--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is the past, and there is the…" description: "\"There is the past, and there is the future. The present is never more than the single second dividing one from the other. We live poised on that second..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/laini-taylor-258_dividing_there-is-the-past-and-there-is-the-futur_1945775.jpg" --- # There is the past, and there is the future. The present is… ![“There is the past, and there is the future. The present is never more than the single second dividing one from the other. We live poised on that second as it's hurtling forward-toward what?” quote by Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/laini-taylor-258_dividing_there-is-the-past-and-there-is-the-futur_1945775.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/laini-taylor-258_dividing_there-is-the-past-and-there-is-the-futur_1945775.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/laini-taylor-258_dividing_there-is-the-past-and-there-is-the-futur_1945775.jpg) > “There is the past, and there is the future. The present is never more than the single second dividing one from the other. We live poised on that second as it's hurtling forward-toward what?” [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The present is a fleeting instant separating past and future, urging mindful awareness. **In simple terms:** Now is a thin slice. Key Takeaway Live mindfully in the present. Themes time mindfulness existence Mood reflective philosophical Type inspirational contemplative When to use this quote - meditation - decision making - stress reduction Key Concepts philosophy temporal perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance past lessons, present action? - What does the “second” feel like to you? A Different Perspective Focusing only on now may neglect planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dividing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dividing/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Future Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-present-259443/) [Hurtling Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurtling-forward-3127685/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-future/) [Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“There is the past, and there is the future. The present is never more than the single second dividing one from the other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/there-is-the-past-and-there-is-the-future-the-present-is-never-more/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“We never keep to the present. We recall the past; we anticipate the future as if we found it too slow in coming and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/we-never-keep-to-the-present-we-recall-the-past-we-anticipate-the/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/) [Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/) > [Let each of us examine his thoughts; he will find them wholly concerned with the past or the future. We almost never think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/let-each-of-us-examine-his-thoughts-he-will-find-them-wholly/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“The past and the future, are in the present”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-past-and-the-future-are-in-the-present/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [I think of the past and the future as well as the present to determine where I am, and I move on while thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadao-ando/i-think-of-the-past-and-the-future-as-well-as-the-present-to/) [Tadao Ando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadao-ando/) > [How can the past and future be, when the past no longer is, and the future is not yet? As for the present, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-can-the-past-and-future-be-when-the-past-no-longer-is-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think about the future. I don't think about the past. I just think of what comes into my head at the time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-don-t-think-about-the-future-i-don-t-think-about-the-past-i-just/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [There is neither Past nor Future. There is only the Present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/there-is-neither-past-nor-future-there-is-only-the-present/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [I write with my past, about the future, for the present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eyedea/i-write-with-my-past-about-the-future-for-the-present/) [Eyedea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eyedea/) > [“the present moment contains both past and future. The only material that the future is made of is the present. If you know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/the-present-moment-contains-both-past-and-future-the-only-material/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [There is neither past nor future. There is only the present. Yesterday was the present to you when you experienced it, and tomorrow will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/there-is-neither-past-nor-future-there-is-only-the-present-yesterday/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The future is foretold from the past and the future is only possible because of the past. Without past and future, the present is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-future-is-foretold-from-the-past-and-the-future-is-only-possible/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [If you have no past or no future, which, after all, is all that the present is made of, why then you may as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/if-you-have-no-past-or-no-future-which-after-all-is-all-that-the/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [The only living life is in the past and future - the present is an interlude - strange interlude in which we call on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/the-only-living-life-is-in-the-past-and-future-the-present-is-an/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) ## More by Laini Taylor > [“Word spread quickly: The visitor wished to address the scholars. 'What can he want?' they wondered, streaming into the Royal Theater. Attendance was voluntary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/word-spread-quickly-the-visitor-wished-to-address-the-scholars-what/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“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/) > [“I love books. Not just for what they contain. I love them as objects too, as ever-present reminders of what they contain, and because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/i-love-books-not-just-for-what-they-contain-i-love-them-as-objects/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“To the naked eye, he’s decent kissing height if I wear platforms, though of course a live test will be required before official certification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/to-the-naked-eye-he-s-decent-kissing-height-if-i-wear-platforms/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [You almost hold up your piece of paper and say, ‘The girl I like just gave me a treasure map to herself.’ But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/you-almost-hold-up-your-piece-of-paper-and-say-the-girl-i-like-just/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“...You are not just going to vanish like this, Karou. This isn't some goddamn Narnia book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/you-are-not-just-going-to-vanish-like-this-karou-this-isn-t-some/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/have-you-ever-asked-yourself-do-monsters-make-war-or-does-war-make/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“She told Mik, "You have perfect violin-playing muscles." "And you, with your mighty puppeteer arms. We put the chimaera to shame." She stopped fanning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/she-told-mik-you-have-perfect-violin-playing-muscles-and-you-with/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [As far back as she could remember, a phantom life had mocked her with its impenetrable “something else,” but now it was the opposite.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/as-far-back-as-she-could-remember-a-phantom-life-had-mocked-her-with/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“By the time the plan's wheels touched down on a desolate stretch of desert runway, the sun had cleared a ridge of mountains and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/by-the-time-the-plan-s-wheels-touched-down-on-a-desolate-stretch-of/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“It was hard to imagine feeling that magical tingling sensation in the pit of her belly anytime soon. Best not to worry about it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/it-was-hard-to-imagine-feeling-that-magical-tingling-sensation-in-the/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [Staring at her face, she began to fancy her outer layer had begun to melt away while she wasn't paying attention, and something --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/staring-at-her-face-she-began-to-fancy-her-outer-layer-had-begun-to/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“He listened like a cactus drinks the rain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/he-listened-like-a-cactus-drinks-the-rain/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [Around Mik, my powers desert me. I lose basic motor function, like my brain focuses all neural activity on my lips and shifts into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/around-mik-my-powers-desert-me-i-lose-basic-motor-function-like-my/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [Everything lined up. It has been easy, as if it were meant-" "Meant!" she said, amazed. She spun to face him, which, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/everything-lined-up-it-has-been-easy-as-if-it-were-meant-meant-she/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) [Explore all 715 Laini Taylor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) ## More Dividing quotes > [A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-erhard/a-compromise-is-the-art-of-dividing-a-cake-in-such-a-way-that/) [Ludwig Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-erhard/) > [The fellow who says he'll meet you halfway usually thinks he's standing on the dividing line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-aloysius-battista/the-fellow-who-says-he-ll-meet-you-halfway-usually-thinks-he-s/) [Orlando Aloysius Battista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-aloysius-battista/) > [What neo-capitalism does so brilliantly is that it's always subdividing and dividing, so that people are never able to be joined in their numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/what-neo-capitalism-does-so-brilliantly-is-that-it-s-always/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Between calculated risk and reckless decision-making lies the dividing line between profit and loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/between-calculated-risk-and-reckless-decision-making-lies-the/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Friendship makes prosperity more brilliant, and lightens adversity by dividing and sharing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-makes-prosperity-more-brilliant-and-lightens-adversity-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/if-we-are-to-have-another-contest-in-the-near-future-of-our-national/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [We often forget that Spain controlled big parts of Europe, in Italy and the Netherlands. In the Middle Ages, Spain and Portugal were so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-fisher/we-often-forget-that-spain-controlled-big-parts-of-europe-in-italy/) [Max Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-fisher/) > [The geometry reveals five development direction for applications (each with endless possibilities); dividing, dwelling, trestle, fenestration and artistic installation. I find these enabled designs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dror-benshetrit/the-geometry-reveals-five-development-direction-for-applications-each/) [Dror Benshetrit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dror-benshetrit/) > [She bent her finger and then straightened it. The mystery was in the instant before it moved, the dividing moment between not moving and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/she-bent-her-finger-and-then-straightened-it-the-mystery-was-in-the/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Well, I think that there's a very thin dividing line between success and failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/well-i-think-that-there-s-a-very-thin-dividing-line-between-success/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hospitality-means-primarily-the-creation-of-free-space-where-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Religion is here to unite us. It's not here to divide us. If it's dividing us, it's not God's religion, it's something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamza-yusuf/religion-is-here-to-unite-us-it-s-not-here-to-divide-us-if-it-s/) [Hamza Yusuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamza-yusuf/) > [So many things in the world have happened before. But it's like they never did. Every new thing that happens to a person, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/so-many-things-in-the-world-have-happened-before-but-it-s-like-they/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [It's a reality of film festivals that you can't see everything. 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