Meredith Monk Quotes

Listen to the silence. Listen to your life. Be present, not just think about what's going on next week, next month.

We always project into the future or reflect in the past, but we are so little in the present.

Tremble: your whole life is a rehearsal for the moment you are in now.

Most people are prisoners, thinking only about the future or living in the past. They are not in the present, and the present is where everything begins.

On stage, you have nothing to hide behind. It allows the work to live in a more organic place. It's almost like a meditation. You have to go on that stage and be as present as possible.

Everybody just wants to appreciate time as it's passing, to be in the moment. It's the hardest thing to do. You're either in the unknown future that you're working toward, or you're in the past that becomes a little abstract.

I try to just stay in the present moment as much as possible.

It's so easy to get caught up in the future and in the past.

For me, as an actor, it's always about getting out of my own way. I can put so much pressure on myself to keep up and make my director happy instead of being in the moment.

Don't always worry about what your next line is supposed to be. There is no script. Live your life. Be in this moment.

I do think it's important to live in the present because in that way you won't be living in a state of regret.

It is difficult to live in the present, ridiculous to live in the future and impossible to live in the past. Nothing is as far away as one minute ago.

To me, living in the present means being aware of your conscious choice to focus on the past, present or future - it is not necessarily having to focus on the present.

The best shows I play, I almost don't even remember off the stage.

Onstage, there's no hiding; you either can or can't act. There's no second take.

I am only at home in the present.

There's something interesting about playing live; you're in the moment, and I think it would be beneficial.

Living in the past or living in the future - those aren't real. The moment is now, and that's where safety and comfort and all that good stuff is.

My life is every moment of my life. It is not a culmination of the past.

Usually, people have a tendency to be caught in the worries concerning the future or in the regret concerning the past. There is some kind of energy that is pushing them to run, and they are not able to establish themselves in the present moment.

I have always wanted to live in the present and never the past.

I do try to stay open and stay as present as you can be.

I've known for years that you're supposed to be present. I know that thinking about what's happened or thinking about what I want is not going to get me anywhere, but until I quit doing it I'm not present.

I guess I'm living in the present more than the past.

I like to be in the now, now. Sometimes musicians have to wait for me to be genuine with it. As an actor, I don't have that luxury. You have to make it legit when they say 'action.'