--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The miracle of our predicament is not how…" description: "\"The miracle of our predicament is not how long everything has been in place but how brief it all has been.\" — Terence McKenna" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/terence-mckenna-287_brief_the-miracle-of-our-predicament-is-not-ho_2909956.png" --- # The miracle of our predicament is not how long everything… ![“The miracle of our predicament is not how long everything has been in place but how brief it all has been.” quote by Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/terence-mckenna-287_brief_the-miracle-of-our-predicament-is-not-ho_2909956.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/terence-mckenna-287_brief_the-miracle-of-our-predicament-is-not-ho_2909956.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/terence-mckenna-287_brief_the-miracle-of-our-predicament-is-not-ho_2909956.png) > “The miracle of our predicament is not how long everything has been in place but how brief it all has been.” [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s miracles lie in its fleeting nature; the briefness of existence makes it precious. **In simple terms:** Life’s brevity makes it valuable. Key Takeaway Live fully now. Themes impermanence miracle time Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - mindfulness practice - travel - creative projects - relationships Key Concepts philosophy psychology spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How does impermanence affect your choices? - What moments do you cherish most? A Different Perspective Focusing on brevity can cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Miracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracle/) [Miracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracles/) [Predicament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predicament/) [Predicaments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predicaments/) ## Related quotes > [The real nature of our predicament is completely opaque to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-real-nature-of-our-predicament-is-completely-opaque-to-us/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [there’s really nowhere else I can go, and even if there were, it wouldn’t make a difference because I’d just be running from myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-wentz/there-s-really-nowhere-else-i-can-go-and-even-if-there-were-it-wouldn/) [Pete Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-wentz/) > [Ageing is a privilege not a predicament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/ageing-is-a-privilege-not-a-predicament/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [Whoever admits that he is too busy to improve his methods, has acknowledged himself to be at the end of his rope. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-ogden-armour/whoever-admits-that-he-is-too-busy-to-improve-his-methods-has/) [J. Ogden Armour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-ogden-armour/) > [Death is a displaced name for a linguistic predicament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/death-is-a-displaced-name-for-a-linguistic-predicament/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [What it sees there isn't so much a face as the expression of a predicament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/what-it-sees-there-isn-t-so-much-a-face-as-the-expression-of-a/) [Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/) > [Life is adventure, not predicament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-broughton/life-is-adventure-not-predicament/) [James Broughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-broughton/) > [When we are not any lengthier capable to alter a predicament, we're challenged to alter ourselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/when-we-are-not-any-lengthier-capable-to-alter-a-predicament-we-re/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [If you have no enemies you are apt to be in the same predicament in regard to friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-you-have-no-enemies-you-are-apt-to-be-in-the-same-predicament-in/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem, but the perpetual human predicament is that the answer soon poses its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/if-you-re-not-part-of-the-solution-you-re-part-of-the-problem-but-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [All central beliefs on human matters spring from a personal predicament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-berlin/all-central-beliefs-on-human-matters-spring-from-a-personal/) [Isaiah Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-berlin/) > [The Republican Party is in a predicament that it made itself. It made its own bed, and now they don't want to lay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-republican-party-is-in-a-predicament-that-it-made-itself-it-made/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [At the end of the day, we're defined by our predicament, not by the sides of town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/at-the-end-of-the-day-we-re-defined-by-our-predicament-not-by-the/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [predicament, n. The wage of consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/predicament-n-the-wage-of-consistency/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Our present predicament comes from the fact that running the economy on blood is no longer fashionable. We can't end this depression with another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-o-kelso/our-present-predicament-comes-from-the-fact-that-running-the-economy/) [Louis O. Kelso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-o-kelso/) ## More by Terence McKenna > [History was an incredibly damaging experience, and now it's over . . . in a sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/history-was-an-incredibly-damaging-experience-and-now-it-s-over-in-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The history of man that you don't know is what your unconscious is made out of. Just as the history of yourself that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-history-of-man-that-you-don-t-know-is-what-your-unconscious-is/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [We are consciousness. We may not always be monkeys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-consciousness-we-may-not-always-be-monkeys/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [What is happening here is we are living past the age, by the millions, living past the age where cultural values make any sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/what-is-happening-here-is-we-are-living-past-the-age-by-the-millions/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [What history is, essentially, is a careening, out-of-control effort to find our way back to this state of primordial balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/what-history-is-essentially-is-a-careening-out-of-control-effort-to/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [And what is the primary datum? It's the felt presence of immediate experience. In other words, being here now is the primary datum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/and-what-is-the-primary-datum-it-s-the-felt-presence-of-immediate/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our culture difinitely takes an egocentric dominator view. The fear of the psychedelic experience is quite literally the