[Peer Steinbruck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peer-steinbruck/)

> [“Thanks be to God for his timely provisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laiah-gifty-akita/thanks-be-to-god-for-his-timely-provisions/)

[Laiah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laiah-gifty-akita/)

> [The Inspector General issued six reviews and reports on actions taken based on provisions of the act. In those six reports, the IG found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-bonner/the-inspector-general-issued-six-reviews-and-reports-on-actions-taken/)

[Jo Bonner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-bonner/)

> [In our social contract, we have provisions that see to it that you take care of people who need some help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/in-our-social-contract-we-have-provisions-that-see-to-it-that-you/)

[Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/)

> [They must therefore not spoil Alexander's undertaking, especially when they were almost at the close of their toils, and were, moreover, no longer in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arrian/they-must-therefore-not-spoil-alexander-s-undertaking-especially-when/)

[Arrian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arrian/)

> [The Orderly Liquidation Authority prescribed by Dodd-Frank should be repealed and replaced by an amendment to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code which would operate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/the-orderly-liquidation-authority-prescribed-by-dodd-frank-should-be/)

[Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/)

> [“God is our great helper,shelter, provider and protector.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/god-is-our-great-helper-shelter-provider-and-protector/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“she could sell in the café provisions she baked in her own time with a shelf life longer than pastries. When she thought of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-weinreb/she-could-sell-in-the-caf-provisions-she-baked-in-her-own-time-with-a/)

[Karen Weinreb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-weinreb/)

> [A good cult delivers on its promises. A good cult nourishes the needs of its members, has transparency and integrity, and creates provisions for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/a-good-cult-delivers-on-its-promises-a-good-cult-nourishes-the-needs/)

[Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/)

> [Most of the provisions designed to fix what ails our health system don't kick in until 2014, which, one wishes administration officials had noticed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/most-of-the-provisions-designed-to-fix-what-ails-our-health-system/)

[Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/)

> [New planted Colonies are generally attended with a Force and Necessity of Planting the known and approved Staple and Product of the Country, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lawson/new-planted-colonies-are-generally-attended-with-a-force-and/)

[John Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lawson/)

> [“Remedial provisions have two elements: a description of the events that give rise to the right to a remedy, and the remedies themselves. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-fox/remedial-provisions-have-two-elements-a-description-of-the-events/)

[Charles M. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-fox/)

## More by Joseph Addison

> [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [There is nothing touches our imagination so much as a beautiful woman in a plain dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-nothing-touches-our-imagination-so-much-as-a-beautiful-woman/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [We are always doing something for posterity, but I would fain see posterity do something for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/we-are-always-doing-something-for-posterity-but-i-would-fain-see/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Female Virtues are of a Domestick turn. The Family is the proper Province for Private Women to Shine in. If they must be showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/female-virtues-are-of-a-domestick-turn-the-family-is-the-proper/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [When love once pleads admission to our hearts, In spite of all the virtue we can boast, The woman that deliberates is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/when-love-once-pleads-admission-to-our-hearts-in-spite-of-all-the/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Many actions calculated to procure fame are not conducive to ultimate happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/many-actions-calculated-to-procure-fame-are-not-conducive-to-ultimate/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [T is liberty crowns Britannia's Isle, And makes her barren rocks and her bleak mountains smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/t-is-liberty-crowns-britannia-s-isle-and-makes-her-barren-rocks-and/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/reading-is-a-basic-tool-in-the-living-of-a-good-life/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [The moral perfections of the Deity, the more attentively, we consider, the more perfectly still shall we know them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-moral-perfections-of-the-deity-the-more-attentively-we-consider/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [The utmost we can hope for in this world is contentment; if we aim at anything higher, we shall meet with nothing but grief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-utmost-we-can-hope-for-in-this-world-is-contentment-if-we-aim-at/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Courage that grows from constitution often forsakes a man when he has occasion for it; courage which arises from a sense of duty acts;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/courage-that-grows-from-constitution-often-forsakes-a-man-when-he-has/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [The most skillful flattery is to let a person talk on, and be a listener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-most-skillful-flattery-is-to-let-a-person-talk-on-and-be-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

[Explore all 620 Joseph Addison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

## More Change quotes

> [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

[Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/)

> [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/)

[William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/)

[Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/)

> [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

[Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We make provisions for this life as if it were never to have an end, and for the other life as though it were never to have a beginning.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph Addison"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/we-make-provisions-for-this-life-as-if-it-were-never-to-have-an-end/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Change"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/we-make-provisions-for-this-life-as-if-it-were-never-to-have-an-end/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c05/joseph-addison-377_change_we-make-provisions-for-this-life-as-if-i_2161814.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c05/joseph-addison-377_change_we-make-provisions-for-this-life-as-if-i_2161814.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c05/joseph-addison-377_change_we-make-provisions-for-this-life-as-if-i_2161814.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We make provisions for this life as if it were never to have an end, and for the other life as though it…” — Joseph Addison",
                "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": "Joseph Addison",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We make provisions for this life...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/we-make-provisions-for-this-life-as-if-it-were-never-to-have-an-end/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/we-make-provisions-for-this-life-as-if-it-were-never-to-have-an-end/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
