In short: the Buddha's words on the present moment: "Don't run back to the past, don't anticipate the future" (MN 131). The popular "do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future" is a paraphrase of this verse. Here are four genuine quotes, each with its source.
1. MN 131
"Don't run back to the past, don't anticipate the future. What's past is left behind, the future has not arrived; and any present phenomenon you clearly discern in every case."
MN 131 · More
2. Dhammapada 348
"Let go of the past, let go of the future, let go of the present, having gone beyond rebirth. With your heart freed in every respect, you'll not come again to rebirth and old age."
Dhammapada 348
3. Dhammapada 113
"Better to live a single day seeing rise and fall than to live a hundred years blind to rise and fall."
Dhammapada 113
4. AN 6.19
"Oh, if I'd only live as long as it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out, I'd focus on the Buddha's instructions and I could really achieve a lot."
AN 6.19 · More
All quotes are from the early Buddhist texts in Bhikkhu Sujato's translation on SuttaCentral, copied exactly. Last checked: 18 October 2026.
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Questions people ask
Did the Buddha say 'do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future'?
That line is a paraphrase. The real verse is MN 131: 'Don't run back to the past, don't anticipate the future.'