--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A meaningful relationship between two…" description: "\"A meaningful relationship between two people cannot sustain itself only in the present tense.\" — Joshua Foer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/joshua-foer-4147_meaningful_a-meaningful-relationship-between-two-pe_3070615.png" --- # A meaningful relationship between two people cannot… ![“A meaningful relationship between two people cannot sustain itself only in the present tense.” quote by Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/joshua-foer-4147_meaningful_a-meaningful-relationship-between-two-pe_3070615.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/joshua-foer-4147_meaningful_a-meaningful-relationship-between-two-pe_3070615.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/joshua-foer-4147_meaningful_a-meaningful-relationship-between-two-pe_3070615.png) > “A meaningful relationship between two people cannot sustain itself only in the present tense.” [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Relationships need future-oriented commitment, not just present moments. **In simple terms:** Relationships need forward focus. Key Takeaway Invest in shared goals. Themes commitment future relationships Mood reflective hopeful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - marriage counseling - team projects - long‑term friendships Key Concepts psychology temporal perspective Questions to Reflect On - How do you plan for a relationship’s future? - What shared goals strengthen bonds? A Different Perspective Present focus can ignore deeper needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Meaningful relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful-relationship/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Present tense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-tense/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Relationship People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship-people/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Sustain Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sustain-present-5192935/) [Tense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tense/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing is more curious and awkward than the relationship of two people who only know each other with their eyes — who meet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/nothing-is-more-curious-and-awkward-than-the-relationship-of-two/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [A relationship is hard in and of itself. 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It's to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-leonard/there-s-a-desire-for-me-in-the-work-even-when-i-m-looking-at-the-past/) [Zoe Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-leonard/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [My last defense / Is the present tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) ## More by Joshua Foer > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [“I don’t think I’m an exceptionally bad reader. I suspect that many people, maybe even most, are like me. We read and read and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/i-don-t-think-i-m-an-exceptionally-bad-reader-i-suspect-that-many/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [Life seems to speed up as we get older because life gets less memorable as we get older.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/life-seems-to-speed-up-as-we-get-older-because-life-gets-less/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [“We can only think about roughly seven things at a time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/we-can-only-think-about-roughly-seven-things-at-a-time/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [With our blogs and tweets, digital cameras, and unlimited-gigabyte e-mail archives, participation in the online culture now means creating a trail of always present,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/with-our-blogs-and-tweets-digital-cameras-and-unlimited-gigabyte-e/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [How much are we willing to lose from our already short lives by losing ourselves in our Blackberries, our iPhones, by not paying attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/how-much-are-we-willing-to-lose-from-our-already-short-lives-by/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [“I Came away from the U.S. Memory Championship eager to find out how Ed and Lukas did it. 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They evolve over centuries through an unplanned, democratic process that leaves them teeming with irregularities, quirks, and words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/languages-are-something-of-a-mess-they-evolve-over-centuries-through/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [Invented languages have often been created in tandem with entire invented universes, and most conlangers come to their craft by way of fantasy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/invented-languages-have-often-been-created-in-tandem-with-entire/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [“Perhaps, as Borges concludes in his story, it is forgetting, not remembering, that is the essence of what makes us human.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/perhaps-as-borges-concludes-in-his-story-it-is-forgetting-not/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [Someday in the distant cyborg future, when our internal and external memories fully merge, we may come to possess infinite knowledge. 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They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [It's great when you can write a meaningful song that touches people, but sometimes you just wanna have fun and sing a silly song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/it-s-great-when-you-can-write-a-meaningful-song-that-touches-people/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [I don't feel I have to write deep and meaningful songs; they can be light and meaningless. It has to do with the place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/i-don-t-feel-i-have-to-write-deep-and-meaningful-songs-they-can-be/) [Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/) > [I do not chase after anyone if you wanna walk out my life then I will hold the fu\*\*\*\*g door open for you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/i-do-not-chase-after-anyone-if-you-wanna-walk-out-my-life-then-i-will/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [“You can drink your soup ice-cold, but it's no longer soup; you can do eccentric things in life, but if you haven't been able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-can-drink-your-soup-ice-cold-but-it-s-no-longer-soup-you-can-do/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The only thing that I am trying to do is to find stories that I like, stories that are meaningful and that can connect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-herrera/the-only-thing-that-i-am-trying-to-do-is-to-find-stories-that-i-like/) [Alfonso Herrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfonso-herrera/) > [Synchronicity reveals the meaningful connections between the subjective and objective world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/synchronicity-reveals-the-meaningful-connections-between-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I want to be fulfilled creatively as an actress and get to be in roles that are meaningful and impactful. 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