--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The present was an egg laid by the past…" description: "\"The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell.\" — Zora Neale Hurston" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/zora-neale-hurston-923_future_the-present-was-an-egg-laid-by-the-past_2850919.jpg" --- # The present was an egg laid by the past that had the… ![“The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell.” quote by Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/zora-neale-hurston-923_future_the-present-was-an-egg-laid-by-the-past_2850919.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/zora-neale-hurston-923_future_the-present-was-an-egg-laid-by-the-past_2850919.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/zora-neale-hurston-923_future_the-present-was-an-egg-laid-by-the-past_2850919.jpg) > “The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell.” [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The past contains the seed of the future, so current moments are shaped by history yet hold potential for what’s ahead. **In simple terms:** Past seeds future within the present. Key Takeaway Recognize history’s influence, shape tomorrow. Themes history potential time Mood contemplative hopeful Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - educational curricula - community planning - creative writing Key Concepts causality identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How does history shape your choices? - What future can you create now? A Different Perspective Focusing too much on past may limit present action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“There is no future in a job. The only future is inside oneself. We look inside rather than outside. We become producer rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/there-is-no-future-in-a-job-the-only-future-is-inside-oneself-we-look/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [The future is not out there in front of us, but inside us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/the-future-is-not-out-there-in-front-of-us-but-inside-us/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [Though things change, the future's still inside of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/though-things-change-the-future-s-still-inside-of-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just to settle it once and for all: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The egg, laid by a bird that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/just-to-settle-it-once-and-for-all-which-came-first-the-chicken-or/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“The hen is the wisest of all the animal creation, because she never cackles until the egg is laid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-hen-is-the-wisest-of-all-the-animal-creation-because-she-never/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Your mind is a your temple, keep it beautiful and free. Don't let an egg get laid in it by something you can't see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/your-mind-is-a-your-temple-keep-it-beautiful-and-free-don-t-let-an/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“Never leave the egg in you not laid. Don't leave the laid eggs there not hatched. You deserve the best; you were created to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/never-leave-the-egg-in-you-not-laid-don-t-leave-the-laid-eggs-there/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Each thought that is welcomed and recorded is a nest egg, by the side of which more will be laid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/each-thought-that-is-welcomed-and-recorded-is-a-nest-egg-by-the-side/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Capitalism is not the system of the past; it is the system of the future -- if mankind is to have a future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/capitalism-is-not-the-system-of-the-past-it-is-the-system-of-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/as-an-architect-you-design-for-the-present-with-an-awareness-of-the/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [You cannot find yourself in the past or future.The only place where you can find yourself is in the Now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-malabago/you-cannot-find-yourself-in-the-past-or-future-the-only-place-where/) [Regina Malabago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-malabago/) > [Knowledge owns the past and future, as long as we've the information we've power over the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/knowledge-owns-the-past-and-future-as-long-as-we-ve-the-information/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [“Inhale the present, exhale the past and the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/inhale-the-present-exhale-the-past-and-the-future/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [The increase of disorder or entropy is what distinguishes the past from the future, giving a direction to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-increase-of-disorder-or-entropy-is-what-distinguishes-the-past/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“You see, the future is a kind of stew, a soup, a vichyssoise of the present and the past. That's how you get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/you-see-the-future-is-a-kind-of-stew-a-soup-a-vichyssoise-of-the/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) ## More by Zora Neale Hurston > [It seemed to me that the human beings I met reacted pretty much the same to the same stimuli. Different idioms,yes. Circumstances and conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-seemed-to-me-that-the-human-beings-i-met-reacted-pretty-much-the/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/ships-at-a-distance-have-every-man-s-wish-on-board-for-some-they-come/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Please God, please suh, don't let him love nobody else but me. Maybe Ah'm is uh fool, Lawd, lak dey say, but Lawd, Ah…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/please-god-please-suh-don-t-let-him-love-nobody-else-but-me-maybe-ah/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [“But mostly she lived between her hat and her heels, with her emotional disturbances like shade patterns in the woods—come and gone with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/but-mostly-she-lived-between-her-hat-and-her-heels-with-her-emotional/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Light came to me when I realized that I did not have to consider any racial group as a whole. God made them duck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/light-came-to-me-when-i-realized-that-i-did-not-have-to-consider-any/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Gods always behave like the people who make them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/gods-always-behave-like-the-people-who-make-them/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Love, I find, is like singing. Everyone can do enough to satisfy themselves, though it may not impress the neighbors as being very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/love-i-find-is-like-singing-everyone-can-do-enough-to-satisfy/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [“The woman took the faded shirt and muddy overalls and laid them away from remembrance. It was a weapon against her strength and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/the-woman-took-the-faded-shirt-and-muddy-overalls-and-laid-them-away/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [“They plan and they fix and they do, and then some kitchen-dwelling fiend slips a scorchy, soggy, tasteless mess into their pots and pans…So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/they-plan-and-they-fix-and-they-do-and-then-some-kitchen-dwelling/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [“Years ago, she had told her girl self to wait for her in the looking glass. It had been a long time since she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/years-ago-she-had-told-her-girl-self-to-wait-for-her-in-the-looking/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [“Ah jus lak uh chicken. Chicken drink water, but he don’t pee-pee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/ah-jus-lak-uh-chicken-chicken-drink-water-but-he-don-t-pee-pee/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [“Like the pecking-order in a chicken yard. Insensate cruelty to those you can whip, and groveling submission to those you can’t. Once having set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/like-the-pecking-order-in-a-chicken-yard-insensate-cruelty-to-those/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [The Haitian people are gentle and lovable except for their enormous and unconscious cruelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/the-haitian-people-are-gentle-and-lovable-except-for-their-enormous/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Now, suppose a Negro does something really magnificent, and I glory, not in the benefit to mankind, but in the fact that the doer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/now-suppose-a-negro-does-something-really-magnificent-and-i-glory-not/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Anybody depending on somebody else's gods is depending on a fox not to eat chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/anybody-depending-on-somebody-else-s-gods-is-depending-on-a-fox-not/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) [Explore all 326 Zora Neale Hurston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) ## More Future quotes > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [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/) > [If you can connect people, you can create the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heiferman/if-you-can-connect-people-you-can-create-the-future/) [Scott Heiferman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heiferman/) > [A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/a-strong-durable-puerto-rican-economy-will-leave-the-island-better/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [“We have no idea, now, of who or what the inhabitants of our future might be. In that sense, we have no future. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/we-have-no-idea-now-of-who-or-what-the-inhabitants-of-our-future/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. Your future is in the hands of the Lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-are-destiny-for-greatness-your-future-is-in-the-hands-of-the-lord/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I'm just always looking forwards. I spend very little time, looking backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-m-just-always-looking-forwards-i-spend-very-little-time-looking/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [Football is my passion, and who knows where I will play in the future - you cannot foresee that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edinson-cavani/football-is-my-passion-and-who-knows-where-i-will-play-in-the-future/) [Edinson Cavani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edinson-cavani/) > [When I was 17, I broke up with my future wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-allen/when-i-was-17-i-broke-up-with-my-future-wife/) [Kris Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-allen/) > [I think everybody in the future has stopped talking to each other and we all just use emojis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/i-think-everybody-in-the-future-has-stopped-talking-to-each-other-and/) [Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/) > [When you continue to dwell on the past, there's no chance for a future. History repeats itself, thus, it's ok to LOOK back at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-continue-to-dwell-on-the-past-there-s-no-chance-for-a-future/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am no different from a lot of people. I am concerned for the future of my children and concerned for the future of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/i-am-no-different-from-a-lot-of-people-i-am-concerned-for-the-future/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) > [Starting a new job can be nerve-racking , but it's also exciting. You're embarking on a new future, positioning yourself to write a fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adena-friedman/starting-a-new-job-can-be-nerve-racking-but-it-s-also-exciting-you-re/) [Adena Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adena-friedman/) [Browse all 12,349 Future quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zora Neale Hurston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/the-present-was-an-egg-laid-by-the-past-that-had-the-future-inside/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Future" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/the-present-was-an-egg-laid-by-the-past-that-had-the-future-inside/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/zora-neale-hurston-923_future_the-present-was-an-egg-laid-by-the-past_2850919.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/zora-neale-hurston-923_future_the-present-was-an-egg-laid-by-the-past_2850919.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/zora-neale-hurston-923_future_the-present-was-an-egg-laid-by-the-past_2850919.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell.” — Zora Neale Hurston", "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": "Zora Neale Hurston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The present was an egg laid...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/the-present-was-an-egg-laid-by-the-past-that-had-the-future-inside/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/the-present-was-an-egg-laid-by-the-past-that-had-the-future-inside/#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 } } ] } ```