“The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealised past.”

“To lead a human life, a man must have a notion of himself as having a past and a future.”

“People are always shouting they want to create a better future. It's not true. The future is an apathetic void of no interest to anyone. The past is full of life, eager to irritate us, provoke and insult us, tempt us to destroy or repaint it. The only reason people want to be masters of the future is to change the past.”

“... some people - think only the present is real. The past and the future don't even exist. ... And some people say that the future and the present are made up of a lot of different worlds. Each world comes out of a different set of circumstances that might have happened in the past.”

“He spake of love, such love as spirits feelIn worlds whose course is equable and pure: No fears to beat away - no strife to heal, The past unsighed for, and the future sure.”

“The future is a trickster rabbit, full of surprises. Only the past is predictable.”