Skip to content

Present Moment Quotes

Terri Guillemets Quote on Clouds and What They Can Remind Us About Life

    “Why do I love clouds? Because you can’t save a cloud like you can save a leaf or a flower or a rock – clouds are now.”

    Terri Guillemets

    Beyond the Quote (204/365)

    As I sit here struggling to find the right words to write, I find myself looking out the window, captivated by the movement of the clouds through the sky. It’s nothing special. Or it’s something really special? I can’t tell.

    Read More »Terri Guillemets Quote on Clouds and What They Can Remind Us About Life

      “I have learned to offer no resistance to what is; I have learned to allow the present moment to be and to accept the impermanent nature of all things and conditions. Thus have I found peace.”

      Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (Page 187)

        “Whenever two or more egos come together, drama of one kind or another ensues. But even if you live totally alone, you still create your own drama. When you feel sorry for yourself, that’s drama. When you feel guilty or anxious, that’s drama. When you let the past or future obscure the present, you are creating time, psychological time—the stuff out of which drama is made. Whenever you are not honoring the present moment by allowing it to be, you are creating drama.”

        Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (Page 182)

          “There is nothing you can ever do or attain that will get you closer to salvation than it is at this moment. This may be hard to grasp for a mind accustomed to thinking that everything worthwhile is in the future. Nor can anything that you ever did or that was done to you in the past prevent you from saying yes to what is and taking your attention deeply into the Now. You cannot do this in the future. You do it now or not at all.”

          Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (Page 147)

          Paul Hogan Poem on Capturing Moments (and Maybe When Not To)

            “Camera loaded, the light

            near sundown blushes

            the grey, beat wood

            of the boathouse, flashes

            along arcs of the waves.

            Don’t photograph this. Don’t render it

            immutable now. Let it

            distort, let it unravel,

            reconstruct itself.

            This image will retell

            this here and now for years,

            without conclusion —

            It will never change,

            it will always be different,

            we will never agree. For now,

            let the light slip down

            around you. Don’t

            remember this yet.”

            Paul Hogan, Point of Departures (Page 37)

            Beyond the Quote (167/365)

            In a world where the camera on our phone takes better pictures than most DSLR cameras from just a few years ago, where 4K quality can be held in the palm of one hand and activated with the push of one thumb, where so much of what we see and hear in the world can be so vividly captured and contained within the confines of a memory chip that’s smaller than a penny and backed up by an imaginary cloud—the line between knowing when to be present in a moment and when to capture a moment can become incredibly blurred. Hell, if we wanted to, we could record every moment we ever wanted to and store it into a neat and tidy timeline of moments that could quite literally make up the story of our lives. Rather than our life “flashing before our eyes” at the end, we could playback our lives in a flash with just a few clicks on a computer screen.

            Read More »Paul Hogan Poem on Capturing Moments (and Maybe When Not To)

            Richard Carlson Quote on Letting Go Of Expectations and A Short Story About Finding Inner Peace

              “Whenever you expect something to be a certain way and it isn’t, you’re upset and you suffer. On the other hand, when you let go of expectations, when you accept life as it is, you’re free.”

              Richard Carlson, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

              Beyond the Quote (159/365)

              A wealthy westerner, in search of peace of mind travels east to find a guru who might be able to help. After searching far and wide, through many towns and villages, he finally gets word of just the guru who can help. When they finally meet, the wise guru asks the wealthy westerner what is in the bag that he is holding so close to his heart. The wealthy man explains that it is a large sum of money that will be rewarded to whomever can help him find the inner peace that he so desperately hopes to find. The wise guru paused for a moment and reflected on the offer. Then, to everybody’s surprise, snatched the bag of money right from the man’s hands and ran away!

              Read More »Richard Carlson Quote on Letting Go Of Expectations and A Short Story About Finding Inner Peace

              Richard Carlson Quote on How Wherever You Go, There You Are.

                “Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple realization that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present. Then, as you move around, try new things, and meet new people, you carry that sense of inner peace with you. It’s absolutely true that, ‘Wherever you go, there you are.’

