The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia · Chapter XXIX
Samuel Johnson
In the 18th century, a period that embraced progress and the promise of a better future, Johnson's skepticism about tomorrow's allure stands out. He cautions against the seductive promise of future happiness, an empty lure that can lead to a life squandered in anticipation. Unlike the Enlightenment's focus on rationality and planning for a better world, he argues for the immediacy of the present, urging us to seize today rather than succumb to the illusions of an elusive future.