fear of losing control. Dominator types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/our-culture-difinitely-takes-an-egocentric-dominator-view-the-fear-of/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Every step into freedom contains within it the potential for greater bondage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/every-step-into-freedom-contains-within-it-the-potential-for-greater/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [This is the message of your life and my life - it’s that nothing lasts. Heraclitus said it: Panta Rhei. All flows, nothing lasts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/this-is-the-message-of-your-life-and-my-life-it-s-that-nothing-lasts/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I often like to think that our map of the world is wrong, that where we have centered physics, we should actually place literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-often-like-to-think-that-our-map-of-the-world-is-wrong-that-where/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Knowledge, or verbal facility, is no proof that you know what you're talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/knowledge-or-verbal-facility-is-no-proof-that-you-know-what-you-re/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [No culture on earth is as heavily narcotized as the industrial West in terms of being inured to the consequences of maladaptive behavior. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/no-culture-on-earth-is-as-heavily-narcotized-as-the-industrial-west/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Man was not put on this planet to toil in the mud. Or the god who put us on this planet to toil in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/man-was-not-put-on-this-planet-to-toil-in-the-mud-or-the-god-who-put/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [If you take psychedelics and the Internet and music and put all of that together you have the basis for a new community that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/if-you-take-psychedelics-and-the-internet-and-music-and-put-all-of/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) [Explore all 745 Terence McKenna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) ## More Brief quotes > [More than simply capturing brief moments in time, MixBit helps people bring stories to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hurley/more-than-simply-capturing-brief-moments-in-time-mixbit-helps-people/) [Chad Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hurley/) > [People don't want drama 365 days a year. I'm a sense of relief; it's my job to take your mind off what's bad for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/people-don-t-want-drama-365-days-a-year-i-m-a-sense-of-relief-it-s-my/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [I think a fictional invention grows according to its own development, not the author's. Characters in fiction are not simply as alive as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/i-think-a-fictional-invention-grows-according-to-its-own-development/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [The interval allowed was only five minutes, at the end of which I resumed the lecture; but so refreshing was the effects of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-combe/the-interval-allowed-was-only-five-minutes-at-the-end-of-which-i/) [George Combe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-combe/) > [I can be working on a collection and a film at the same time. It can take a lot out of me, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-chalayan/i-can-be-working-on-a-collection-and-a-film-at-the-same-time-it-can/) [Hussein Chalayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-chalayan/) > [Mortality is very brief but immeasurably important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/mortality-is-very-brief-but-immeasurably-important/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [It's terrifying the way molecular biology has become more and more jargon ridden. But I strongly believe that my book can be read by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/it-s-terrifying-the-way-molecular-biology-has-become-more-and-more/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [In my midteens I went through a brief stage of religious fanaticism, but it was very much about just saying prayers and stuff like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/in-my-midteens-i-went-through-a-brief-stage-of-religious-fanaticism/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [Man is never always happy, and very often only a brief period of happiness is granted him in this world; so why escape from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/man-is-never-always-happy-and-very-often-only-a-brief-period-of/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [I strive to be brief, and become obscure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/i-strive-to-be-brief-and-become-obscure/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [“Juxtaposed with the rapid-fire questions, the brief”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/juxtaposed-with-the-rapid-fire-questions-the-brief/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [If you would be pungent, be brief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/if-you-would-be-pungent-be-brief/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [We modern Marxists regard socialism as a historically brief transitional stage between feudalism and capitalism, necessary only in backward countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/we-modern-marxists-regard-socialism-as-a-historically-brief/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [Be sincere; be brief; be seated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/be-sincere-be-brief-be-seated/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [Brief is life but love is long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/brief-is-life-but-love-is-long/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 137 Brief quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The miracle of our predicament is not how long everything has been in place but how brief it all has been.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terence McKenna" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-miracle-of-our-predicament-is-not-how-long-everything-has-been-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-miracle-of-our-predicament-is-not-how-long-everything-has-been-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/terence-mckenna-287_brief_the-miracle-of-our-predicament-is-not-ho_2909956.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/terence-mckenna-287_brief_the-miracle-of-our-predicament-is-not-ho_2909956.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/terence-mckenna-287_brief_the-miracle-of-our-predicament-is-not-ho_2909956.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The miracle of our predicament is not how long everything has been in place but how brief it all has been.” — Terence McKenna", "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": "Terence McKenna", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The miracle of our predicament is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-miracle-of-our-predicament-is-not-how-long-everything-has-been-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-miracle-of-our-predicament-is-not-how-long-everything-has-been-in/#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 } } ] } ```