                Richard Carlson, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

                Beyond the Quote (140/365)

                One of the tragedies that we experience every day is missing out on the moment because we’re somewhere else. Our consciousness is constantly twisted up in what already happened and what we’re anticipating might happen next. And I’m not talking about a few moments out of every day—I’m talking about the vast majority of our moments every day. Let’s see how the following examples sits with you.

                Read More »Richard Carlson Quote on How Wherever You Go, There You Are.

                Richard Branson Quote on Living In Every Moment—Not A Select Few Moments

                  “I don’t think of work as work and play as play.  It’s all living.”

                  Richard Branson, via Talk Like TED

                  Beyond the Quote (139/365)

                  When you are able to live life completely immersed in the present moment, Richard Branson is dead on, it’s ALL living. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, where you are, or who you’re with—it’s all a part of the whole life experience and we should be soaking it ALL in for what it is. For, what else do we ever have besides this moment? If we’re not living in this moment now, are we reserving life for a future point in time? When we lose touch with “the now” and mentally wander elsewhere, are we voluntarily letting go of chunks of our life? Let’s break it down.

                  Read More »Richard Branson Quote on Living In Every Moment—Not A Select Few Moments

                  Ryan Holiday Quote on How Being Present May Be The Hardest Thing In The World

                    “Being present demands all of us.  It’s not nothing.  It may be the hardest thing in the world.”

                    Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 25)

                    Beyond the Quote (138/365)

                    If you’ve ever tried to meditate, then you know how hard it is to be completely present for even a moment of time. Our brains are like monkeys diagnosed with ADD who just drank Red Bulls after taking a long napthey’re out of control. We’re constantly wandering to different trains of thought, replaying past situations, simulating future situations, and thinking about seemingly random and arbitrary things like monkeys and Red Bull and squirrels.

                    Read More »Ryan Holiday Quote on How Being Present May Be The Hardest Thing In The World

                      “Don’t reject a difficult or boring moment because it is not exactly what you want.  Don’t waste a beautiful moment because you are insecure or shy.  Make what you can of what you have been given.  Live what can be lived.  That’s what excellence is.  That’s what presence makes possible.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 28)

                        “There’s no greatness in the future.  Or clarity.  Or insight.  Or happiness.  Or peace.  There is only this moment.  Not that we mean literally sixty seconds.  The real present moment is what we choose to exist in, instead of lingering on the past or fretting about the future.  It’s however long we can push away the impressions of what’s happened before and what we worry or hope might occur at some other time.  Right now can be a few minutes or a morning or a year—if you can stay in it that long.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 27)

                        Eckhart Tolle Quote on Taking Responsibility and Making the Present Moment Your Ally

                          “Maybe you are being taken advantage of, maybe the activity you are engaged in is tedious, maybe someone close to you is dishonest, irritating, or unconscious, but all this is irrelevant.  Whether your thoughts and emotions about this situation are justified or not makes no difference.  The fact is that you are resisting what is.  You are making the present moment into an enemy.  You are creating unhappiness, conflict between the inner and the outer.  Your unhappiness is polluting not only your own inner being and those around you but also the collective human psyche of which you are an inseparable part.  The pollution of the planet is only an outward reflection of an inner psychic pollution: millions of unconscious individuals not taking responsibility for their inner space.”

                          Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (Page 77)

                          Beyond the Quote (82/365)

                          It’s easy to point fingers, to yell at a screen, to identify all of the faults in other people’s decisions and actions—it’s hard to take responsibility and make positive decisions yourself.  What’s makes this harder is that you might even be right.  The mess of the world might very well be the fault of another—or the fault of many others.  But as Tolle points out, whether your thoughts and emotions about a given situation are justified or not makes no difference.

                          Read More »Eckhart Tolle Quote on Taking Responsibility and Making the Present Moment Your Ally

                          Humble the Poet Quote on Managing Expectations and Going From “High” to “Low” to “None”

                            “Jumping into anything with low expectations is the best way to exceed expectations, so keep that in mind when deciding your next move.”

