The future is not what it used to be.
Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Valery notes that expectations of the future change over time as context shifts.
- In plain terms
- The future is always different from what we previously imagined.
- What can you take from it?
- Perceptions of tomorrow change as today changes.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do we expect the future to be similar to the past?
- How has your view of the future shifted?
Another view
This is vague and doesn't explain why the future changes.
More from Paul Valery
The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.
Permalink to quote #29 The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be.
Permalink to quote #31 On a toujours cherche des explications quand c'etait des representations qu'on pouvait seulement essaye d'inventer.
Permalink to quote #28
Related quotes
Yesterday is yesterday. If we try to recapture it, we will only lose tomorrow.
Bill ClintonBill Clinton quote #22 Threefold the stride of Time, from first to last! Loitering slow, the Future creepeth - Arrow-swift, the Present sweepeth - And motionless forever stands the P…
Friedrich von SchillerFriedrich von Schiller quote #26 The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be.
Paul ValeryPaul Valery quote #31