Quote Origin: The Past Is History. The Future Is a Mystery. Today Is a Gift. That’s Why It’s Called the Present
Eleanor Roosevelt? Barbara De Angelis? Joan Rivers? Bill Keane? Emily Dickinson? Liz Curtis Higgs? Babatunde Olatunji? Susan Barkdoll? Nicholas L. Santowassa? Abigail Van Buren? A. A. Milne? Alice Morse Earle? Anonymous?
Question for Quote Investigator: A rhyming series of statements highlight the uncertainty of the future and the desirability of appreciating the present. Here are two versions:
(1) The past is history. The future is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.
(2) Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.
This saying has been attributed to social activist Eleanor Roosevelt, relationship counselor Barbara De Angelis, comedian Joan Rivers, cartoonist Bill Keane, and others. I have been unable to find solid citations. Would you please help?
Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest strong match located by QI appeared in a speech delivered at a graduation ceremony in June 1993 at Rutgers Preparatory School in New Jersey. The speaker was a member of the Board of Trustees, but he credited an unnamed journalist. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹
Quoting a former journalist, he said, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift, and that is why it’s called the present.”
QI has found no substantive evidence supporting the ascription to Eleanor Roosevelt who died in 1962. The earliest attribution to Roosevelt located by QI appeared in 1999.
QI believes that this statement evolved over time. The segment containing the rhyming words “history” and “mystery” evolved separately from the segment with wordplay based on “gift” and “present”. The two segments were subsequently combined. The creator remains anonymous.
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.
In 1855 “The Daily Post” of Liverpool, England published some Christmas themed verses which included a rhyme using history and mystery:²
For you have told us of a great event,
That in the womb of time as yet is pent;
Let us resume our present History,
Nor seek the future — that’s a mystery.
The famous poet Emily Dickinson composed a short work known as “Yesterday is History” around 1873.³ Interestingly, Dickinson also contended that “Yesterday is mystery”:⁴
Yesterday is history
’Tis so far away.
Yesterday is poetry,
’Tis Philosophy.Yesterday is mystery.
Where it is today
While we shrewdly speculate
Flutter both away.
In 1910 “The Courier-Journal” of Louisville, Kentucky published a filler item that matched the first segment of the quotation under examination:⁵
“Shall the interests run the country or the country govern itself?” asks Mr. Pinchot. The future is a mystery unsolved; the past is history well known.
In 1923 “Long Branch Daily Record” of New Jersey published an advertisement that matched the first segment: It also used the word today, but did not use “present”:⁶
Yesterday Is History
Tomorrow is a mystery, today is the day, let’s go, and subscribe for some shares in the 16th series of Monmouth County Building and Loan Association now open.
In 1925 “The Coshocton Tribune” of Ohio published the following within an advertisement:⁷
Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is Mystery
The wise pilot is apprehensive of the storm when the sea is most smiling. Get your Columbus Mutual Policy while you are able to obtain it — while you are in good health.
In 1928 “The Leader-Press” of Muscoda, Wisconsin published a bank advertisement containing a partial match using the words “future”, “past”, and “present”. The statement provided a thematic match:⁸
The past we are told is history, the future a mystery but the present is life and we should make the most of it.
In 1929 “The Leader-Press” Muscoda, Wisconsin printed another advertisement for the same bank which used the words “past”, “future”, and “today”:⁹
The past is history — the future a mystery but to-day is LIFE — so let us make the most of it.
In 1932 “The Escanaba Daily Press” of Michigan printed the following bank advertisement:¹⁰
Yesterday —
History
Tomorrow —
Mystery
Today — A Golden
Moment Set Between,
And the Time to Start
A Savings Account.
In 1939 “The Hydro Review” of Oklahoma published a message from a tailor to recent graduates:¹¹
Graduates Of ’39
We Congratulate You
Yesterday is History — Tomorrow, a Mystery —
But Today is NOW
AND TODAY IS YOURS!
In 1991 “The Sunday Oklahoman” of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma printed an article about humorist Liz Curtis Higgs who employed wordplay with “gift” and “present”, but she disclaimed credit:¹²
“Every day is a gift, that’s why we call it the present,” Higgs said, quoting an anonymous source.
In May 1993 “The Galveston Daily News” of Texas printed an advertisement with the gift/present wordplay:¹³
TODAY IS A GIFT..
