I live off a motto that says, 'yesterday is history, tomorrow is

In the words of Vanilla Ice, the artist who rose, fell, and rose again through the tides of fame, we hear a truth both humble and eternal: “I live off a motto that says, ‘yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery.’ I have goals and agendas. Wherever I’ll be tomorrow, that’s where I’ll be.” Behind these simple words lies a philosophy older than kingdoms — a call to live with acceptance, purpose, and presence. It is the wisdom of one who has walked through the fire of regret and the fog of uncertainty, and who has emerged understanding that life can only be truly lived in the now.

The origin of this wisdom can be traced to Vanilla Ice’s own journey — one marked by the dizzying heights of success and the humbling depths of reinvention. Once a symbol of youthful fame, he experienced what many do not survive: the loss of identity, the weight of public judgment, and the collapse of all that once seemed permanent. From those ashes, he found a new way of living — one not chained to the history of the past nor enslaved to the mystery of the future. His words remind us that the present moment is not merely a pause between what was and what will be; it is the only ground upon which life truly unfolds.

“Yesterday is history.” In these three words is both mourning and liberation. The past, no matter how glorious or painful, cannot be touched again. It is written, sealed, and unchanging — a teacher that offers lessons, not prisons. To cling to it is to bind oneself to ghosts; to learn from it is to grow into freedom. The ancients knew this truth well. Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor, wrote that one should never be disturbed by the past, for it is beyond reach — only the present and the use of it remain within our power. Vanilla Ice, in his own way, repeats this ancient Stoic truth, learned not from books but from living: that to dwell on yesterday is to lose today.

“Tomorrow is a mystery.” This, too, is wisdom. It speaks to the futility of anxiety — to the folly of imagining we can predict or control what has not yet come to pass. The future, like the sea, cannot be commanded. It can only be navigated with courage and faith. Consider the explorers of old — men like Magellan, who set sail not knowing what lay beyond the horizon. They did not wait for certainty before embarking; they trusted in their purpose and their preparation. So must we all. To fear tomorrow is to forget that life itself is a voyage through mystery — and that mystery, though uncertain, is what makes life sacred.

Yet within his words lies not the resignation of one who drifts, but the resolve of one who moves forward with intention. “I have goals and agendas,” he says. The wisdom here is balance — between surrender and striving, between flow and focus. To live in the present is not to abandon dreams, but to pursue them without fear of failure. It is to understand that one cannot control the outcome, only the effort. The goals give direction, but the heart must remain free from the illusion of control. Wherever he is meant to be tomorrow, he will be — not by accident, but by the quiet alignment of faith and labor.

This truth is echoed in the story of the samurai, who trained every day as if death might come at dawn. They were not reckless, but mindful — aware that each day could be their last, and therefore every action must be done with precision, with beauty, and with peace. They understood that history could not be undone and that the future was unknowable. Thus, they lived in the sharp clarity of the present, where life burns brightest. Vanilla Ice’s words, though shaped by modern experience, carry this same warrior’s spirit: the courage to let go, to accept, to act without fear.

Therefore, my listener, take this as your lesson: do not dwell too long in the ruins of yesterday, nor lose yourself in the fog of tomorrow. Let your eyes rest on the work before you, and let your heart be steady in the now. Set goals, yes — but release the need to know where they will lead. For the past is a teacher, the future a mystery, but the present is a gift — a forge where destiny takes shape through your every thought and action.

For as Vanilla Ice teaches in his quiet simplicity, wisdom is not always wrapped in poetry or scripture; sometimes it comes from those who have lived fully — who have tasted fame and failure, who have fallen and risen again. His motto is not just a saying, but a way of being: to live with gratitude, to strive with purpose, and to trust the unfolding path. Wherever you will be tomorrow, you will be — and that, if your heart is true today, will always be enough.