You may have heard the phrase “what happens in the past should stay in the past.” Some people believe that looking backwards does not lead to progress. Here are 117 excellent do not dwell on the past quotes to keep you from being hindered by things you can’t control right now.
Holding on to past mistakes or regrets only drains our energy and peace. We can’t go back and rewrite those moments, no matter how much we wish we could. But what we can do is learn, grow, and choose to live fully in the present. Each new day gives us a fresh start.
Let’s make space for what’s ahead by releasing what no longer serves us.
More Posts for You:
Here is the List of 117 Do not Dwell on the Past Quotes
1. “People shouldn’t dwell on the past. It’s enough to try your best in all that you’re doing now.” — Aya Kito
2. “He who spends time regretting the past loses the present and risks the future.” — Francisco de Quevedo
3. “Only fools live in the past or carry envy to the present.” — Chi Chi Rodriguez
4. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” — Buddha
5. “You can only lose what you cling to.” — Buddha
6. “If you are carrying strong feelings about something that happened in your past, they may hinder your ability to live in the present.” — Les Brown
7. “A healthy vision of the future is not possible without an accurate knowledge of the past.” — Daisaku Ikeda
8. “Holding on is believing that there’s a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.” — Daphne Rose Kingma
9. “Time that is spent dwelling on the past will surely continue in your present moment – and the future.” — Michelle Cruz
10. “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Herman Hesse
Read also: 117 Happiness Looks Good on You Quotes (Wear Your Smile)
11. “Every morning brings new potential, but if you dwell on the misfortunes of the day before, you tend to overlook tremendous opportunities.” — Harvey Mackay
12. “In the process of letting go you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.” — Deepak Chopra
13. “Do not dwell on the past. Focus on the precious moments and gracious future.” — Lailah Gifty Akita
14. “Let go of the past, but keep the lessons it taught you.” — Chiara Gizzi
15. “We do not heal the past by dwelling there. We heal the past by living in the present.” — Marianne Williamson
16. “I realize there’s something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go.” — Jeffrey McDaniel
17. “Live in the present and shape the future, do not be casting lingering looks to the distant past for the past has passed away, never again to return.” — Subramanya Bharathi
18. “You can’t move forward if you’re still hanging on.” — Sue Fitzmaurice
19. “You gotta keep things moving. If leaving behind the past means you can have a better future, then, sure, why not?” — Lisa Mangum
20. “There’s an important difference between giving up and letting go.” —Jessica Hatchigan
Read also: 140 Unconditional Love Short Quotes for Him and Her
21. “Do not dwell on past failures or it will ruin your future.” — Audrey Phillips
22. “Pain will leave you, when you let go.” — Jeremy Aldana
23. “Do not look back, No one knows how the world ever began. Do not fear the future, Nothing lasts forever. If you dwell on the past or future, You will miss the moment.” — Rumi
24. “Ever new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” — Semisonic
25. “I really believe that our past can really hold us back from growth, so the best thing that we can do is MOVE ON and NOT DWELL.” — Bob Harper
26. “Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.” — Daphne Rose Kingma
27. “We are a people who do not want to keep much of the past in our heads. It is considered unhealthy in America to remember mistakes, neurotic to think about them, psychotic to dwell on them.” — Lillian Hellman
28. “Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.” — Nicole Sobon
29. “If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.” — Roy Bennett
30. “Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.” — Hillary Clinton
Read also: Top 110 Quotes about Feeling Amazing and Being You
31. “Do not brood over your past mistakes and failures as this will only fill your mind with grief, regret and depression. Do not repeat them in the future.” — Sivananda
32. “The future isn’t here yet and the past is long fucking gone. Why dwell in either when I can make the most of the moment I’m in?” — A.E. Valdez
33. “In leaving negativity behind, you find something beautiful.” — Tom DeLonge
34. “Don’t waste time on what’s not important. Don’t get sucked into the drama. Get on with it: don’t dwell on the past. Be a big person; be generous of spirit; be the person you’d admire.” — Allegra Huston
35. “March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life’s path.” — Kahlil Gibran
36. “I tried to help you turn the page by burning it, but you fucking kept sniffing the ashes!” — Ahmed Mostafa
37. “It has taken me a while, but I’m learning that letting go of the past is a good thing. It doesn’t mean forgetting, it just means moving on. Because the fact is, we can’t enjoy the present and embrace the future when we are still stuck in the past.” — Don Dewberry