That’s why they call it the present
J. Maisel’s MAINLAND FLORAL, INC.
In June 1993 a graduation speaker at Rutgers Preparatory School in New Jersey employed the full expression with an anonymous attribution as mentioned at the beginning of this article:¹⁴
Quoting a former journalist, he said, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift, and that is why it’s called the present.”
In December 1993 a newspaper in San Bernardino, California printed an instance of the saying spoken by local resident Susan Barkdoll:¹⁵
And she’s got a philosophy of life she wants to share.
“The past is history, the future a mystery,” said Barkdoll.
“Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”
In 1994 relationship counselor Barbara De Angelis published a book titled “Real Moments”, and she stated that the saying appeared on a card:¹⁶
Recently I received a greeting card in the mail, and I wanted to pass its message on to you:
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That’s why we call it “the present….”
In June 1994 a tennis player quoted in a Brattleboro, Vermont newspaper suggested that the saying was famous:¹⁷
My father, Russ, is fond of famous sayings and words of inspiration, like Coach Bear Bryant’s: “What matters is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” I particularly like his: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”
There is a separate Quote Investigator article about the dog saying which is available here.
In August 1994 the popular single-panel comic “Family Circus” employed a variant of the saying. The character Dolly delivered the line while speaking to her younger brother Jeffy:¹⁸
“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a GIFT. That’s why it’s called the present.”
In October 1994 the advice columnist Dear Abby reprinted the instance from the book by Barbara De Angelis while crediting her.¹⁹
In 1999 a message in the Usenet newsgroup soc.veterans contained a lengthy series statements which were all implausibly attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt including the following:²⁰
>> Yesterday is history.
>> Tomorrow is mystery.
>> Today is a gift.
>> That’s why it’s called the Present!!
>> It’s National Friendship Week.
>> Show your friends how much you care….
>> Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND.
In 2000 “The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations” compiled by Mark Water attribute an instance to Nigerian percussionist Babatunde Olatunji:²¹
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present. Babatunde Olatunji
In 2003 “Worth Repeating: More Than 5,000 Classic and Contemporary Quotes” contained the following entry:²²
The past is history; the future is a mystery; today is a gift; that’s why it’s called the “PRESENT?”
— Anonymous
In 2006 “Treasury of Wit & Wisdom” attributed an instance to comedian Joan Rivers:²³
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God’s gift, that’s why we call it the present. — Joan Rivers
In 2013 a newspaper in Rock Island, Illinois reported on a speech delivered by the valedictorian at a local high school who attributed the saying to a well-known children’s author A. A. Milne:²⁴
She quoted A. A. Milne, author of “Winnie the Pooh,” who once said yesterday is history tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift, that’s why we call it the present.
In 2015 a columnist for a Hawaiian newspaper mentioned the quotation together with another attribution:²⁵
It’s like the famous quote: “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift.”
The saying is attributed to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. (Although author Alice Morse Earle also is credited with it and adding to it, “That is why it’s called the present.”)
In conclusion, the earliest close match located by QI appeared in June 1993. The creator was anonymous. Older citations show that the expression evolved over time. QI suspects citations for the full saying before 1993 probably exist, and future researchers may locate them.
Image Notes: An hourglass together with footprints on the beach from Immo Wegmann at Unsplash.
Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Laurence Horn whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Horn heard an instance spoken by ESPN host Tony Reali. Thanks also to Barry Popik for his pioneering research on this topic. He located the August 1993 citation with wordplay, the August 1994 “Family Circus” citation, and other valuable citations. Also, thanks to Jane Bella who pointed to the attribution to Earle which was also mentioned by Horn.
Update History: On July 26, 2023 the 2013 and 2015 citations were added.
