“
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
“
You build on failure. You use it as a stepping sone. 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
“
Tea is an act complete in its simplicity.
When I drink tea, there is only me and the tea.
The rest of the world dissolves.
There are no worries about the future.
No dwelling on past mistakes.
Tea is simple: loose-leaf tea, hot pure water, a cup.
I inhale the scent, tiny delicate pieces of the tea floating above the cup.
I drink the tea, the essence of the leaves becoming a part of me.
I am informed by the tea, changed.
This is the act of life, in one pure moment, and in this act the truth of the world suddenly becomes revealed: all the complexity, pain, drama of life is a pretense, invented in our minds for no good purpose.
There is only the tea, and me, converging.
”
”
Thich Nhat Hanh
“
People screw up. People screw up a lot. We allow our own selfishness to overpower us at times. It happens. But you can’t allow that to tear you down. You can’t keep dwelling on your past choices, and your past actions, or else you’ll never learn from them.
”
”
Nicole Sobon (Deprogrammed (The Emile Reed Chronicles, #2))
“
Dwelling on past mistakes did no good. Better to focus on the ones that
could be fixed.
”
”
Megan Derr (Prisoner)
“
Never waste your energy to dwell on the past failures and mistakes.
May you find renewed energy, courage and hope to pursue new adventures.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind)
“
People make mistakes. Get over it. You thought he was Mr Right but you were wrong. He thought you were his angel but he was wrong. Dwelling on the past will get you nowhere.
”
”
Holly Chamberlin (Back in the Game)
“
Every morning, you have a choice either to make your day relaxed or stressful.
To be thankful for what you have or to complain about what you don’t have.
To count your achievements and celebrate them, or to dwell on the mistakes of your past and feel bad.
To take action to make things better, or
to continue on in mediocrity.
”
”
Maddy Malhotra (How to Build Self-Esteem and Be Confident: Overcome Fears, Break Habits, Be Successful and Happy)
“
Let go and let God. Don’t dwell on your past mistakes. When you do that, your past keeps you from moving forward. The wonder of the Atonement is that you don’t have to be the same person you were yesterday, last year or even a minute ago. Through Christ, and through the power of repentance, you are continually being reborn.
”
”
Toni Sorenson (Aligned With Christ)
“
Your life is written in indelible ink. There's no going back to erase the past, tweak your mistakes, or fill in missed opportunities. When the moment's over, your fate is sealed.
But if look closer, you notice the ink never really dries on any our experiences. They can change their meaning the longer you look at them.
Klexos.
There are ways of thinking about the past that aren't just nostalgia or regret. A kind of questioning that enriches an experience after the fact. To dwell on the past is to allow fresh context to trickle in over the years, and fill out the picture; to keep the memory alive, and not just as a caricature of itself. So you can look fairly at a painful experience, and call it by its name.
Time is the most powerful force in the universe. It can turn a giant into someone utterly human, just trying to make their way through. Or tell you how you really felt about someone, even if you couldn't at the time. It can put your childhood dreams in context with adult burdens or turn a universal consensus into an embarrassing fad. It can expose cracks in a relationship that once seemed perfect. Or keep a friendship going by thoughts alone, even if you'll never see them again. It can flip your greatest shame into the source of your greatest power, or turn a jolt of pride into something petty, done for the wrong reasons, or make what felt like the end of the world look like a natural part of life.
The past is still mostly a blank page, so we may be doomed to repeat it. But it's still worth looking into if it brings you closer to the truth.
Maybe it's not so bad to dwell in the past, and muddle in the memories, to stem the simplification of time, and put some craft back into it. Maybe we should think of memory itself as an art form, in which the real work begins as soon as the paint hits the canvas. And remember that a work of art is never finished, only abandoned.
”
”
John Koenig
“
Don’t just think about what you missed! Don’t continue to dwell on your past mistakes. You shall always miss something in life, consciously or unconsciously! You shall never be able to do all things excellently in life though you must try to! The lesson from what you missed and its application for a better tomorrow is what matter! Move your thought! Move your body!
”
”
Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
“
It is a new day for a new thought, new identity, new ideas, new steps and new breathe! We may choose to repeat the mistakes of yesterday or think of the lessons from the mistakes of yesterday. We may choose dwell on the fortunes or misfortunes of yesterday or think of what we can do with the fortunes or misfortunes of yesterday today! We may choose to continue or discontinue the steps we took yesterday today. Life is here today and we must think of what we can do today for today was the vision of yesterday and the true foundation of tomorrow!
”
”
Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
“
I surrender my focus on the past that I might dwell fully in the present. May my mind not wander into the darkness of before, but rather be filled with the light of now. May my heart be open to the knowing that anything is possible in any moment, and God Himself is not held back by the fears or mistakes of yesterday. I forgive what has been, and embrace what is. I am at peace in the holiness of this instant, and release all else.
”
”
Marianne Williamson (A Year of Miracles: Daily Devotions and Reflections (The Marianne Williamson Series))
“
you made a mistake in the past and learn from it now, you are using clock time. On the other hand, if you dwell on it mentally, and self-criticism, remorse, or guilt come up, then you are making the mistake into “me” and “mine”: You make it part of your sense of self, and it has become psychological time, which is always linked to a false sense of identity.
”
”
Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment)
“
Do not dwell on past failures or it will ruin your future.
”
”
Audrey Phillips
“
I’m sorry that I keep making the mistake of forcing your past into the foreground or dwelling on my own past despite claiming the opposite.
”
”
Devika Fernando (When I see your Face)
“
Learn from your past mistakes, but don’t dwell on them.
