--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only by being present can you be happy…" description: "\"“Only by being present can you be happy. Too much attention to the past and the future takes the now away. And once it's gone, you never get it back.”\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b5/katherine-howe-28469_past_only-by-being-present-can-you-be-happy-t_266497.png" --- # Only by being present can you be happy. Too much attention… ![“Only by being present can you be happy. Too much attention to the past and the future takes the now away. And once it's gone, you never get it back.” quote by Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b5/katherine-howe-28469_past_only-by-being-present-can-you-be-happy-t_266497.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b5/katherine-howe-28469_past_only-by-being-present-can-you-be-happy-t_266497.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b5/katherine-howe-28469_past_only-by-being-present-can-you-be-happy-t_266497.png) > ““Only by being present can you be happy. Too much attention to the past and the future takes the now away. And once it's gone, you never get it back.”” [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being fully present is essential for happiness; dwelling on past or future steals the current moment. **In simple terms:** Live in the present for happiness. Key Takeaway Focus on now, let go of past/future. Themes mindfulness presence happiness Mood calm reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - stress reduction - meditation - daily work - relationships - sports performance Key Concepts psychology temporal awareness Questions to Reflect On - How can you train yourself to notice the present? - What habits pull you away from now? A Different Perspective Neglecting planning can lead to short‑term mistakes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past And The Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-and-the-future/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes I feel the past and the future pressing so hard on either side that theres no room for the present at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/sometimes-i-feel-the-past-and-the-future-pressing-so-hard-on-either/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“Inhale the present, exhale the past and the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/inhale-the-present-exhale-the-past-and-the-future/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“...diverting one's attention from the past was not the same as envisioning and embarking upon a future. On the other hand, if the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/diverting-one-s-attention-from-the-past-was-not-the-same-as/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [“The more attention you give to the past, the more you energize it, and the more likely you are to make a “self” out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-more-attention-you-give-to-the-past-the-more-you-energize-it-and/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“That's my point. That's why we can't forget. No matter how much time has passed, these things still affect us and the world we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/that-s-my-point-that-s-why-we-can-t-forget-no-matter-how-much-time/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“Since the future's so iffy, I'll turn my attention to the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manil-suri/since-the-future-s-so-iffy-i-ll-turn-my-attention-to-the-past/) [Manil Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manil-suri/) > [I know people haven't really paid attention much to me in the past. I had to establish myself, and I have. Of course, now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sofia-kenin/i-know-people-haven-t-really-paid-attention-much-to-me-in-the-past-i/) [Sofia Kenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sofia-kenin/) > [The normal present connects the past and the future through limitation. Contiguity results, crystallization by means of solidification. There also exists, however, a spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-normal-present-connects-the-past-and-the-future-through/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [“Greek philosophers looked upon the past and the future as the primary evils weighing upon human life, and as the source of all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-ferry/greek-philosophers-looked-upon-the-past-and-the-future-as-the-primary/) Luc Ferry > [“I felt as though the past and the future, cause and effect, patterns and connections, were a huge complicated artifice, and it was only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/i-felt-as-though-the-past-and-the-future-cause-and-effect-patterns/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“Your body moves always in the present, the dividing line between the past and the future, but your mind is more free. It can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/your-body-moves-always-in-the-present-the-dividing-line-between-the/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“The past and the future are not a collection of instants shared by all space, but a collection of events that correspond to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/the-past-and-the-future-are-not-a-collection-of-instants-shared-by/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“The past and the future were just blinders we wore so that infinity wouldn’t drive us mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/the-past-and-the-future-were-just-blinders-we-wore-so-that-infinity/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“The past and the future are what's complicated. It's the present that's simple. And the simplicity is the sensation of it being just her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-past-and-the-future-are-what-s-complicated-it-s-the-present-that/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## More by Katherine Howe > [She was always puzzled that people say that darkness falls. To her it seemed instead to rise, massing under trees an shrubs, pouring out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/she-was-always-puzzled-that-people-say-that-darkness-falls-to-her-it/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [“When a Girl's on a pedestal, there's nothing some people would like better than to shove her off it, just to know what kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/when-a-girl-s-on-a-pedestal-there-s-nothing-some-people-would-like/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [“Of course, it was a rather hard lot, to be cherished. The beloved can so easily disappoint when they inevitably prove to be human.