--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now is the only time. How we relate to it…" description: "\"Now is the only time. How we relate to it creates the future. In other words, if we're going to be more cheerful in the future, it's because of our asp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aspiration_now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it_2697425.jpg" --- # Now is the only time. How we relate to it creates the… ![“Now is the only time. How we relate to it creates the future. In other words, if we're going to be more cheerful in the future, it's because of our aspiration and exertion to be cheerful in the present. What we do accumulates; the future is the result of what we do right now.” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aspiration_now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it_2697425.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aspiration_now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it_2697425.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aspiration_now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it_2697425.jpg) > “Now is the only time. How we relate to it creates the future. In other words, if we're going to be more cheerful in the future, it's because of our aspiration and exertion to be cheerful in the present. What we do accumulates; the future is the result of what we do right now.” [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Present actions shape future outcomes; cultivating cheerfulness now builds a brighter future. **In simple terms:** Current actions determine future. Key Takeaway Act cheerfully now for a better future. Themes mindset future action cheerfulness Mood hopeful motivational Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - daily routines - goal setting - habit formation Key Concepts positive psychology intentional living Questions to Reflect On - What small cheerful habit can you start today? - How does present mindset affect long‑term goals? A Different Perspective Future is uncertain; external factors also influence outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accumulates Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accumulates-future-2706910/) [Aspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiration/) [Cheerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheerful/) [Cheerful Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheerful-future-2706911/) [Creates Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creates-future-2104370/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Exertion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exertion/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Future Aspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-aspiration-2706912/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Only time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only-time/) [Present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-moment/) [Relate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relate/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Now is the only time. How we relate to it creates the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it-creates-the-future/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Be alive to every moment as today passes as yesterday and it becomes a history. Make today as gift of the moment and extract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-sinha/be-alive-to-every-moment-as-today-passes-as-yesterday-and-it-becomes/) [Anil Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-sinha/) > [Be mindful of intention. Intention is the seed that creates our future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/be-mindful-of-intention-intention-is-the-seed-that-creates-our-future/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [Psychoanalysts are fond of pointing out that the past is alive in the present. But the future is alive in the present too. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-grosz/psychoanalysts-are-fond-of-pointing-out-that-the-past-is-alive-in-the/) [Stephen Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-grosz/) > [Technology is important because it creates the future. We're able to be a part of the "next" and create things that don't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-hammer/technology-is-important-because-it-creates-the-future-we-re-able-to/) [MC Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-hammer/) > [Intolerance of your present creates your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-murdock/intolerance-of-your-present-creates-your-future/) [Mike Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-murdock/) > [The future is the result of what we do right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-future-is-the-result-of-what-we-do-right-now/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Perhaps the chief cause which has retarded the progress of poetry in America, is the want of that exclusive cultivation, which so noble a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/perhaps-the-chief-cause-which-has-retarded-the-progress-of-poetry-in/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Before thou callest a man hero or genius, investigate whether his exertion has features of indelibility; for all that is celestial, all genius, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/before-thou-callest-a-man-hero-or-genius-investigate-whether-his/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [Nowledge is not a passion from without the mind, but an active exertion of the inward strength, vigor and power of the mind, displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-cudworth/nowledge-is-not-a-passion-from-without-the-mind-but-an-active/) [Ralph Cudworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-cudworth/) > [“He was dangerous. And difficult. And he was all mine. Sometimes in the morning, when he worked in the gym one floor below, I’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-was-dangerous-and-difficult-and-he-was-all-mine-sometimes-in-the/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [All that the Y.M.C.A.'s horse and rings really accomplished was to fill me with an ineradicable distaste, not only for Christian endeavor in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/all-that-the-y-m-c-a-s-horse-and-rings-really-accomplished-was-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Used with due abstinence, hope acts as a healthful tonic; intemperately indulged, as an enervating opiate. The visions of future triumph, which at first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fitzjames-stephen/used-with-due-abstinence-hope-acts-as-a-healthful-tonic-intemperately/) [James Fitzjames Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fitzjames-stephen/) > [There are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the other with habits of indolence. The first is a virtue; the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/there-are-two-sorts-of-content-one-is-connected-with-exertion-the/) [Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/) > [“It is not the actual, physical exertion that counts towards one’s progress, not the nature of the task but by the spirit of faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-not-the-actual-physical-exertion-that-counts-towards-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Pema Chodron > [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) [Explore all 664 Pema Chodron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Aspiration quotes > [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-were-all-children-once-and-we-all-share-the-desire-for-the-well/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Noise has taken the place of punk rock. People who play noise have no real aspirations to being part of the mainstream culture. Punk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-moore/noise-has-taken-the-place-of-punk-rock-people-who-play-noise-have-no/) [Thurston Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-moore/) > [“A responsible woman doesn’t see opportunities and needs and look the other way pretending not to see them rather she gets to work to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agu-jaachynma-n-e/a-responsible-woman-doesn-t-see-opportunities-and-needs-and-look-the/) [Agu Jaachynma N.E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agu-jaachynma-n-e/) > [Our task today is to bring India to the threshold of the twenty-first century, free of burden of poverty, legacy of our colonial past,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajiv-gandhi/our-task-today-is-to-bring-india-to-the-threshold-of-the-twenty-first/) [Rajiv Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajiv-gandhi/) > [I know well, Monsieur, how much you have to endure in your present duty, and I ask Our Lord to strengthen you in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-know-well-monsieur-how-much-you-have-to-endure-in-your-present-duty/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [“Don't die without fulfilling your purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/don-t-die-without-fulfilling-your-purpose/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [“Eschew evil and it's machinations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/eschew-evil-and-it-s-machinations/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [ One of the great crimes of the Bloomberg/Klein administration \[in New York City\] is that they've removed themselves from communities, as if communities have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/one-of-the-great-crimes-of-the-bloomberg-klein-administration-in-new/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [You boys know what tropism is, it's what makes a plant grow toward the light. Everything aspires to the light. You don't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/you-boys-know-what-tropism-is-it-s-what-makes-a-plant-grow-toward-the/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [The world of rumor and gossip is like a privileged world with which a social scientist or an anthropologist can take the temperature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-scott/the-world-of-rumor-and-gossip-is-like-a-privileged-world-with-which-a/) [James C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-scott/) > [“Don't let any situation intimidate you anymore, don't accept defeat anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/don-t-let-any-situation-intimidate-you-anymore-don-t-accept-defeat/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [The most important part of our lives-our sensations, emotions, desires, and aspirations-takes place in a universe of illusions which science can attenuate or destroy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/the-most-important-part-of-our-lives-our-sensations-emotions-desires/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) [Browse all 1,137 Aspiration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Now is the only time. How we relate to it creates the future. In other words, if we're going to be more cheerful in the future, it's because of our aspiration and exertion to be cheerful in the present. What we do accumulates; the future is the result of what we do right now.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pema Chodron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it-creates-the-future-in-other/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aspiration" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it-creates-the-future-in-other/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aspiration_now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it_2697425.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aspiration_now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it_2697425.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aspiration_now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it_2697425.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Now is the only time. How we relate to it creates the future. In other words, if we're going to be more…” — Pema Chodron", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Pema Chodron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Now is the only time. How...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it-creates-the-future-in-other/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/now-is-the-only-time-how-we-relate-to-it-creates-the-future-in-other/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```