Carpe Diem.
By Colleen Fogarty — Written on Oct 24, 2020
The past and the future are vast, and the present is one time: right now. It is easy for the past or the future to overshadow the current moment, but the present is the time that matters most and these quotes about living in the moment will help you be more present.
While it is important to understand the past in order to learn from it, it’s all too easy to get stuck in the past wishing you had done things differently or remembering a time you idealize as being better than the now.
Living in the past, though, makes you miss what’s happening in the present. You cannot fix past mistakes if all you do is think about those mistakes. The present won’t be any better if your focus is entirely on a time that is no longer here.
Conversely, but very similar, the future can remove you from the present when your only concern is hopes or worries about what’s to come. The future is unpredictable no matter how much you plan for it. Life throws everything it has at you, and you never know when the hits will come.
The only real way you can be ready for the future is if you take advantage of the present while you’re in it. What you do right now will determine the path the future takes, so don’t worry about which way to go at the fork in the road; choose a direction and see where it leads you. You can always change your direction at any time.
Quotes About Living in the Moment
When you start getting too wrapped up in the past or future, find inspiration to free yourself with these quotes about living in the moment.
1. “Forever is composed of nows.” — Emily Dickinson
Take each moment as it comes.
2. “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
Don’t hold back.
3. “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
You never know when you’ll be right.
4. “You can’t go back to how things were. How you thought they were. All you really have is... now.” — Jay Asher
You can’t go back, so be here.
5. “Happiness, not in another place but this place... not for another hour, but this hour.” — Walt Whitman
Seize the opportunity to be happy.
6. “Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” — Groucho Marx
You exist right now. Decide how you want to be right now.
7. “We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” — Bill Watterson
There is no use in worrying about what is not yet here.
8. “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the now the primary focus of your life.” — Eckhart Tolle
Take advantage of the present power you have.
9. “Be present in all things and thankful for all things.” — Maya Angelou
A mindful life is a happy life.
10. “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” — Amit Ray
Use your breath to anchor you to the moment.
11. “Life is a preparation for the future; and the best preparation for the future is to live as if there were none.” — Albert Einstein
Don’t wait to do what you want.
12. “Look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time: Thus is your time on Earth filled with glory.” — Betty Smith
You will never get the present moment back.
13. “I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
Life is a blessing, treat it as such.
14. “Why not just live in the moment, especially if it has a good beat?” — Goldie Hawn
Synchronize with the rhythm of time.
15. “Nobody knows how things will turn out, that’s why they go ahead and play the game... You give it your all and sometimes amazing things happen, but it’s hardly ever what you expect.” — Gennifer Choldenko
You’ll never know if you never try.
16. “The here and now is all we have, and if we play it right it’s all we need.” — Ann Richards
Satisfaction goes hand in hand with present action.
17. “What matters is what we do with the life we have.” — Carrie Ryan
Use it, enjoy it, don’t waste it.
18. “Live today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Just today. Inhabit your moments. Don’t rent them out to tomorrow.” — Jerry Spinelli
The future is a fickle landlord.
19. “A life without regret can be attained by full awareness of one’s actions in their present moment.” — Michelle D. Rosado
Don’t regret what you coulda, shoulda, woulda, done.
20. “The point is to be in the moment, not miss the moment while trying to capture it.” — Sheralyn Pratt
Recording the moment is not the same as immersing yourself in it.
21. “If you are waiting for people to do stuff, you’ll be waiting your entire life, go out and live your life.” — Arisa Sharpe
You can’t control others, but you can control yourself.
22. “It is both tragic and strange that people do not value every breath, every smile and every act of love. Life is fleeting and very much taken for granted.” — Wayne Gerard Trotman
Appreciate every moment of connection, happiness, and beauty.
23. “It was never intentional, but I wasted far too much energy and time holding myself back.” — Emilyann Allen
Put that energy towards propelling yourself forward.
24. “Cast aside any predictions or assumptions that you have about life — what you think is going to happen never does.” — Stewart Stafford
Instead of thinking about what could be, focus on what is.
25. “Take the ride, live the experience, find your passion.” — Charles E. Hudson
A life driven by passion will not disappoint.
26. “So today, learn to live consciously. Listen to the rhythm of your heartbeat and how the air feels on your skin and watch life as it happens around you. Worries go away when you live in the NOW.” — Nesta Jojoe Erskine
Be mindful, be present, and you’ll be happy.
27. “Some moments are happy. Some moments are sad. Live each moment. Embrace life!” — Avijeet Das
Experiencing pain makes you appreciate the good times so much more.
28. “Life is not something we put on the backburner hoping to get to live further down the line.” — Adiela Akoo
Life won’t wait for you, so don’t wait to live.
29. “Surrender your fears and anxieties and projections of the future, and enjoy being fully in the present moment, immersed in yourself.” — Andrew Lutts
Deal with things as they come and you’ll find you have a lot more beautiful moments coming your way.
30. “Enjoy today. It is one of the ‘good old days’ you will miss in the future!” — Etta Sawyer
Any day could be the day you look back on as the best moment in your life.
31. “Everything is just for a while. Everything is just for its time. Everything is finite. Live and love with these precious moments in mind.” — Rasheed Ogunlaru
Cherish the good times. Know that you’ll get through the bad times.
32. “Don’t wait for a crisis to realize what matters most. Put yourself first right now. Because right now is all we have.” — Brittany Burgunder
Appreciate what you have rather than regret taking it for granted.
33. “I wanna live — that’s all.” — Tovin
We only live right now, don’t let your mind dwell somewhere else.
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Colleen Fogarty is a writer who covers self-care, astrology, and relationship topics.