# Quotes about foreseeing the future - Quotes: 8 - Authors: 7 - Broader topic: [Quotes about the future](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/the-future.md) - Narrower topics: [prophecies](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/prophecies.md) - Topic page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/foreseeing-the-future - JSON version (same data): https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/foreseeing-the-future.json ## Quotes > Anyone with an overactive imagination, in particular a perversely negative one, need never be surprised by anything. The imagination absolutely can catch out imminent disasters as they're warming up, especially if you keep your nostrils open. People who can accurately read the future: are they gifted at seeing or gifted at guessing? [Steve Toltz](https://www.leafyquotes.com/steve-toltz.md) · [A Fraction Of The Whole](https://www.leafyquotes.com/steve-toltz/a-fraction-of-the-whole.md) — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/steve-toltz/a-fraction-of-the-whole/anyone-with-an-overactive.md) Topics: [imagination](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/imagination.md), [foreseeing the future](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/foreseeing-the-future.md) > But what argument could I offer? It was nothing but an irrational feeling—the kind of “premonition” we get from time to time but remember only on the rare occasions when it is fulfilled by the event. I had no evidence. [L. Sprague deCamp](https://www.leafyquotes.com/l-sprague-decamp.md) · [The Purple Pterodactyls](https://www.leafyquotes.com/l-sprague-decamp/the-purple-pterodactyls.md) · p. 198 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/l-sprague-decamp/the-purple-pterodactyls/but-what-argument.md) Topics: [intuition](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/intuition.md), [foreseeing the future](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/foreseeing-the-future.md) > “You can’t prove what’s going to happen in the future,” explains Naomi Oreskes, who has written extensively on the uses of modeling. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t have a rational basis for action.” [Chris Mooney](https://www.leafyquotes.com/chris-mooney.md) · [The Republican War on Science](https://www.leafyquotes.com/chris-mooney/the-republican-war-on-science.md) · p. 63 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/chris-mooney/the-republican-war-on-science/you-cant-prove.md) Topics: [reason](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/reason.md), [foreseeing the future](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/foreseeing-the-future.md) > This may be the most important proposition revealed by history: “At the time, no one knew what was coming.” [Haruki Murakami](https://www.leafyquotes.com/haruki-murakami.md) · [1Q84](https://www.leafyquotes.com/haruki-murakami/1q84.md) · p. 3 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/haruki-murakami/1q84/this-may-be-the.md) Topics: [history](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/history.md), [foreseeing the future](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/foreseeing-the-future.md) > He had done everything asked of him, and now he just wanted to concentrate on his own work. Something told him, however, that it was not going to be that simple, and he knew that bad premonitions have a far higher accuracy rate than good ones. [Haruki Murakami](https://www.leafyquotes.com/haruki-murakami.md) · [1Q84](https://www.leafyquotes.com/haruki-murakami/1q84.md) · p. 251 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/haruki-murakami/1q84/he-had-done.md) Topics: [pessimism](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/pessimism.md), [foreseeing the future](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/foreseeing-the-future.md) > “It’s not going to come to that,” I said. > > “Nobody ever believes it will,” so the driver. “That’s why it does.” [Jim C. Hines](https://www.leafyquotes.com/jim-c-hines.md) · [Revisionary](https://www.leafyquotes.com/jim-c-hines/revisionary.md) · p. 208 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/jim-c-hines/revisionary/its-not-going.md) Topics: [caution](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/caution.md), [foreseeing the future](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/foreseeing-the-future.md) > You can only predict things after they’ve happened. [John Allen Paulos](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-allen-paulos.md) · [A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-allen-paulos/a-mathematician-reads-the-newspaper.md) · p. 7 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-allen-paulos/a-mathematician-reads-the-newspaper/you-can-only.md) Topics: [humor](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/humor.md), [foreseeing the future](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/foreseeing-the-future.md) > Anyone who studies present and ancient affairs will easily see how in all cities and all peoples there still exist, and have always existed, the same desires and passions. Thus, it is an easy matter for him who carefully examines past events to foresee future events in a republic and to apply the remedies employed by the ancients, or, if old remedies cannot be found, to devise new ones based upon the similarity of the events. But since these matters are neglected or not understood by those who read, or, if understood, remain unknown to those who govern, the result is that the same problems always exist in every era. [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://www.leafyquotes.com/niccolo-machiavelli.md) · [Discourses on Livy](https://www.leafyquotes.com/niccolo-machiavelli/discourses-on-livy.md) — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/niccolo-machiavelli/discourses-on-livy/anyone-who-studies.md) Topics: [history](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/history.md), [foreseeing the future](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/foreseeing-the-future.md)