Buddha — Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.Buddha
Attributed to the Buddha
The past is memory, the future is imagination; only the present is real enough to act in. This teaching asks you to gather your scattered attention back to now.
It is also how you actually learn. Regret over yesterday's mistakes and worry about future fluency both steal from the one place progress happens: this sentence, right now.
Words that widen the world
To think or speak at length about something, often unhappily.
Synonyms: linger, brood, fixate
Don't dwell on old mistakes.
To focus one's attention on a single thing.
Synonyms: focus, fix, center
Concentrate on the present sentence.
Common questions
It advises letting go of regret about the past and anxiety about the future, and focusing your full attention on the present moment.
It is a popular teaching attributed to the Buddha; because exact sourcing is uncertain, we mark it as attributed.
Carry it with you
In your own words, what does this thought mean to you? Write three or four sentences in English about a moment when it felt true — saying it yourself is how it stays with you.
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