38. “First, forgive. Second, forget by choosing not to dwell on that which is forgiven and in the past. We have no right to keep in front of us what God has put behind Him.” — David Jeremiah
39. “Do not brood over your past mistakes and failures as this will only fill your mind with grief, regret and depression. Do not repeat them in the future.” — Sri Swami Sivananda
40. “Once you make the decision to move on, don’t look back. Your destiny will never be found in the rear view mirror.” — Mandy Hale
Read also: 100+ Bold I don’t Need Validation from Anyone Quotes
41. “Its more fun to think of the future than dwell on the past.” — Sara Shepard
42. “We dwell on the past thinking we could have been better or done something better. The reality is that you could never be better or do something better because some people never change and whatever is meant to be, will be.” — Dark Joseph Ravine
43. “Never love something so much that you can’t let go of it.” — Ginni Rometty
44. “The person who is to succeed will never let his mind dwell on past mistakes. He will forgive the past in his life and in the lives of other people. If he makes a mistake he will at once forgive it.” — Ernest Holmes
45. “The last gust of the past still dwells in the heart.” — Kaylee Stepkoski
46. “Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
47. “I don’t spend much time regretting the past, once I’ve taken my lesson from it. I don’t dwell on it.” — Charlie Munger
48. “Never forget what it taught, but forget about what it hurt.” — Shannon L. Alder
49. “Ruminating on the past is largely a waste of time. It’s illusory.” — Naval Ravikant
50. “Going away won’t change anything if you’re running from yourself.” — Joyce Rachelle
Read also: 105 Quotes about Going through Hard Times and Staying Strong
51. “I don’t dwell in the past; I don’t wallow in old events and emotions. I don’t waste time on regret. No use going over and over the details of what already happened.” — Yanni
52. “All is well. Everything is working out for my highest good. Out of this situation only good will come. I am safe!” — Louise Hay
53. “Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” — Raymond Lindquist
54. “Every second you dwell on the past you steal from your future. Every minute you spend focusing on your problems you take away from finding your solutions.” — Robin Sharma
55. “Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.” — Denis Waitley
56. “Things won’t get better dwelling on the past. Accept what has happened. Then move forward.” — Jocko Willink
57. “When the negative thoughts come – and they will; they come to all of us – it’s not enough to just not dwell on it… You’ve got to replace it with a positive thought.” — Joel Osteen
58. “I don’t like to dwell on the past.” — Tina Turner
59. “Well, he thought, dwelling on past failures once you’d learned all there was to learn was just heaping futility on failure.” — Raymond E. Feist
60. “Though the terror of the sea gives to none security, in the secret of the shell. Self preserving we may dwell.” — Muhammad Iqbal
Read also: 121 Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin Quotes (Just Be You)
61. “Dwelling on the past and worrying about the future will only rob you of the present’s joy.” — Stacy A. Padula
62. “A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.” — Albert Einstein
63. “When you realize the value of all life, you dwell on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future.” — Dian Fossey
64. “You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” — Joyce Meyer
65. “If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” — Winston Churchill
66. “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” — Lao Tzu
67. “Remembrance of the past kills all present energy and deadens all hope for the future.” — Maxim Gorky
68. “If you are not happy in this moment, happy memories are a poor consolation prize. If you are happy in this moment, happy memories are irrelevant.” — James Pierce
69. “If you constantly dwell on the past that’s where you end up living.” — Simon Weston
70. “Remind yourself: You can only deal with the present moment. Everything else is a memory, a hope or a fear.” — Anthony J James
Read also: 125 Powerful You don’t Know How Strong You are Quotes
71. “Forgive, forget, and move on, because the moment you start dwelling on the past is the moment you stop playing your best.” — Kris Hui Lee
72. “The most important reason to live in the moment is nothing lasts forever: Enjoy the moment while it’s in front of you; be present. Accept life for what it is — a finite span of time with infinite possibilities.” — Joshua Fields Millburn
73. “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
74. “Believe me, wise men don’t say ‘I shall live to do that’, tomorrow’s life is too late; live today.” — Martial
75. “Let us remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and look forward to the future with confidence.” — Pope John Paul II
76. “This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
77. “NOW is the only reality. All else is either memory or imagination.” — Osho
