--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Creativity exists in the present moment…" description: "\"Creativity exists in the present moment. You can't find it anywhere else.\" — Natalie Goldberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/natalie-goldberg-1741_creativity_creativity-exists-in-the-present-moment_1805807.png" --- # Creativity exists in the present moment. You can't find it… ![“Creativity exists in the present moment. You can't find it anywhere else.” quote by Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/natalie-goldberg-1741_creativity_creativity-exists-in-the-present-moment_1805807.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/natalie-goldberg-1741_creativity_creativity-exists-in-the-present-moment_1805807.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/natalie-goldberg-1741_creativity_creativity-exists-in-the-present-moment_1805807.png) > “Creativity exists in the present moment. You can't find it anywhere else.” [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity is only accessible when fully present, not in past or future. **In simple terms:** Creativity lives in the present. Key Takeaway Stay present to create. Themes mindfulness creativity presence Mood calm focused Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - painting - music composition - improvisation - writing Key Concepts flow state spontaneity Questions to Reflect On - What practices keep you grounded? - How does presence affect your ideas? A Different Perspective Future focus can block creative flow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-moment/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There exists only the present instant... a Now which always and without end is itself new. There is no yesterday nor any tomorrow, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/there-exists-only-the-present-instant-a-now-which-always-and-without/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [If you're having difficulty coming up with new ideas, then slow down. For me, slowing down has been a tremendous source of creativity. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-re-having-difficulty-coming-up-with-new-ideas-then-slow-down/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Creativity exists more in the searching than in the finding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/creativity-exists-more-in-the-searching-than-in-the-finding/) [Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/) > [There is one undeniable truth about our body: it only exists in the present moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kuypers/there-is-one-undeniable-truth-about-our-body-it-only-exists-in-the/) [John Kuypers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kuypers/) > [“Writing is the voices inside our heads, our minds, the creativity that exists for us to, from nothing, create alternate worlds, manipulate a personality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allie-burke/writing-is-the-voices-inside-our-heads-our-minds-the-creativity-that/) [Allie Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allie-burke/) > [The field of creativity that exists within each individual is freed by moving out of ideas of wrong-doing or right-doing. If we can answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angeles-arrien/the-field-of-creativity-that-exists-within-each-individual-is-freed/) [Angeles Arrien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angeles-arrien/) > [The real nature of the present revealed itself: it was what exists, all that was not present did not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-real-nature-of-the-present-revealed-itself-it-was-what-exists-all/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [There exists only the present instant ... There is no yesterday nor any tomorrow, but only Now ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/there-exists-only-the-present-instant-there-is-no-yesterday-nor-any/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [All the happiness and fulfillment that humans yearn for exists in the present moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/all-the-happiness-and-fulfillment-that-humans-yearn-for-exists-in-the/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I always imagined I would have a life very different from the one that was imagined for me, but I understood from a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonor-fini/i-always-imagined-i-would-have-a-life-very-different-from-the-one/) [Leonor Fini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonor-fini/) > [History is weirdly dismissed as not having anything to do with the present moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaby-hoffmann/history-is-weirdly-dismissed-as-not-having-anything-to-do-with-the/) [Gaby Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaby-hoffmann/) > [We should concentrate on the present moment , which is the only field of action. Any action is possible only in the present moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/we-should-concentrate-on-the-present-moment-which-is-the-only-field/) Senoraroy > [“Hygge happens when we commit to the pleasure of the present moment in its simplicity. It's there in the things we do that give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-thomsen-brits/hygge-happens-when-we-commit-to-the-pleasure-of-the-present-moment-in/) [Louisa Thomsen Brits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-thomsen-brits/) > [The more we try to catch hold of the present moment the more elusive it becomes. It is like trying to clutch water in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-more-we-try-to-catch-hold-of-the-present-moment-the-more-elusive/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [When you are not honoring the present moment by allowing it to be, you are creating drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-are-not-honoring-the-present-moment-by-allowing-it-to-be-you/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) ## More by Natalie Goldberg > [“We heard about people who go back to their roots. That is good, but don't get stuck in the root. There is the branch,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/we-heard-about-people-who-go-back-to-their-roots-that-is-good-but-don/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Over and over, we have to go back to the beginning. We should not be ashamed of this. It is good. It's like drinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/over-and-over-we-have-to-go-back-to-the-beginning-we-should-not-be/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I feel very rich when I have time to write and very poor when I get a regular paycheck and no time at my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-feel-very-rich-when-i-have-time-to-write-and-very-poor-when-i-get-a/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Actually, when I look at my old notebooks, I think I have been a bit self-indulgent and have given myself too much time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/actually-when-i-look-at-my-old-notebooks-i-think-i-have-been-a-bit/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Our bodies are garbage heaps: we collect experience, and from the decomposition of the thrown-out eggshells, spinach leaves, coffee grinds, and old steak bones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/our-bodies-are-garbage-heaps-we-collect-experience-and-from-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Know that you will eventually have to leave everything behind; the writing will demand it of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/know-that-you-will-eventually-have-to-leave-everything-behind-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [To encounter a fine book and have time to read it is a wonderful thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/to-encounter-a-fine-book-and-have-time-to-read-it-is-a-wonderful-thing/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [In the past few years I've assigned books to be read before a student attends one of my weeklong seminars. I have been astonished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/in-the-past-few-years-i-ve-assigned-books-to-be-read-before-a-student/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [“When you draw and pay attention to what is, it's a form of being present. This inspires the mind, makes it happy, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/when-you-draw-and-pay-attention-to-what-is-it-s-a-form-of-being/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Poetry is a dumb Buddha who thinks a donkey is as important as a diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/poetry-is-a-dumb-buddha-who-thinks-a-donkey-is-as-important-as-a/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I told all kinds of stories about going to Japan, about playing ball with my father... I wanted to record my life in case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-told-all-kinds-of-stories-about-going-to-japan-about-playing-ball/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [“No matter what a person does to cover up and conceal themselves, when we write and lose control, I can spot a person from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/no-matter-what-a-person-does-to-cover-up-and-conceal-themselves-when/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [To stay close and intimate with experience is to stay close to the mind; the nitty gritty mind of the way things really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/to-stay-close-and-intimate-with-experience-is-to-stay-close-to-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I read Eve Ensler and thought it was fabulous. Not only that, but it was really the only thing I could relate to about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-read-eve-ensler-and-thought-it-was-fabulous-not-only-that-but-it/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [If you feel bored or uncomfortable as you're writing, ask yourself what's bothering you and write about that. Sometimes your creative energy is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-feel-bored-or-uncomfortable-as-you-re-writing-ask-yourself/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Explore all 212 Natalie Goldberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) Andrei Amalrik > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [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/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) Christoph Niemann > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Creativity exists in the present moment. 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