--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you dread tomorrow it's because you…" description: "\"“If you dread tomorrow it's because you don't know how to build the present, and when you don't know how to build the present, you tell yourself you ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/muriel-barbery-1092_every-day_if-you-dread-tomorrow-it-s-because-you-d_920512.jpg" --- # If you dread tomorrow it's because you don't know how to… ![“If you dread tomorrow it's because you don't know how to build the present, and when you don't know how to build the present, you tell yourself you can deal with it tomorrow, and it's a lost cause anyway because tomorrow always ends up being today don't you see ... We have to live with the…” quote by Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/muriel-barbery-1092_every-day_if-you-dread-tomorrow-it-s-because-you-d_920512.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/muriel-barbery-1092_every-day_if-you-dread-tomorrow-it-s-because-you-d_920512.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/muriel-barbery-1092_every-day_if-you-dread-tomorrow-it-s-because-you-d_920512.jpg) > ““If you dread tomorrow it's because you don't know how to build the present, and when you don't know how to build the present, you tell yourself you can deal with it tomorrow, and it's a lost cause anyway because tomorrow always ends up being today don't you see ... We have to live with the certainty that we'll get old and that it won't look nice or be good or feel happy. And tell ourselves that it's now that matters: to build something now at any price using all our strength. Always remember that there's a retirement home waiting somewhere and so we have to surpass ourselves every day, make every day undying. Climb our own personal Everest and do it in such a way that every step is a little bit of eternity. That's what the future is for: to build the present with real plans made by living people.”” [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Live fully now, building present actions with urgency, because future becomes present. **In simple terms:** Act now, cherish each moment. Key Takeaway Prioritize present creation. Themes time urgency self‑improvement mortality Mood motivational reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career projects - personal health - creative pursuits Key Concepts existentialism humanism legacy Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance present effort with future planning? - What daily habit makes you feel alive? A Different Perspective Future uncertainty can cause paralysis; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Build Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build-present-1420635/) [Cause Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cause-tomorrow-1420637/) [Dread Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dread-tomorrow-262842/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Every step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-step/) [Lost cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-cause/) [Plans Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plans-living-1420636/) [Strength Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength-remember-1011379/) ## Related quotes > [..if you dread tomorrow, it's because you don't know how to build the present, you tell yourself you can deal with it tomorrow, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/if-you-dread-tomorrow-it-s-because-you-don-t-know-how-to-build-the-2/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“Just by observing the adults around me I understood very early on that life goes by in no time at all, yet they're always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/just-by-observing-the-adults-around-me-i-understood-very-early-on/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [That's what the future is for: to build the present, with real plans, made by living people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/that-s-what-the-future-is-for-to-build-the-present-with-real-plans/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [The future isn't something hidden in a corner.The future is something we build in the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-future-isn-t-something-hidden-in-a-corner-the-future-is-something/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [It isn't the experience of today that drives men mad. It is the remorse for something that happened yesterday, and the dread of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jones-burdette/it-isn-t-the-experience-of-today-that-drives-men-mad-it-is-the/) [Robert Jones Burdette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jones-burdette/) > [It is not the experience of today that drives us mad; it is remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/it-is-not-the-experience-of-today-that-drives-us-mad-it-is-remorse-or/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [That's what the future is for: to build the present, with real plans, made by living people. - The Elegance of the Hedgehog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-s-what-the-future-is-for-to-build-the-present-with-real-plans-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Quit worrying about how everything is going to turn out. Live one day at a time; better yet, make the most of this moment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/quit-worrying-about-how-everything-is-going-to-turn-out-live-one-day/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [In our manner of speech, our plans of living, our dealings with others, our conduct and walk in the church and out of it-all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-c-barnes/in-our-manner-of-speech-our-plans-of-living-our-dealings-with-others/) [Albert C. Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-c-barnes/) > [“Never lough out somebody's failure, cause tomorrow should be you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-laybourne/never-lough-out-somebody-s-failure-cause-tomorrow-should-be-you/) [Emmy Laybourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-laybourne/) > [We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time / Reach For the Sky, 'cause tomorrow may never come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-ness/we-re-not-here-for-a-long-time-we-re-here-for-a-good-time-reach-for/) [Mike Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-ness/) > [Remember that what seems zeitgeisty today is the cause of tomorrow's bafflement or, worse, ridicule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neel-mukherjee/remember-that-what-seems-zeitgeisty-today-is-the-cause-of-tomorrow-s/) [Neel Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neel-mukherjee/) > [NEVER Waste an opportunity to be with the one you love today, cause tomorrow can be the too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-waste-an-opportunity-to-be-with-the-one-you-love-today-cause/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Thank God always for another day cause tomorrow isn't promised!