--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is in life only one moment and in…" description: "\"There is in life only one moment and in eternity only one. It is so brief that it is represented by the fleeting of a luminous mote through the thin ra..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/mark-twain-22_billions_there-is-in-life-only-one-moment-and-in_2301419.png" --- # There is in life only one moment and in eternity only one… ![“There is in life only one moment and in eternity only one. It is so brief that it is represented by the fleeting of a luminous mote through the thin ray of sunlight - and it is visible but a fraction of a second. The moments that preceded it have been lived, are forgotten and are without value…” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/mark-twain-22_billions_there-is-in-life-only-one-moment-and-in_2301419.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/mark-twain-22_billions_there-is-in-life-only-one-moment-and-in_2301419.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/mark-twain-22_billions_there-is-in-life-only-one-moment-and-in_2301419.png) > “There is in life only one moment and in eternity only one. It is so brief that it is represented by the fleeting of a luminous mote through the thin ray of sunlight - and it is visible but a fraction of a second. The moments that preceded it have been lived, are forgotten and are without value; the moments that have not been lived have no existence and will have no value except in the moment that each shall be lived. While you are asleep you are dead; and whether you stay dead an hour or a billion years the time to you is the same.” [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s only true value lies in the present instant; past is gone, future unknown, and time feels the same whether awake or asleep. **In simple terms:** Only the present matters. Key Takeaway Focus on now. Themes presence time existence Mood contemplative reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily decisions - meditation - stress management - creative work Key Concepts impermanence mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor each moment? - What does “time feels the same” mean to you? A Different Perspective Neglecting future planning can lead to unpreparedness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Billions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billions/) [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Fleeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleeting/) [Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgotten/) [Fractions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fractions/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lived Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lived-existence-5440568/) [Luminous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luminous/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Moment Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment-eternity-380866/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Rays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rays/) [Represented Fleeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/represented-fleeting-5440569/) [Sunlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunlight/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Visible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visible/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [I think about my mother every day. But usually the thoughts are fleeting - she crosses my mind like a spring cardinal that flies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-o-rourke/i-think-about-my-mother-every-day-but-usually-the-thoughts-are/) [Meghan O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-o-rourke/) > [“The Blissful Eternity of this Moment. The Wonder in this Moment of Eternity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-nicolai/the-blissful-eternity-of-this-moment-the-wonder-in-this-moment-of/) [ELLE NICOLAI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-nicolai/) > [Every moment is an eternity in itself. Bliss is the present moment and each and everyone of us needs to understand this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/every-moment-is-an-eternity-in-itself-bliss-is-the-present-moment-and/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [We all live in the space between one moment and eternity. We meet and part. 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This moment...this day...is as good as any moment in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-custer/i-have-lived-all-my-life-up-to-this-moment-to-come-to-this-day-this/) [Dan Custer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-custer/) > [“... each one of us will face a moment when eternity whispers into our hearts, This is your time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/each-one-of-us-will-face-a-moment-when-eternity-whispers-into-our/) [Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/) > [It was the meanest moment of eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-was-the-meanest-moment-of-eternity/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [“It is a moment, and it is eternity. It is the centre of the universe and it is the universe itself. The eternal light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-nesbit/it-is-a-moment-and-it-is-eternity-it-is-the-centre-of-the-universe/) [Edith Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-nesbit/) > [Surrender, I give in another moment is another eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killswitch-engage/surrender-i-give-in-another-moment-is-another-eternity/) [Killswitch Engage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killswitch-engage/) > [Photography is, for me, a spontaneous impulse coming from an ever attentive eye which captures the moment and its eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/photography-is-for-me-a-spontaneous-impulse-coming-from-an-ever/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [In tragedy every moment is eternity; in comedy, eternity is a moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/in-tragedy-every-moment-is-eternity-in-comedy-eternity-is-a-moment/) [Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/) > [“I adore you, my greatest love, as only through you I can find my moment’s eternity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/i-adore-you-my-greatest-love-as-only-through-you-i-can-find-my-moment/) [Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/) ## More by Mark Twain > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. 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Nothing is above its reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-nothing-training-can-t-cannot-do-nothing-is-above-its-reach/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-write-metropolis-for-seven-cents-because-i-can-get-the-same/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The higher animals get their teeth without pain or inconvenience. 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