Yesterday’s history, tomorrow’s a mystery. That’s how the famous old saying goes.
In this hectic modern world, it can be difficult to keep up. It’s easy to rush through life without taking notice of much.
Our minds always seem to be focused on what’s coming next, or something that’s happened in the past.
Remembering to stay present and live in the moment can be a powerful tool to help ground you, right here and now.
Mindfulness and other practices of meditation have become more popular than ever in recent years.
To help you remember to live each moment as fully as possible, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite quotes to help you stay present.
Best Quotes About Living in the Present Moment
Without further ado, here is our pick of our favorite quotes about living in the moment.
1) “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha
2) “Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now. And that’s the revelation for some people: to realize that your life is only ever now.” – Eckhart Tolle
3) “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” – Lao Tzu
4) “Learn to focus only on the present. The past is unchangeable so it is futile to reflect on it unless you are making sure you do not repeat mistakes. The future is but a result of your action today. So learn from the past to do better in the present so that you can succeed in the future.” – Jordan Lejuwaan
5) “Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breath is a gift.” – Oprah Winfrey
6) “It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.” – Eckhart Tolle
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7) “Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” – Jim Rohn
8) “Existence is only in the present. Mind is never in the present. In fact, the moment you are in the present, there is no mind in you, there is great silence. The whole sky of your inner being is without thoughts, without clouds. I call this the state of no-mind.” – Osho
9) “As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love – even the most simple action.” – Eckhart Tolle
10) “I never think of the future – not even of tomorrow, not even of the next moment that is just going to come. This way of thinking of the future keeps man tense, worried, never allows him to be relaxed and enjoy the moment that is available.” – Osho
11) “Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.” – Mother Teresa
12) “Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. If you want to take responsibility for your life, you must choose one of those three options, and you must choose now. Then accept the consequences.” – Eckhart Tolle
13) “The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
14) “Each desire is born out of the past, and each desire is projected in the future. The past and the future constitute your whole mind. Analyze the mind, dissect it, and you will find only two things: the past and the future. You will not find even an iota of the present, not even a single atom. And the present is the only reality, the only existence, the only dance there is.” – Osho
15) “The present moment is so narrow that there is no space to think about. You can be, but thoughts cannot be. How can you think? If you think, it means it is already past, the moment has gone. Or you can think if it has not come yet, it is in the future.” – Osho
16) “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.” – Eckhart Tolle
17) “Bring a little more awareness to your existence. Each act has to be done less automatically than you have been doing up to now, and you have the key. If you are walking, don’t walk like a robot. Don’t go on walking like you have always walked, don’t do it mechanically. Bring a little awareness to it, slow down, let each step be taking into full consciousness.” – Osho
18) “Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going.” – Tennessee Williams
19) “The power for creating a better future is contained in the present moment: You create a good future by creating a good present.” – Eckhart Tolle
20) “Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to do if you stay in the present moment.” – Deepak Chopra
Mindfulness Basics
What is mindfulness? The term has become something of a buzzword in recent years as more people look to re-ground themselves in this hectic modern world.
Put simply, mindfulness is a mental state in which you put your focus deeply in the present moment.
Most of your thoughts are probably either about the past or the future. Very rarely are we totally present in this day and age.
Mindfulness is simply a technique that can help you to refocus yourself on the present moment.
Paying more attention to the present moment, and your thoughts and feelings, can help you to experience a greater sense of wellbeing.
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One simple way to practice mindfulness is to reconnect with your body’s sensations. That means waking up to the sights, smells and sounds and tastes of the present moment.
It may be something as simple as consciously feeling your feet on the sidewalk as you walk down the street. It may be taking more notices of the subtle sounds in your home.
There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to practice mindfulness. All mindfulness practices are designed to reconnect you with the present moment.
The present moment is all you really ever have – everything else is simply a memory or a projection into the future.
So anything you can do to connect more deeply to the present moment can help to enrich your life.
In Conclusion
We hope that you’ve enjoyed our look at some of the best quotes about living in the present moment.
Some of the top quotes from from the likes of Eckhart Tolle, Osho and The Buddha.
We’ve also walked you through some of the basics about mindfulness and how to incorporate it into your daily life.
You can find out more about this particular topic in the Mind section of HumanWindow.
