--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To abandon the present in order to look…" description: "\"To abandon the present in order to look for things in the future is to throw away the substance and hold onto the shadow.\" — Nhat Hanh" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/nhat-hanh-515_abandon_to-abandon-the-present-in-order-to-look_2165309.png" --- # To abandon the present in order to look for things in the… ![“To abandon the present in order to look for things in the future is to throw away the substance and hold onto the shadow.” quote by Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/nhat-hanh-515_abandon_to-abandon-the-present-in-order-to-look_2165309.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/nhat-hanh-515_abandon_to-abandon-the-present-in-order-to-look_2165309.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/nhat-hanh-515_abandon_to-abandon-the-present-in-order-to-look_2165309.png) > “To abandon the present in order to look for things in the future is to throw away the substance and hold onto the shadow.” [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing on future possibilities while neglecting present reality loses true substance and clings to illusion. **In simple terms:** Looking ahead too much makes you miss the now. Key Takeaway Stay present, value current experiences. Themes mindfulness presence illusion reality Mood contemplative calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily meditation - decision making - goal setting - stress management Key Concepts impermanence attachment awareness Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance planning with being present? - What present moments do you overlook? A Different Perspective Future focus can cause anxiety and neglect of present duties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon/) [Abandon Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon-present-2880698/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Hold Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hold-shadow-3795644/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Substance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substance/) [Throw Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/throw-away/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [If you abandon the present moment, you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/if-you-abandon-the-present-moment-you-cannot-live-the-moments-of-your/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [In order to be somebody you have to hold even your shadow in high regard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-order-to-be-somebody-you-have-to-hold-even-your-shadow-in-high/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“In our hands we hold the shadow of our hands. The night is kind―the others do not see us holding our shadow. We reinforce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yannis-ritsos/in-our-hands-we-hold-the-shadow-of-our-hands-the-night-is-kind-the/) [Yannis Ritsos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yannis-ritsos/) > [“Perfection is, however, not to be sought in the future, as we are fully capable of experiencing it here and now, if we abandon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-m-wanderer/perfection-is-however-not-to-be-sought-in-the-future-as-we-are-fully/) [Frank M. 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Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) > [Man is a torch borne in the wind; a dream But of a shadow, summed with all his substance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-chapman/man-is-a-torch-borne-in-the-wind-a-dream-but-of-a-shadow-summed-with/) [George Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-chapman/) > [A myth is far truer than a history, for a history only gives a story of the shadows, whereas a myth gives a story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/a-myth-is-far-truer-than-a-history-for-a-history-only-gives-a-story/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [When a shadow flits across the landscape of the soul where is the substance?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-a-shadow-flits-across-the-landscape-of-the-soul-where-is-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [God is the highest good of the reasonable creature. 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You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [every subjective phenomenon is essentially connected with a single point of view, and it seems inevitable that an objective, physical theory will abandon that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/every-subjective-phenomenon-is-essentially-connected-with-a-single/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [Can you dissolve your ego? Can you abandon the idea of self and other? Can you relinquish the notions of male and female, short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/can-you-dissolve-your-ego-can-you-abandon-the-idea-of-self-and-other/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Every great thing starts with an idea, followed by a doubt and finally a resolve to abandon or pursue. Victory is a treacherous journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/every-great-thing-starts-with-an-idea-followed-by-a-doubt-and-finally/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/those-who-have-been-once-intoxicated-with-power-and-have-derived-any/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. 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