--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Past and Present I know well; each is a…" description: "\"“Past and Present I know well; each is a friend and sometimes an enemy to me. But it is the quiet, beckoning Future, an absolute stranger, with whom I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0c/richelle-e-goodrich-180_friend_past-and-present-i-know-well-each-is-a-f_3036669.jpg" --- # Past and Present I know well; each is a friend and… ![“Past and Present I know well; each is a friend and sometimes an enemy to me. But it is the quiet, beckoning Future, an absolute stranger, with whom I have fallen madly in love.” quote by Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0c/richelle-e-goodrich-180_friend_past-and-present-i-know-well-each-is-a-f_3036669.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0c/richelle-e-goodrich-180_friend_past-and-present-i-know-well-each-is-a-f_3036669.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0c/richelle-e-goodrich-180_friend_past-and-present-i-know-well-each-is-a-f_3036669.jpg) > ““Past and Present I know well; each is a friend and sometimes an enemy to me. But it is the quiet, beckoning Future, an absolute stranger, with whom I have fallen madly in love.”” [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He loves the unknown future more than the familiar past, seeing both as friends and foes. **In simple terms:** Future unknown, loved more than past. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and future possibilities. Themes philosophy future love Mood hopeful contemplative Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - personal growth - creative projects Key Concepts existentialism temporal perception Questions to Reflect On - What draws you to the unknown? - How do you balance past lessons with future hopes? A Different Perspective Future may bring unforeseen challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolute Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute-stranger-4424078/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friend enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend-enemy/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Madly in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madly-in-love/) [Madly Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madly-love/) [New year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-year/) [New year's resolutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-year-s-resolutions/) [New years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-years/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past and present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-and-present/) [Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present/) [Resolutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resolutions/) [Richelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richelle/) [Richelle-e-goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richelle-e-goodrich/) [Richelle-goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richelle-goodrich/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unknown/) ## Related quotes > [“MOTHER TIME: Every New Year is the same. 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It's just this arbitrary quirk of how we measure time in years, right? Midnight tonight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-depiano/murry-why-do-we-even-celebrate-the-new-year-it-s-just-this-arbitrary/) [Hillary DePiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-depiano/) > [We cannot possibly let ourselves get frozen into regarding everyone we do not know as an absolute stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/we-cannot-possibly-let-ourselves-get-frozen-into-regarding-everyone/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“The most amazing miracle of every New Year is this: In the New Year, as if great things will always happen to us! Here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-most-amazing-miracle-of-every-new-year-is-this-in-the-new-year-as/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“New Year is a new morning and a new morning is a new opportunity and a new opportunity is a new path and finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/new-year-is-a-new-morning-and-a-new-morning-is-a-new-opportunity-and/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“NOEL: You can get excited about the future. The past won't mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-depiano/noel-you-can-get-excited-about-the-future-the-past-won-t-mind/) [Hillary DePiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-depiano/) > [“You can never make this New Year as your best year because your best year is always the year you were born! When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-can-never-make-this-new-year-as-your-best-year-because-your-best/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“There will be no New Year for those who keep living in the older years! If you really want to enter a new year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-will-be-no-new-year-for-those-who-keep-living-in-the-older/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“On New Year's Eve the whole world celebrates the fact that a date changes. Let us celebrate the dates on which we change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akilnathan-logeswaran/on-new-year-s-eve-the-whole-world-celebrates-the-fact-that-a-date/) [Akilnathan Logeswaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akilnathan-logeswaran/) > [I hope the world ends in 2012 so I can't be held accountable for my New Year's resolutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hope-the-world-ends-in-2012-so-i-can-t-be-held-accountable-for-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Richelle E. Goodrich > [“Truth is, I’m generally happiest when it’s just me. It’s okay to be madly in love with yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/truth-is-i-m-generally-happiest-when-it-s-just-me-it-s-okay-to-be/) [Richelle E. 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Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“Mystery, why so attractive to me? You blind me with fear, place hope on my tongue, and with a cold kiss draw me forward.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/mystery-why-so-attractive-to-me-you-blind-me-with-fear-place-hope-on/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“It's amusing to me that we refer to people who live in their heads as detached, disturbed, or mad, when reality for anyone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/it-s-amusing-to-me-that-we-refer-to-people-who-live-in-their-heads-as/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“Such a nasty bruise,” he says, staring straight into my eyes. I am stunned he can see it. Delicate to the touch and tender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/such-a-nasty-bruise-he-says-staring-straight-into-my-eyes-i-am/) [Richelle E. 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How neat to think you may have opened the door to a wondrous future without knowing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/you-made-a-choice-a-single-choice-how-neat-to-think-you-may-have/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“The key to valuing something is to lose it and then realize how rare it was—after which you pray like mad to regain what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/the-key-to-valuing-something-is-to-lose-it-and-then-realize-how-rare/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“Rather than critique people, try admiring God’s creative handiwork.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/rather-than-critique-people-try-admiring-god-s-creative-handiwork/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) [Explore all 987 Richelle E. Goodrich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) ## More Friend quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Friends are like stars you can't always see them, but you know they're there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknwon/friends-are-like-stars-you-can-t-always-see-them-but-you-know-they-re/) [Unknwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknwon/) > [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. 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