--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Eternity is not future or past. Eternity…" description: "\"Eternity is not future or past. Eternity is a dimension of now.\" — Joseph Campbell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/joseph-campbell-300_dimensions_eternity-is-not-future-or-past-eternity_255564.png" --- # Eternity is not future or past. Eternity is a dimension of… ![“Eternity is not future or past. Eternity is a dimension of now.” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/joseph-campbell-300_dimensions_eternity-is-not-future-or-past-eternity_255564.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/joseph-campbell-300_dimensions_eternity-is-not-future-or-past-eternity_255564.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/joseph-campbell-300_dimensions_eternity-is-not-future-or-past-eternity_255564.png) > “Eternity is not future or past. Eternity is a dimension of now.” [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Eternity exists in the present moment; past and future are mental constructs. **In simple terms:** Eternity is now, not past or future. Key Takeaway Live fully in the present to experience timelessness. Themes mindfulness philosophy time Mood calm reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation practice - creative work - stress reduction - decision making Key Concepts present awareness spirituality existential thought Questions to Reflect On - How can you anchor yourself in the now? - What practices help you stay present? A Different Perspective Some find it hard to detach from past/future concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dimensions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dimensions/) [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Mythology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mythology/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Power of now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-of-now/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Eternity is not future or past. Eternity is a dimension of now. It is a dimension of the human spirit -- which is eternal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/eternity-is-not-future-or-past-eternity-is-a-dimension-of-now-it-is-a/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Past, n. That part of Eternity with some small fraction of which we have a slight and regrettable acquaintance. A moving line called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/past-n-that-part-of-eternity-with-some-small-fraction-of-which-we/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“The manifold of the past, present, and the future all form a single vivacious composition that only exists in the mind’s eye as separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/the-manifold-of-the-past-present-and-the-future-all-form-a-single/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Time rules the past, eternity rules the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/time-rules-the-past-eternity-rules-the-future/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“To standing in the bow wind with no charted course." Clay Mitchell, "Half-Past Eternity" book II "Eterna".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-mitchell/to-standing-in-the-bow-wind-with-no-charted-course-clay-mitchell-half/) Clay Mitchell > [In time there is no present, In eternity no future, In eternity no past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/in-time-there-is-no-present-in-eternity-no-future-in-eternity-no-past/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [This mortal probation is a brief period-just a short span, linking the eternity of the past with the eternity of the future. Yet it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elray-l-christiansen/this-mortal-probation-is-a-brief-period-just-a-short-span-linking-the/) [ElRay L. Christiansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elray-l-christiansen/) > [“He is my knight. Trying his best to protect my soul, even though being with me has more than its share of both beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aida-mandic/he-is-my-knight-trying-his-best-to-protect-my-soul-even-though-being/) [Aida Mandic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aida-mandic/) > [...we have to surpass ourselves every day, make every day undying. Climb our own personal Everest and do it in such a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/we-have-to-surpass-ourselves-every-day-make-every-day-undying-climb/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [The wilderness that has come to us out of the eternity of the past, we have the boldness to project into the eternity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zahniser/the-wilderness-that-has-come-to-us-out-of-the-eternity-of-the-past-we/) [Howard Zahniser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zahniser/) > [Mythologies, in other words, mythologies and religions are great poems and, when recognized as such, point infallibly through things and events to the ubiquity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/mythologies-in-other-words-mythologies-and-religions-are-great-poems/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [One cannot predict the next mythology any more than one can predict tonight's dream; for a mythology is not an ideology. