Quote by Alexander Herzen: “The past is a phantom, the future a dream, the present alone is real.”

This quote emphasizes the supreme importance of the present moment, asserting its unique reality compared to the elusive nature of the past and future. It encourages focusing on what is immediate and tangible, rather than dwelling on what has been or what might be.

Herzen, often grappling with historical disappointments and future uncertainties for Russia, found solace and meaning in the present, advocating for direct action and lived experience as the only true reality.

Russian political thinker, writer, and revolutionary who is often called the 'father of Russian socialism.' His memoir My Past and Thoughts is considered a masterpiece of nineteenth-century Russian prose. He spent most of his adult life in exile in Western Europe, editing the influential revolutionary journal The Bell from London.