                            Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 131)

                            Beyond the Quote (79/365)

                            Rather than low expectations, try no expectations.  When you hold a stance that maintains expectations, you are putting energy into a future result that will distract you from your present task.  Once you have made up your mind about what your next move will be, do just that.  And focus all of your resources on doing that task to the best of your ability—not into acquiring a certain result. Maintain the mindset of now and empty your mind of what might happen in the future.  This is how you will produce your best work and this is how you will best take care of the tasks you set out to do.  And as the saying goes, taking care of this moment is the best insurance you have for the next moment.

                            Read More »Humble the Poet Quote on Managing Expectations and Going From “High” to “Low” to “None”

                              “Focusing on the rainbow instead of the pot of gold isn’t just one of many philosophies we can adapt—it’s the most sustainable way for us to keep going.  The present is all we have, and we can promise ourselves only so much contentment before we realize that the story doesn’t end until we take our last breath.  Once we accept that, we can enjoy the journey, celebrating every baby step we take, not toward a treasure on a map, but in a direction that steadily improves the way we feel about ourselves, our lives, and the world around us.” ~ Humble the Poet, Things No One Else Can Teach Us (Page 95)

                              Joseph Jaworski Quote on Beautiful Settings and How They Can Drive You Out Of Yourself

                                “Part of the magic of the experience lay in the sheer beauty of the setting: the breathtaking sight of the high mountains, the sweep of the sky, the panorama of the great valley. The beauty drives you out of the self for a moment – so that for this time, the self is not.”

                                Joseph Jaworski, Synchronicity

                                Beyond the Quote (55/365)

                                This is (at least in strong part) why we are so drawn to beautiful destinations.  The sheer beauty of the settings that we travel to pull us out of ourselves—and for that time, the self is not.  It’s an incredible escape that is so cherished because our “monkey minds” drive us crazy.  I’m sure you might be able to relate.  You know the feeling of being unsettled, restless, confused, indecisive?  That’s the monkey mind It’s our inner critic and the part of our mind that is most connected to the ego.  The monkey mind insists on being heard, is relentlessly talkative, is constantly pointing to all of our flaws and mistakes, and contends to keep us distracted from doing any kind of deep work all of the time.  It’s exhausting and it’s what makes us want a vacation so damn bad.

                                Read More »Joseph Jaworski Quote on Beautiful Settings and How They Can Drive You Out Of Yourself

                                Leo Babauta Quote on Practicing Mindfulness By Giving Your Actions Weight

                                  “Practice this. Every action you take today, no matter how little… give it weight. Put some space around it. Start it intentionally, with the intention to be mindful, to inhabit that action fully, to notice with all of your senses the entire moment. When the action is done, don’t just rush to the next one, but take half a second to appreciate what you just experienced. Then move to the next with equal weight and space. If you don’t start treating this next action like it’s just as important as what’s coming later, you might never.”

                                  Leo Babauta

                                  Beyond the Quote (24/365)

                                  So many things in life lose their weight when you learn to redistribute that weight to the present moment.  What gives different thoughts, feelings, and situations in your life weight?  Your mind.  When you feel really drawn down and heavy from tough emotional situations, it’s because your mind is giving those tough emotional thoughts all of its weight.

                                  Read More »Leo Babauta Quote on Practicing Mindfulness By Giving Your Actions Weight

                                    “‘One day I’ll make it.’  Is your goal taking up so much of your attention that you reduce the present moment to a means to an end?  Is it taking the joy out of your doing?  Are you waiting to start living?  If you develop such a mind pattern, no matter what you achieve or get, the present will never be good enough; the future will always seem better.  A perfect recipe for permanent dissatisfaction and nonfulfillment, don’t you agree?”

                                    Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (Page 85) (Read Matt’s Blog on this quote)

                                      “Your life’s journey has an outer purpose and an inner purpose.  The outer purpose is to arrive at your goal or destination, to accomplish what you set out to do, to achieve this or that, which, of course, implies future.  But if your destination, or the steps you are going to take in the future, take up so much of your attention that they become more important to you than the step you are taking now, then you completely miss the journey’s inner purpose, which has nothing to do with where you are going or what you are doing, but everything to do with how.  It has nothing to do with future but everything to do with the quality of your consciousness at this moment.” ~ Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (Page 88)