[1] 1993 June 14, The Central New Jersey Home News, Rutgers Prep graduates 55 by Leo Reisberg (Home News staff writer) (Continuation title: Goals), Start Page B1, Quote Page B2, Column 4, New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Newspapers_com)
[2] 1855 December 15, The Daily Post, The New Christmas As Pantomime, Quote Page 3, Column 5, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. (Newspapers_com)
[3] 2022, The Oxford Handbook of Emily Dickinson, Edited by Cristanne Miller and Karen Sánchez-Eppler, Chapter 32: Dickinson Emergent: Natural Philosophy and the Postdisciplinary Manifold by Renée Bergland, (Note: This book gives the estimated date of creation for the poem “Yesterday is History” as 1873), Start Page 554, Quote Page 554, Oxford University Press, Oxford, England. (Google Books Preview)
[4] 1945, Bolts of Melody: New Poems by Emily Dickinson, Edited by Mabel Loomis Todd and Millicent Todd Bingham, Poem Number 531, Start Page 270, Quote Page 270, Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York. (Verified with scans)
[5] 1910 June 16, The Courier-Journal, (Filler item), Quote Page 6, Column 4, Louisville, Kentucky. (Newspapers_com)
[6] 1923 October 8, Long Branch Daily Record, Yesterday Is History (Title of advertisement), Quote Page 1, Column 3, Long Branch, New Jersey. (Newspapers_com)
[7] 1925 September 8, The Coshocton Tribune, (Advertisement for Agent J. E. Foster), Quote Page 8, Column 5, Coshocton, Ohio. (Newspapers_com)
[8] 1928 May 24, The Leader-Press, Past — Present — Future (Advertisement for Muscoda State Bank), Quote Page 5, Column 3, Muscoda, Wisconsin. (Newspapers_com)
[9] 1929 August 29, The Leader-Press, Past — Present — Future — (Advertisement for Muscoda Co-operative Shipping Association), Quote Page 6, Column 4, Muscoda, Wisconsin. (Newspapers_com)
[10] 1932 November 27, The Escanaba Daily Press, (Advertisement for First National Bank of Escanaba, Michigan), Quote Page 12, Column 1, Escanaba, Michigan. (Newspapers_com)
[11] 1939 May 18, The Hydro Review, (Advertisement for Neel’s Tailor Shop), Quote Page 5, Column 6, Hydro, Oklahoma. (Newspapers_com)
[12] 1991 June 2, The Sunday Oklahoman, Section: Women, Humorist Invites Women To Become ‘Encouragers’, (Continuation title: Encourage), Start Page 1, Quote Page 2, Column 1, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Newspapers_com)
[13] 1993 May 24, The Galveston Daily News, (Advertisement for Mainland Floral), Quote Page 7A, Column 1, Galveston, Texas. (Newspapers_com)
[14] 1993 June 14, The Central New Jersey Home News, Rutgers Prep graduates 55 by Leo Reisberg (Home News staff writer) (Continuation title: Goals), Start Page B1, Quote Page B2, Column 4, New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Newspapers_com)
[15] 1993 December 12, The San Bernardino County Sun, The best gifts ever, Stories by Carla Wheeler (Sun Staff Writer), (Continuation title: Gifts: Readers remember), Start Page C1, Quote Page C4, Column 2 and 3, San Bernardino, California. (Newspapers_com)
[16] 1994, Real Moments by Barbara De Angelis, Chapter 1: Your Quest for Happiness, Quote Page 28, Delacorte Press, New York. (Verified with scans)
[17] 1994 June 3, Brattleboro Reformer, Tennis encounters of the serious kind by Stephen Stearns, Quote Page 14, Column 3, Brattleboro, Vermont. (Newspapers_com)
[18] 1994 August 31, Parsons Sun, Family Circus (One panel comic) by Bill Keane, Quote Page 13, Column 4, Parsons, Kansas. (Newspapers_com)
[19] 1994 October 26, Albany Democrat-Herald, Dear Abby by Abigail Van Buren, Quote Page B6, Column 3, Albany, Oregon. (Newspapers_com)
[20] Usenet discussion message, Timestamp: Sep 8, 1999, 3:00:00 AM, Newsgroup: soc.veterans, From: Dr Bob, Subject: Eleanor Roosevelt. (Google Groups Search; Accessed July 26, 2023) link
[21] 2000, The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations, Compiled by Mark Water, Topic: Time, Quote Page 1061, Baker Books: A Division of Baker Book House Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Verified with scans)
[22] 2003, Worth Repeating: More Than 5,000 Classic and Contemporary Quotes, Compiled by Bob Kelly, Topic: Today, Quote Page 345, Kregel Publications: A Division of Kregel, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Verified with scans)
[23] 2006, Treasury of Wit & Wisdom: 4,000 of the Funniest, Cleverest, Most Insightful Things Ever Said, Compiled by Jeff Bredenberg, Topic: Faith, Quote Page 48, The Reader’s Digest Association, Pleasantville, New York. (Verified with scans)
[24] 2013 June 3, The Rock Island Argus, United Township grads told life is about ‘the dash’ by Laura Anderson Shaw, Quote Page B3, Column 6, Rock Island, Illinois. (Newspapers_com)
[25] 2015 October 7, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Time Flies, Whether You Like It Or Not by Tannya Joaquin, Quote Page 46, Column 1 and 2, Honolulu, Hawaii. (Newspapers_com)
