proverb · Legacy record
Take a close look at today because yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is barely a vision.
Take a close look at today because yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is barely a vision.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Yesterday called a dream and tomorrow a vision gives today the most immediate place for attention. The saying values engagement with the present.
What the words are saying
The comparison does not erase what happened or prohibit preparing for what may come. A useful reading can focus on what is possible now while learning from memory and planning with uncertainty. Present attention need not become disregard for consequences.
Everyday example
Someone chooses a manageable action today while keeping a longer-term responsibility in view.
When to use it
Use it to connect present attention with memory and planning.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
No unreality of past events or certainty about the future is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
India
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 373; PDF page 37; collection label: India
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- India