Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
There is no present moment; only the near future and recent past exist.
In plain terms
Only the near future and recent past are real.
What can you take from it?
Focus on the flow of time rather than a static present.

Where it applies

  • mindfulness practice
  • philosophical debate

Putting it to work

  • reframe how you think about now

Questions to consider

  • How does the idea of a present affect your decisions?

Another view

It oversimplifies complex temporal experience.

More from George Carlin

  1. Pacifism is a nice idea, but it can get you killed. We're not there yet. Evolution is slow, small pox is fast.

    Permalink to quote #156
  2. Think off-center.

    Permalink to quote #158
  3. You know what's interesting about assassination? Well, not only does it change those popularity polls in a big fucking hurry, but it's also interesting to noti…

    Permalink to quote #155

Related quotes

  1. Nothing endures but change.

    HeraclitusHeraclitus quote #1
  2. The future cannot come, for when it comes it's already past.

    Henrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen quote #41
  3. The slave is doomed to worship time and fate and death, because they are greater than anything he finds in himself, and because all his thoughts are of things …

    Bertrand RussellBertrand Russell quote #71