78. “Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity.” — Maria Popova
79. “Remember the past, plan for the future, but live for today, because yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.” — Luke the Evangelist
80. “The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of the state of your mind.” — Wayne W. Dyer
Read also: 110 Powerful Do More of What Makes You Happy Quotes
81. “The wise man must remember that while he is a descendant of the past, he is a parent of the future.” — Herbert Spencer
82. “The Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays.” — C.S. Lewis
83. “Your presence is your power, which is why it’s so important to give yourself the opportunity to truly live in the moment.” — Gabby Berstein
84. “Whatever you think that you will be. If you think yourself weak, weak you will be; if you think yourself strong, you will be.” — Swami Vivekananda
85. “Only one who is at peace with the transitory nature of things can truly live.” — James Pierce
86. “Something to remember on your birthday..Forget the past, it can’t be changed..And, forget the present because I didn’t get you one.” — Brian Jones
87. “If we can be present to the moment with the person that we happen to be with at the moment, that’s what’s important.” — Fred Rogers
88. “Learn from the past, but don’t live in the past.” — Steve Maraboli
89. “Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it. Don’t wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men’s store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot black coffee.” — Dale Cooper
90. “I don’t believe in living in the past. Living in the past is for cowards. If you live in the past, you die in the past.” — Mike Ditka
Read also: 115 Quotes on Strong Character for a Life of Honor
91. “If you make friends with the present moment, and always say ‘yes’ to whatever is, life becomes friendly towards you. Life always shows you the face that you show it. It’s always a mirror.” — Eckhart Tolle
92. “Be aware, alert, and sensitive to the present moment always, in all actions and relations whatsoever, beginning at this instant.” — Alan Watts
93. “Don’t judge a person by their past. They don’t necessarily live there anymore.” — Nicky Gumbel
94. “Calm your mind. Train your body. Master your craft. Be present in the moment.” — Shane Parrish
95. “Living in the present is the instant perception of beauty and the great delight in it without seeking pleasure from it.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti
96. “In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.” — Dalai Lama
97. “Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.” — William James
98. “Make peace with your past so it won’t destroy your present.” — Paulo Coelho
99. “I’m not sitting somewhere dwelling on the past. I’m not fretting or obsessing about something in the future.” — Sayings
100. “There are no limits on what you can achieve with your life, except the limits you accept in your mind.” — Brian Tracy
Read also: 119 Respecting Boundaries Quotes to Inspire Safe Spaces
101. “You have to find what sparks a light in you so that you in your own way can illuminate the world.” — Oprah Winfrey
102. “No use dwelling on the past. What you do tomorrow and the next day and the day after that is what matters.” — Kate Brian
103. “Trade your expectations for appreciation and the world changes instantly.” — Tony Robbins
104. “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone.” — Johnny Cash
105. “Don’t waste time on what’s not important. Don’t get sucked into the drama. Get on with it: don’t dwell on the past. Be a big person; be generous of spirit; be the person you’d admire.” — Allegra Huston
106. “Be forgiving with your past self. Be strict with your present self. Be flexible with your future self.” — James Clear
107. “I’m a person who really doesn’t dwell on the past.” — Ronnie Lott
108. “What necessity is there to dwell on the Past, when the Present is so much surer-the Future so much brighter?” — Charlotte Bronte
Read also: 115 Change is Inevitable Quotes: Growth is the Only Way
109. “When we dwell on the past, we tend to want to live there. When we dream of the future, we want to go there. Our dreams are where God paints a picture of a life waiting to be created.” — Erwin McManus
110. “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” — J. K. Rowling
111. “We live in reference to past experience and not to future events, however inevitable.” — H. G. Wells
112. “I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.” — Steve Jobs
113. “The future’s too bright to dwell on the past. Life moves fast, run faster.” — Frank Iero
114. “There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” — W. Clement Stone
115. “I try not to dwell on the past. I’m not a big go-back-and-try-to-relive-your-past kinda person.” — John Cusack
116. “Only by not forgetting the past can we be the master of the future.” — Ba Jin
117. “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” — Johnny Cash
I hope these do not dwell on the past quotes above are helpful to you; please share this post with your friends and family.
Want more great blog posts? Start with these:
