A Dozen Quotations About Time and the Present Moment
published February 25, 2026
Photo by Giallo from Pexels.com
by Catharine Hannay, founder of MindfulTeachers.org
Continuing the series of quotations about mindfulness, here are a variety of perspectives on the passing of time and living in the present moment.
The Passing of Time
1. “All moments, no matter how satisfying, must move into the next.”
Stacy Sivinski, The Crescent Moon Tearoom, p. 35
2. “One day, ‘now’ will be a long time ago.”
Gretchen Rubin, Secrets of Adulthood, p. 49
3. “In a very real way, there is no such thing as the past. And no one ever lived in the past. They were living in the present, their present, much as we do.”
David Mc Cullough, History Matters, p. 147
4. “Little drops of water, little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land.
Thus the little minutes, humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages of eternity.”
“Little Things” by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer
Paying Attention
5. “It was a peaceful time, and she was grateful for it. It being only a temporary respite did not make it any less important or wonderful; if anything, she thought it was quite the opposite. You were always waiting for something to happen, after all.
Life was a series of waits, of moments in between. You couldn’t cram all your happiness and meaning into only the big moments or you’d miss everything else that mattered along the way.”
Julie Leong, The Keeper of Magical Things, p. 307
6. “It was a beautiful spring morning, the kind you keep as a picture in your mind to remember on a day that is particularly unpleasant.”
Karina Yan Glaser, The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli, p. 1
Shifting Gears
7. “At the end of the work day, as you straighten your desk and pack your things, look around the office and consciously say goodbye. Then as you approach your house think of […] your mate, kids, cat, dog, even a favorite chair. By deliberately shifting your focus from work to home you can enjoy the experience of being there more fully.”
Naomi Epel, The Observation Deck, p. 102
8. “I find that when I slow myself down, time expands. Thirty minutes of quiet concentration can produce more insight than a week’s worth of frantic activity.”
Naomi Epel, The Observation Deck, p. 88
Keeping Things in Perspective
9. “New Year’s Eve is a night one which most people are prone to feeling out of sorts, no other calendar date is quite as effective at making one aware of both the preciousness of each individual moment and, simultaneously, the gargantuan insignificance of those same moments in the rolling sea of time.”
Sophie Hannah, The Last Death of the Year, p. 72
10. “If you knew today might be the last day of your life, would you be less snippy with the slow bagger at the grocery store, even though your were running late? Would you tell your neighbor you didn’t mind the intrusion, rather than showing that you so obviously did? […]
A daily visual of sand slipping through an hourglass can do wonders for your social skills. Try it sometime.”
Jessica Strawser, Not That I Could Tell, p. 230
11. “Trust that the present moment—however difficult, however different from what you’d imagined—has something to teach you.”
Maggie Smith, Keep Moving, p. 9
12. Winnie: “What day is it?”
Christopher: “It’s today.”
Winnie: “My favorite day.”
Christopher: “Mine too.”
from the film Christopher Robin
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
When do you feel like time is moving very quickly or very slowly?
Is today your favorite day? Why or why not?
How can we learn from challenging periods of time?
Are you interested in history? Why or why not?
Do you think people who lived in the past, or who will live in the future, are similar to you? Why or why not?
More Quotations
Mindfulness and the Passing of Time: Quotations for Reflection and Discussion
Present Moment Awareness: Quotations for Reflection and Discussion
Time, Presence, and Awareness: Quotations for Refection and Discussion
Related Posts
There are many more resources here at MindfulTeachers.org for practicing and teaching mindfulness, including the following posts: