--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live in a moment of history where…" description: "\"We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing.\" — R. D. Laing" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/r-d-laing-4861_change_we-live-in-a-moment-of-history-where-cha_58828.jpg" --- # We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded… ![“We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing.” quote by R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/r-d-laing-4861_change_we-live-in-a-moment-of-history-where-cha_58828.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/r-d-laing-4861_change_we-live-in-a-moment-of-history-where-cha_58828.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/r-d-laing-4861_change_we-live-in-a-moment-of-history-where-cha_58828.jpg) > “We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing.” [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The rapid pace of societal transformation makes the present fleeting, so we only recognize it after it has passed. **In simple terms:** Speed of change obscures the present. Key Takeaway Change outpaces perception. Themes impermanence perception time societal change awareness Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - observing cultural trends - reflecting on personal growth - analyzing technological impact Key Concepts temporality cognitive lag historical acceleration Practical Applications - future forecasting - strategic planning Questions to Reflect On - How does rapid change affect our sense of stability? - What can we do to stay present amid acceleration? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Speeded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-speeded-809282/) [Disappearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappearing/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-change-809280/) [Moment History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment-history-589085/) [Present Disappearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-disappearing-809278/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [It's hard to understand a moment in history when you are in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/it-s-hard-to-understand-a-moment-in-history-when-you-are-in-it/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > [“But there comes a moment in history when ignorance is no longer a forgivable offense … a”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/but-there-comes-a-moment-in-history-when-ignorance-is-no-longer-a/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Everyone has a moment in history which belongs particularly to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/everyone-has-a-moment-in-history-which-belongs-particularly-to-him/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [This time, we're living in such a crazy moment in history. People still write and talk about Watergate, which was such a huge, looming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patterson-hood/this-time-we-re-living-in-such-a-crazy-moment-in-history-people-still/) [Patterson Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patterson-hood/) > [There is a moment in the history of every nation, when . . . the perceptive powers reach their ripeness and have not yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsilio-ficino/there-is-a-moment-in-the-history-of-every-nation-when-the-perceptive/) [Marsilio Ficino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsilio-ficino/) > [The current state of knowledge is a moment in history, changing just as rapidly as the state of knowledge in the past has ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-current-state-of-knowledge-is-a-moment-in-history-changing-just/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [We live in a moment in history in which our privacy may not be important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-nolan/we-live-in-a-moment-in-history-in-which-our-privacy-may-not-be/) [Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-nolan/) > [I always wondered what it was like to be just a normal kid growing up in trying times or during a great moment in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-lasky/i-always-wondered-what-it-was-like-to-be-just-a-normal-kid-growing-up/) [Kathryn Lasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-lasky/) > [“Somehow they felt they were living in a moment when history pauses and takes stock and changes course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/somehow-they-felt-they-were-living-in-a-moment-when-history-pauses/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [We look back to the most important moment in our history, and that becomes the dividing line between what we were and what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-look-back-to-the-most-important-moment-in-our-history-and-that/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Each moment in history is a fleeting time, precious and unique. But some stand out as moments of beginning, in which courses are set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/each-moment-in-history-is-a-fleeting-time-precious-and-unique-but/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [Everyone has a moment in history which belongs particularly to him. It is the moment when his emotions achieve their most powerful sway over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/everyone-has-a-moment-in-history-which-belongs-particularly-to-him-it/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [This is a moment in history where it is almost hard to catch your breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/this-is-a-moment-in-history-where-it-is-almost-hard-to-catch-your/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [You don't realize 'till you get here what a moment in history you're a part of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-brooks/you-don-t-realize-till-you-get-here-what-a-moment-in-history-you-re-a/) [Meredith Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-brooks/) > [“Americans lived in the moment, without history and thus without prophecy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/americans-lived-in-the-moment-without-history-and-thus-without/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) ## More by R. D. Laing > [To live in the past or in the future may be less satisfying than to live in the present, but it can never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/to-live-in-the-past-or-in-the-future-may-be-less-satisfying-than-to/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [We must remember that we are living in an age in which the ground is shifting and the foundations are shaking. I cannot answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/we-must-remember-that-we-are-living-in-an-age-in-which-the-ground-is/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [Our behavior is a function of our experience. We act according to the way we see things. If our experience is destroyed, our behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/our-behavior-is-a-function-of-our-experience-we-act-according-to-the/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [How do we define, how do we describe, how do we explain and/or understand ourselves? What sort of creatures do we take ourselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/how-do-we-define-how-do-we-describe-how-do-we-explain-and-or/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [There is a great deal of pain in life and perhaps the only pain that can be avoided is the pain that comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/there-is-a-great-deal-of-pain-in-life-and-perhaps-the-only-pain-that/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/the-range-of-what-we-think-and-do-is-limited-by-what-we-fail-to/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/the-range-of-what-we-think-and-do-is-limited-by-what-we-fail-to-notice/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [In the society of men the truth resides now less in what things are than in what they are not. Our social realities are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/in-the-society-of-men-the-truth-resides-now-less-in-what-things-are/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [The schizophrenic may indeed be mad. He is mad. He is not ill. I have been told by people who have been through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/the-schizophrenic-may-indeed-be-mad-he-is-mad-he-is-not-ill-i-have/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [What is to be done? We who are still half alive, living in the often fibrillating heartland of a senescent capitalism -- can we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/what-is-to-be-done-we-who-are-still-half-alive-living-in-the-often/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [From the alienated starting point of our pseudo-sanity, everything is equivocal. Our sanity is not "true" sanity. Their madness is not "true" madness. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/from-the-alienated-starting-point-of-our-pseudo-sanity-everything-is/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [In describing one way of going mad, I shall try to show that there is a comprehensible transition from the sane schizoid way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/in-describing-one-way-of-going-mad-i-shall-try-to-show-that-there-is/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [Doctors have throughout time made fortunes on killing their patients with their cures. The difference in psychiatry is that it is the death of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/doctors-have-throughout-time-made-fortunes-on-killing-their-patients/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [A psychiatrist who professes to be a healer of souls, but who keeps people asleep, treats them for waking up, and drugs them asleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/a-psychiatrist-who-professes-to-be-a-healer-of-souls-but-who-keeps/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [The truth brings with it a great measure of absolution, always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/the-truth-brings-with-it-a-great-measure-of-absolution-always/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) [Explore all 105 R. D. Laing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "R. 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