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/of-course-it-was-a-rather-hard-lot-to-be-cherished-the-beloved-can-so/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [In his voice resonated the timbre of a man who thinks he has convinced himself of an idea, but masks his own doubt by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/in-his-voice-resonated-the-timbre-of-a-man-who-thinks-he-has/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [“She slipped into this rhythm without thinking about it, like a clock that moved its hands without knowing why.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/she-slipped-into-this-rhythm-without-thinking-about-it-like-a-clock/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [“Her freckles were delectable. Most fellows didn't care for freckles as a rule, thinking they were tough-looking. But Betty's were appealing. Like cake batter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/her-freckles-were-delectable-most-fellows-didn-t-care-for-freckles-as/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [But remember. Just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it isn't real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/but-remember-just-because-you-don-t-believe-in-something-doesn-t-mean/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [“Everyone has wounds as want healing. Seems like they all find me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/everyone-has-wounds-as-want-healing-seems-like-they-all-find-me/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [“right. So. Here’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/right-so-here-s/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [“The philosophers stone is just an allegory. It represents everything that man wants and can never have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/the-philosophers-stone-is-just-an-allegory-it-represents-everything/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [“None on the Court be well disposed to the hearing of reason,I'm afraid. They are gripped with fear for their own reputations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/none-on-the-court-be-well-disposed-to-the-hearing-of-reason-i-m/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [...You can have this whole entire life, with all your opinions, your loves, your fears. Eventually those parts of you disappear. And then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/you-can-have-this-whole-entire-life-with-all-your-opinions-your-loves/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [“Mentally Connie gathered her strands of thinking into thick handfuls, trying to braid them into a coherent whole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/mentally-connie-gathered-her-strands-of-thinking-into-thick-handfuls/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [ “Just because you don't believe it\[\] \[...\]doesn't mean that it's not true.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/just-because-you-don-t-believe-it-doesn-t-mean-that-it-s-not-true/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [In this world, everyone is friends with everyone else. In a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/in-this-world-everyone-is-friends-with-everyone-else-in-a-way/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) [Explore all 19 Katherine Howe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) ## More Past quotes > [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [You can think about it, wonder what went wrong, over analyze the situation but the fact remains... it's the past, just let it go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/you-can-think-about-it-wonder-what-went-wrong-over-analyze-the/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [The Iranian people have a proud past. They merit a great future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-iranian-people-have-a-proud-past-they-merit-a-great-future/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I used to fight with hate. There's been a lot of aggression in my past growing up and stuff. That's because I was hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/i-used-to-fight-with-hate-there-s-been-a-lot-of-aggression-in-my-past/) [Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/) > [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [Nostalgia keeps dissolving the ironic narratives in which I have contained my past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/nostalgia-keeps-dissolving-the-ironic-narratives-in-which-i-have/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Above Coblentz almost every mountain has a ruin and a legend. One feels everywhere the spirit of the past, and its stirring recollections come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/above-coblentz-almost-every-mountain-has-a-ruin-and-a-legend-one/) [Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/) > [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [Right before the pandemic, 'Past Lives' came across to me as something to read and possibly put myself on tape for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/right-before-the-pandemic-past-lives-came-across-to-me-as-something/) [Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/) > [I nibbled my lower lip. "If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-nibbled-my-lower-lip-if-you-could-see-into-my-past-just-by-touching/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [Liberalism is the philosophy for our time, because it does not try to conserve every tradition of the past, because it does not apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/liberalism-is-the-philosophy-for-our-time-because-it-does-not-try-to/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [I have a way to photograph. 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