--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a man carefully examine his thoughts…" description: "\"If a man carefully examine his thoughts he will be surprised to find how much he lives in the future. His well-being is always ahead. Such a creature i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_creatures_if-a-man-carefully-examine-his-thoughts_2921231.png" --- # If a man carefully examine his thoughts he will be… ![“If a man carefully examine his thoughts he will be surprised to find how much he lives in the future. His well-being is always ahead. Such a creature is probably immortal.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_creatures_if-a-man-carefully-examine-his-thoughts_2921231.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_creatures_if-a-man-carefully-examine-his-thoughts_2921231.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_creatures_if-a-man-carefully-examine-his-thoughts_2921231.png) > “If a man carefully examine his thoughts he will be surprised to find how much he lives in the future. His well-being is always ahead. Such a creature is probably immortal.” [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often live more in imagined futures than present reality, surprising ourselves with how much our mind dwells ahead. **In simple terms:** We spend too much time thinking about future life. Key Takeaway Focus on present moments to balance future planning. Themes mindfulness future orientation self-awareness Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - decision making - goal setting - stress management - creative work - personal growth Key Concepts psychology temporal perception existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does future‑focused thinking affect your daily well‑being? - What practices help you stay grounded? A Different Perspective Living only in the future can cause anxiety and neglect of present needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creatures/) [Examine Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/examine-thoughts-2161583/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Immortal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortal/) [Lives Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-future-1249556/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Probably Immortal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probably-immortal-4257383/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Well being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-being/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [In a way I'm probably immortal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-cruijff/in-a-way-i-m-probably-immortal/) [Johan Cruijff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-cruijff/) > [When you notice an unhelpful emotion or a shift in mood, or when you notice that you're doing something you know can cause problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kinderman/when-you-notice-an-unhelpful-emotion-or-a-shift-in-mood-or-when-you/) [Peter Kinderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kinderman/) > [If you cannot be the master of your language, you must be its slave. 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Change those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/some-of-the-things-you-believe-were-never-true-they-were-someone-else/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [If we examine our thoughts, we shall find them always occupied with the past or the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/if-we-examine-our-thoughts-we-shall-find-them-always-occupied-with-2/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [If we examine our thoughts, we shall find them always occupied with the past and the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/if-we-examine-our-thoughts-we-shall-find-them-always-occupied-with/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Let each of us examine his thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/let-each-of-us-examine-his-thoughts/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“Like the wild beasts, she lives without a future. She inhabits only the present tense, a fugue of the continuous, a world of sensual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/like-the-wild-beasts-she-lives-without-a-future-she-inhabits-only-the/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [As youth lives in the future, so the adult lives in the past: No one rightly knows how to live in the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/as-youth-lives-in-the-future-so-the-adult-lives-in-the-past-no-one/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [Taurus looks only towards the future and lives only for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/taurus-looks-only-towards-the-future-and-lives-only-for-the-future/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The truly important people in our lives are always in our future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-baratono/the-truly-important-people-in-our-lives-are-always-in-our-future/) [Ron Baratono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-baratono/) > [Life is an operation which is done in a forward direction. One lives toward the future, because to live consists inexorably in doing, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/life-is-an-operation-which-is-done-in-a-forward-direction-one-lives/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [No I'm nt SinGle I'm in a long DisTnce RealtnShip bcoz mY GF lives in FuTure!!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arkay/no-i-m-nt-single-i-m-in-a-long-distnce-realtnship-bcoz-my-gf-lives-in/) [Arkay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arkay/) > [“The oldest thing of all is the present, because there's never been anything else but present. No one has ever lived in the past,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mulisch/the-oldest-thing-of-all-is-the-present-because-there-s-never-been/) [Harry Mulisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mulisch/) > [“Our lives and the lives of future generations do not only depend on the conflicts that take place, but also on the solutions we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akreyi/our-lives-and-the-lives-of-future-generations-do-not-only-depend-on/) [Widad Akreyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akreyi/) ## More by Ralph Waldo Emerson > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. 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Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I am; therefore, I had nothing better to do than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-am-therefore-i-had-nothing-better-to-do-than-to-think/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) [Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More Creatures quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. 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They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) [Browse all 3,703 Creatures quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creatures/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If a man carefully examine his thoughts he will be surprised to find how much he lives in the future. His well-being is always ahead. 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