56 Poignant Quotes About The Past Never Coming Back
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Past is something we humans happen to cling to.
We are too attached to something that has already happened and keep thinking about how it could have gone better. This spoils our current moment.
If one accepts what has happened, it becomes easier to work on the flaws and improve. It builds an efficient process and a coping mechanism for tackling problems of life in general.
Thus, it is important to not waste time on futile thinking and rather take concrete steps towards constructive actions that will help you now to build a great future. Here are some of the best quotes about the past to help you accomplish the same.
If you like this article about quotes about the past, you may also want to check our other quotes articles past, present, and future quotes and life is strange quotes.
Famous Quotes About Past
Here are some quotes about the past making who you are along with other famous quotes about the past.
1. "The past is never where you think you left it."
- Katherine Anne.
2. "Fearful past causes a fearful future and the past and future become one."
- Gerald G. Jampolsky.
3. "Don't let the past steal your present."
- Cherralea Morgen.
4. "It's okay to look back at your past. Just don't stare."
- Benjamin Dover.
5. "The past is never there when you try to go back. It exists, but only in memory. To pretend otherwise is to invite a mess."
- Chris Cobbs.
6. "When we release the fearful past and forgive everyone, we will experience total love and oneness with all.”
- Gerald G. Jampolsky.
7. “ The past is always judged by the present."
- Neith Boyce.
8. "The past is never dead. It's not even past."
- William Faulkner.
9. “When we think we have been hurt by someone in the past, we build up defenses to protect ourselves from being hurt in the future."
- Gerald G. Jampolsky.
10. "Never look back unless you are planning to go that way."
- Henry David Thoreau.
11. "The past can't hurt you anymore, not unless you let it.”
- Alan Moore.
12. "Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future."
- Oscar Wilde.
13. “I use memories, but I will not allow memories to use me . . .”
- Deepak Chopra.
14. "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."
- John F. Kennedy.
15. "The past speaks to us in a thousand voices, warning and comforting, animating and stirring to action."
- Felix Adler.
16. “I don't know whether you can look at your past and find, woven like the hidden symbols on a treasure map, the path that will point to your final destination.”
- Jodi Picoult.
17. "We crucify ourselves between two thieves: regret for yesterday and fear of tomorrow.”
- Fulton Oursler.
18. "I have memories-but only a fool stores his past in the future."
- David Gerrold.
19. "We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it."
- Rick Warren.
20. “You realize that our mistrust of the future makes it hard to give up the past.”
- Chuck Palahniuk.
Quotes About Moving On
Here are inspirational quotes about forgetting the past and moving on along with how to let go of the past quotes.
21. "To design the future effectively, you must first let go of your past."
- Charles J. Givens.
22. “Renew, release, let go. Yesterday’s gone. There’s nothing you can do to bring it back.
- Steve Maraboli.
23. “The past has no power over the present moment.”
- Eckhart Tolle.
24. "Everything and everyone that you hate is engraved upon your heart; if you want to let go of something, if you want to forget, you cannot hate.”
- C. JoyBell C.
25. "Why do you cling to pain? There is nothing you can do about the wrongs of yesterday. It is not yours to judge."
- Leo Buscaglia.
26. "The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today?”
- Mary Manin Morrissey.
27. “The past is a stepping stone, not a millstone.”
- Robert Plant.
28. "I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is."
- Alan Watts.
29. "Insisting on living in your past will kill your future. Let it go."
- Tony Evans.
Quotes About Learning From The Past
Here are inspirational quotes about leaving the past behind and learning from it.
30. "Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear."
- Mary Manin Morrissey.
31. "One should learn from the past, but one should not live in the past. My concern is to look to the future, learn from the past, and deal with the present."
- George Fernandes.
32. "We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience."
- George Washington.
33. "You can't undo the past... but you can certainly not repeat it."
- Bruce Willis.
34. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it without a sense of ironic futility."
- Errol Morris.
35. "Some of the best lessons are learned from past mistakes, the error of the past is the wisdom of the future."
- Dale Turner.
36. "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning."
- Albert Einstein.
37. "The lessons of the past should steer us towards ensuring lasting legacies for generations yet to be born."
- Hun Sen.
38. "The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it."
- Thomas S. Monson.
39. "The secret of rulership is to combine a belief in one’s own infallibility with a power to learn from past mistakes."
- George Orwell.
40. "Happy is the person who cherishes the precious lessons of the past and lives vigorously in the present."
- Jerome Hines.
41. "Examine the present and learn from the past to see how the future will unfold. Too often we just look at the present and base our actions solely on that."
- Shinjo Ito.
42. "Great champions learn from past experiences, whether those be good or bad. A lot of times a guy needs to be knocked down before he gets up and fights."
- Paul Azinger.
Quotes About Hopeful Present And Future
Here are quotes about how the past affects the present as well as quotes about living for today and building a better tomorrow.
43. "The past explains how I got here, but the future is up to me – and I love to live life at full throttle.”
- Janice Dickinson.
44. “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.”
- Thomas Jefferson.
45. "Your past does not determine who you are. Your past prepares you for who you are to become."
- Joel Osteen.
46. "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present."
- Bil Keane.
47. "In times of pain, when the future is too terrifying to contemplate and the past too painful to remember, I have learned to pay attention to right now. The precise moment I was in was always the only safe place for me."
- Julia Cameron.
48. “Stop being a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future.”
- Robin Sharma.
49. "I'm going to look forward to the future as opposed to looking back at the past."
- Finn Balor.
50. "Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today, let us begin."
- Mother Teresa.
51. "The future is always beginning now."
- Mark Strand.
52. "Bring the past only if only you are going to build from it."
- Domenico Cieri Estrada.
53. "The best possible preparation for the future is a well-lived present."
- George H. Brimhall.
54. "If you worry about yesterday's failures, then today's successes will be few. The future depends on what we do in the present."
- Mahatma Gandhi.
55. "Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
56. "We can never know what might have been but what is to come is another matter entirely."
- C. S. Lewis.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for the article on quotes about the past then why not take a look at quotes about life being short and quotes about living in the moment.
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Bachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology
Oluwatosin MichaelBachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology
With a Bachelor's in Microbiology from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Oluwatosin has honed his skills as an SEO content writer, editor, and growth manager. He has written articles, conducted extensive research, and optimized content for search engines. His expertise extends to leading link-building efforts and revising onboarding strategies.
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