“If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future. ”

“Of this I am certain, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future.”

“If we examine our thoughts, we shall find them always occupied with the past and the future.”

“We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.”

“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present moment. This is the beginning and the end of spiritual practice. Only in this moment can we discover that which is timeless. Only here can we find the love that we seek. Love in the past is simply memory, and love in the future is fantasy. Only in the reality of the present can we love, can we awaken, can we find peace and understanding and connection with ourselves and the world.”

“Let each of us examine his thoughts; he will find them wholly concerned with the past or the future. We almost never think of the present, and if we do think of it, it is only to see what light is throws on our plans for the future. The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means, the future alone our end. Thus we never actually live, but hope to live, and since we are always planning how to be happy, it is inevitable that we should never be so.”