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thank-god-always-for-another-day-cause-tomorrow-isn-t-promised/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It is the knowledge that I'm going to die that creates the focus that I bring to being alive; the urgency of accomplishment; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/it-is-the-knowledge-that-i-m-going-to-die-that-creates-the-focus-that/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More by Muriel Barbery > [“Those who can, do; those who can't, teach; those who can't teach, teach the teachers; and those who can't teach the teachers go into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/those-who-can-do-those-who-can-t-teach-those-who-can-t-teach-teach/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [What is writing, no matter how lavish the pieces, if it says nothing of the truth, cares little for the heart, and is merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/what-is-writing-no-matter-how-lavish-the-pieces-if-it-says-nothing-of/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Live or die: mere consequences of what you have built. What matters is building well. So here we are I've assigned myself a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/live-or-die-mere-consequences-of-what-you-have-built-what-matters-is/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“A terroir only exists by virtue of one's childhood mythology . . . we have invented these words of tradition rooted deep in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/a-terroir-only-exists-by-virtue-of-one-s-childhood-mythology-we-have/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“The tea ritual: such a precise repetition of the same gestures and the same tastes; accession to simple,authentic and refined sensations, a license given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/the-tea-ritual-such-a-precise-repetition-of-the-same-gestures-and-the/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [As always, I am saved by the inability of living creatures to believe anything that might cause the walls of their little mental assumptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/as-always-i-am-saved-by-the-inability-of-living-creatures-to-believe/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“I wonder if I am not turning into a contemplative . . . But those roses . They were something else. I was having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-wonder-if-i-am-not-turning-into-a-contemplative-but-those-roses/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Personally I think that grammar is a way to attain beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/personally-i-think-that-grammar-is-a-way-to-attain-beauty/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [To be poor, ugly and, moreover, intelligent condemns one in our society to a dark and disillusioned life...to beauty all is forgiven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/to-be-poor-ugly-and-moreover-intelligent-condemns-one-in-our-society/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Beautiful things should belong to beautiful souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/beautiful-things-should-belong-to-beautiful-souls/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [I know that they're all unhappy because nobody loves the right person the way they should and because they don't understand that it's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-know-that-they-re-all-unhappy-because-nobody-loves-the-right-person/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [We never look beyond our assumptions and what's worse, we have given up trying to meet others; we just meet ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/we-never-look-beyond-our-assumptions-and-what-s-worse-we-have-given/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“To rich people it must seem that the ordinary little people..experience human emotions with less intensity and greater indifference...The fact that we might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/to-rich-people-it-must-seem-that-the-ordinary-little-people/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [I may know that the world is an ugly place, I still don't want to see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-may-know-that-the-world-is-an-ugly-place-i-still-don-t-want-to-see/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“Personally I think that grammar is a way to attain Beauty. When you speak, or read, or write, you can tell if you’ve said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/personally-i-think-that-grammar-is-a-way-to-attain-beauty-when-you/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) [Explore all 250 Muriel Barbery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) ## More Every day quotes > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) [Alison James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-james/) > [OBSESSED, p.p. Vexed by an evil spirit, like the Gadarene swine and other critics. Obsession was once more common than it is now. 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He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-real-christian-in-an-odd-number-anyway-he-feels-supreme-love-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think naturally I've been kind of a lead-by-doing guy. Just showing up to work every day. You never ask teammates something you wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrell-suggs/i-think-naturally-i-ve-been-kind-of-a-lead-by-doing-guy-just-showing/) [Terrell Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrell-suggs/) > [Love is the Key started in 1994 with a simple idea: that Love is the Key that would open all the doors in life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/love-is-the-key/love-is-the-key-started-in-1994-with-a-simple-idea-that-love-is-the/) [Love Is The Key®](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/love-is-the-key/) > [Being under-recruited coming out of Highland, I've carried that with me. I keep pushing forward, keep working hard every day, keep my head on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-daniels/being-under-recruited-coming-out-of-highland-i-ve-carried-that-with/) [Mike Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-daniels/) > [“(one would say yes, if not every day, at least fairly regularly), whether only for yourself or also for others (often only for yourself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/one-would-say-yes-if-not-every-day-at-least-fairly-regularly-whether/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“Are you sure?" he asked in a low voice. "Because if I had the chance... I would spend every moment of every day with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/are-you-sure-he-asked-in-a-low-voice-because-if-i-had-the-chance-i/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [I don't think I've ever bench-pressed anything in my life. Until about two years ago I swam a mile almost every day. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-bench-pressed-anything-in-my-life-until-about/) [Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/) > [I have to justify my job every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-silva/i-have-to-justify-my-job-every-day/) [Marco Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-silva/) > [Merlin' was awesome, but the costumes would drive you insane. Every day, you'd get into chain mail and wear 30 pounds of that stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-macken/merlin-was-awesome-but-the-costumes-would-drive-you-insane-every-day/) [Eoin Macken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-macken/) > [This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. 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We have to live with the certainty that we'll get old and that it won't look nice or be good or feel happy. And tell ourselves that it's now that matters: to build something now at any price using all our strength. Always remember that there's a retirement home waiting somewhere and so we have to surpass ourselves every day, make every day undying. Climb our own personal Everest and do it in such a way that every step is a little bit of eternity. 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