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/one-cannot-predict-the-next-mythology-any-more-than-one-can-predict/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“All of the great mythologies and much of the mythic story-telling of the world are from the male point of view. When I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/all-of-the-great-mythologies-and-much-of-the-mythic-story-telling-of/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [If you live with the myths in your mind, you will find yourself always in mythological situations. They cover everything that can happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-you-live-with-the-myths-in-your-mind-you-will-find-yourself-always/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art, the inspirers of poetry. To see life as a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-think-of-mythology-as-the-homeland-of-the-muses-the-inspirers-of/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## More by Joseph Campbell > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-privilege-of-a-lifetime-is-being-who-you-are/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. You are the wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-eternal-principle-which-never-was-born-never-will-die-it-is-in/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [How do you find the divine power in yourself? The word enthusiasm means 'filled with a god,' so what makes you enthusiastic? Follow it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/how-do-you-find-the-divine-power-in-yourself-the-word-enthusiasm/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [What we're learning in our schools is not the wisdom of life. We're learning technologies, we're getting information. There's a curious reluctance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-we-re-learning-in-our-schools-is-not-the-wisdom-of-life-we-re/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [ The fall \[of your soul\] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/so-that-s-what-destiny-is-simply-the-fulfillment-of-the-potentialites/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Your ego is your embodiment and your self is your potentiality and that's what you listen to when you listen for the voice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/your-ego-is-your-embodiment-and-your-self-is-your-potentiality-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The best we can do is lean towards the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-best-we-can-do-is-lean-towards-the-light/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art, the inspirers of poetry. To see life as a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-think-of-mythology-as-the-homeland-of-the-muses-the-inspirers-of/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you are falling --- Dive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-are-falling-dive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [We're all seeking...the rapture of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-re-all-seeking-the-rapture-of-being-alive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Both the artist and the lover know that perfection is not loveable. It is the clumsiness of a fault that makes a person lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/both-the-artist-and-the-lover-know-that-perfection-is-not-loveable-it/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Explore all 711 Joseph Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## More Dimensions quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [When you're being truly creative, time stands still, and you enter a dimension that can carry you beyond the ordinariness of everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/when-you-re-being-truly-creative-time-stands-still-and-you-enter-a/) [Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/) > [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Money should not be in the hands of individuals; otherwise it will create this problem of being burdened with guilt. And money can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/money-should-not-be-in-the-hands-of-individuals-otherwise-it-will/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Meditation is an opportunity to move into a dimension where there is no such thing as stress within you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/meditation-is-an-opportunity-to-move-into-a-dimension-where-there-is/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [I'm saying that the domain of poetry includes both oral & written forms, that poetry goes back to a pre-literate situation & would survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-rothenberg/i-m-saying-that-the-domain-of-poetry-includes-both-oral-written-forms/) Jerome Rothenberg > [A mature mind is one who understands the impossibility of knowing the ultimate, and with this understanding there is a new dimension: the dimension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/a-mature-mind-is-one-who-understands-the-impossibility-of-knowing-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Emotional Literacy means being able to recognise what you are feeling, so that it doesn't interfere with thinking. It becomes another dimension to draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-orbach/emotional-literacy-means-being-able-to-recognise-what-you-are-feeling/) [Susie Orbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-orbach/) > [I think Kafka was right when he said that for a modern, secular, nonreligious man, state bureaucracy is the only remaining contact with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/i-think-kafka-was-right-when-he-said-that-for-a-modern-secular/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [Even if all life on our planet is destroyed, there must be other life somewhere which we know nothing of. It is impossible that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/even-if-all-life-on-our-planet-is-destroyed-there-must-be-other-life/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [When greatness descends from its lofty pedestal, it assumes human dimensions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-colet/when-greatness-descends-from-its-lofty-pedestal-it-assumes-human/) [Louise Colet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-colet/) > [Ideas were growing in all directions and dimensions; they were becoming a sculpture, or a castle. And then everyone left her, to return to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/ideas-were-growing-in-all-directions-and-dimensions-they-were/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [Calculate what man knows and it cannot compare to what he doesn't know. Calculate the time he is alive and it cannot compare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/calculate-what-man-knows-and-it-cannot-compare-to-what-he-doesn-t/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) [Browse all 1,167 Dimensions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dimensions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Eternity is not future or past. 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