--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The arrogance of the present is that we…" description: "\"“The arrogance of the present is that we think we know more than the past.”\" — Tom Roston" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/tom-roston-68415_anger_the-arrogance-of-the-present-is-that-we_2134935.jpg" --- # The arrogance of the present is that we think we know more… ![“The arrogance of the present is that we think we know more than the past.” quote by Tom Roston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/tom-roston-68415_anger_the-arrogance-of-the-present-is-that-we_2134935.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/tom-roston-68415_anger_the-arrogance-of-the-present-is-that-we_2134935.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/tom-roston-68415_anger_the-arrogance-of-the-present-is-that-we_2134935.jpg) > ““The arrogance of the present is that we think we know more than the past.”” Tom Roston ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We overestimate current knowledge and dismiss historical wisdom. **In simple terms:** We think we know more than the past. Key Takeaway Respect past insights. Themes humility history knowledge Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - business strategy - personal growth - education - policy making Key Concepts cognitive bias epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How can we integrate past lessons into modern decisions? - What biases cause present arrogance? A Different Perspective Past lessons can be misinterpreted or ignored. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [It is the great arrogance of the present to forget the intelligence of the past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/it-is-the-great-arrogance-of-the-present-to-forget-the-intelligence/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [An extraordinary amount of arrogance is present in any claim of having been the first in inventing something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/an-extraordinary-amount-of-arrogance-is-present-in-any-claim-of/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [“Everything you know is past. And with that disgusting arrogance of knowing the past, one cannot know something novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/everything-you-know-is-past-and-with-that-disgusting-arrogance-of/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We can predict the present without having to know everything about the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/we-can-predict-the-present-without-having-to-know-everything-about/) [John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/) > [“RVM Thoughts for Today - "Today, I will treat the day as a special Present. 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We recall the past; we anticipate the future as if we found it too slow in coming and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/we-never-keep-to-the-present-we-recall-the-past-we-anticipate-the/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) ## More by Tom Roston > [“You and I are not getting out of this alive. An exception will not be made in our case so that we’ll live forever.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-roston/you-and-i-are-not-getting-out-of-this-alive-an-exception-will-not-be/) Tom Roston > [“This is not a feel-good thing. This is about “Shit happens, and we are obligated to find a way out.” It’s optimistic in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-roston/this-is-not-a-feel-good-thing-this-is-about-shit-happens-and-we-are/) Tom Roston > [“The worst film of a good director is better than the best film of a bad director.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-roston/the-worst-film-of-a-good-director-is-better-than-the-best-film-of-a/) Tom Roston Explore all 4 Tom Roston quotes ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. 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I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The arrogance of the present is that we think we know more than the past.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Roston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-roston/the-arrogance-of-the-present-is-that-we-think-we-know-more-than-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anger" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-roston/the-arrogance-of-the-present-is-that-we-think-we-know-more-than-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/tom-roston-68415_anger_the-arrogance-of-the-present-is-that-we_2134935.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/tom-roston-68415_anger_the-arrogance-of-the-present-is-that-we_2134935.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/tom-roston-68415_anger_the-arrogance-of-the-present-is-that-we_2134935.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The arrogance of the present is that we think we know more than the past.” — Tom Roston", "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": "Tom Roston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-roston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The arrogance of the present is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-roston/the-arrogance-of-the-present-is-that-we-think-we-know-more-than-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-roston/the-arrogance-of-the-present-is-that-we-think-we-know-more-than-the/#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 } } ] } ```