"All you have is today."

[Disneyland]

'All you have is today', could be one of the greatest secrets that 'success' or the 'taste of accomplishments' in life, reveals to us! It encourages us towards the efforts made by us for achieving our goals and fills us with true purposefulness. However achieving such a spontaneous state of being amidst all the turmoil of life is yet another question. I think that this philosophical thought could be the product of Duke's job of swallowing swords by risking his life every time! He had a chance to know life from close quarters!

[Kishor Rao]

Duke has learned and experienced many things in life and its one of the very principles he is supposed to live by given his dangerous profession. I, on the other hand, cling to the past a little more than I want myself to.

[Radiant3]

I think Duke tried to live just for the moment because it made living in the present more bearable for him. He missed circus life and the friends he had there. If he dwelled on the past he would not be able to function in the present. He knew he was getting older and looked at the future with some trepidation. So for him to live happily, he had to live in the present.
Also, that always seemed to be his way, even when he was part of the circus, living for the moment.

[Shrabastee]

"Yesterday is just a memory and tomorrow is not guaranteed, " Duke told Gary.

Do you think Duke was true to living by this sentiment?
Do you live by this or are you too stuck in the past or too worried about the future?

Duke's entire life is a demonstration of this sentence. In fact the feat of sword-swallowing is also just that, you know you did okay yesterday, you might or might not be there tomorrow to swallow the swords, it all depends on whether you can manage to do so today without damaging yourself.

As for myself, I guess I am too worried about the future. I reminisce of the past, but try not to dwell too much on that. However, the future has a way of scaring me! Guess I should really learn from Duke, but then again, not at all bothering about the future does not seem like a wise choice, either.

[DakotaA]

I definitely think about the future more than anything else! I find myself ten steps ahead before I've even taken one and it can be hard to be in the moment. For anyone who is like this as well- I've started yoga and it helps.

[Hiruni Bhagya 81]

From what we read in the book, it's true that Duke believed it as well as lived it. But, I don't think we can forget the past and not think about the future living only in the present. By that, I'm not saying we have to always worry about everything constantly. We should learn from our past mistakes and live simply enjoying the present while at the same time being aware of the future.