”
”
Gina Ardito (Eternally Yours (The Afterlife Series Book 1))
“
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 (Shards of a Broken Crown (The Serpentwar Saga, #4))
“
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. And thinking about all those things that you wish never happened to you is actually blocking all the things you want to happen from entering into your life. Given the timeless truth that holds that you become what you think about all day long, it makes no sense to worry about past events or mistakes unless you want to experience them for a second time. Instead, use the lessons you have learned from your past to rise to a whole new level of awareness and enlightenment.
”
”
Robin S. Sharma (Who Will Cry When You Die?: Life Lessons From The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari)
“
We are all mysteries, to those who love us and also to ourselves. When you find someone who embraces you, loves and desires you every moment, accepts your mysteries and flaws without judgement, you’ve struck gold. How delicious is the thought that this mysterious complex creature, chooses to share a life with you?
Too many of us undervalue ourselves by digging too deep into the mistakes we have made or dwelling on when we failed at something like relationships, responsibilities, careers, whatever it might be. All those experiences make up the mystery and story of who we are. We are complex beings, all together in this fucked up but beautiful world.
Whatever the mistakes or failures of someone’s murky past that leads them to your door should be experiences you are grateful for and that is cause for celebration. All of us have had experiences, good and bad, and those make up the intricate tapestry of who we are.
I often feel insecure in so many ways, fragile and easily broken even when I know that is only a self-defeating perception that sometimes rears its ugly head. I am doing what I love, and deeply in love with someone with whom I want to share my future and write our own magical mystery story.
I guess what I am trying to say is don’t dig so deep that you end up cutting your roots and the lifeblood that feeds and makes you. Match your energy and vibration with what you envision. Believe. You deserve love and success, so go for it.
”
”
Riitta Klint
“
Even when I was little, I was always dwelling on what I couldn't change, always worried about stuff I had no control over. It seemed like I lived half my life regretting the mistakes of the past. Dad, he'd say, 'Regret is the past crippling your chances of the present.
”
”
Keith McCafferty (Cold Hearted River (Sean Stranahan #6))
“
It does no good to worry about what may or may not happen tomorrow; nor does it do any good whatsoever to dwell on mistakes you might have made in the past. We can only learn from past mistakes and modify future behavior for the better. The only day that matters is the one before you. Today”.
”
”
Michael ONeill (Road Work: Images And Insights Of A Modern Day Explorer)
“
Let go of your past, dwell not on your mistakes. If your playing small didn't work out in the past, it most likely won't work now. Release the fear, the anger, the troubles, the worries. They will only make you weak and unable to move ahead. Evaluate your life, discard what is not working. Shed your old skin and never look back.
”
”
Asuni LadyZeal
“
Every day I wake up and re-commit to my health. This is a very important step for me. I let the past be the past. I try not to dwell on the mistakes I've made, because those kinds of thoughts only bring me down. I wake up every day with the thought that this is a new day. That today I am going to eat well, I am going to exercise, and I'm going to focus on being healthy and happy.
”
”
Stephen Cremen (Battle Scars: My Journey from Obesity to Health and Happiness, Fifteen Years and Counting!)
“
Release the grudges you’re holding against yourself,” Angel said. “Or one day they will become your undoing.” Snow White set the papers she was holding back on her desk. “What do you mean?” “If you continue to dwell on your short-comings, you will drive yourself mad. You are human. You will make mistakes. And while I admire your spirit—for it means you will work actively to make as few errors as possible and learn from them—I can say if you do not learn to forgive yourself for your past iniquities, years from now it will be you we are rescuing. Such thoughts open the doorway to darkness.
”
”
K.M. Shea (Snow White (Timeless Fairy Tales #11))
“
Benefit #10 - Willingness to Let Things Go We tend to hold onto things that have caused us emotional pain. Examples include mistakes that carried terrible consequences, perceived slights from others, and regrettable decisions from our distant past. These things can sometimes begin to define us. They become a part of our identity. When they become so, they rob us of the inner peace and confidence we would otherwise experience. When you develop mental toughness, you’ll become more inclined to let such things go. Rather than dwelling on past pains and regrets, you’ll see them as stepping stones to your continual growth. Every mistake become a lesson from which to acquire insight. Every perceived slight becomes an opportunity to nurture valued relationships. Every regrettable decision becomes a chance to reexamine your intentions and ensure they align with your values. Ultimately, after these things have served their purpose, you’ll be able to move on, leaving them where they belong: in the past.
”
”
Damon Zahariades (The Mental Toughness Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Facing Life's Challenges, Managing Negative Emotions, and Overcoming Adversity with Courage and Poise)
“
Trying to get to 124 for the second time now, he regretted that conversation: the high tone he took; his refusal to see the effect of marrow weariness in a woman he believed was a mountain. Now, too late, he understood her. The heart that pumped out love, the mouth that spoke the Word, didn't count. They came in her yard anyway and she could not approve or condemn Sethe's rough choice. One or the other might have saved her, but beaten up by the claims of both, she went to bed. The whitefolks had tired her out at last.
And him. Eighteen seventy-four and whitefolks were still on the loose. Whole towns wiped clean of Negroes; eighty-seven lynchings in one year alone in Kentucky; four colored schools burned to the ground; grown men whipped like children; children whipped like adults; black women raped by the crew; property taken, necks broken. He smelled skin, skin and hot blood. The skin was one thing, but human blood cooked in a lynch fire was a whole other thing. The stench stank. Stank up off the pages of the North Star, out of the mouths of witnesses, etched in crooked handwriting in letters delivered by hand. Detailed in documents and petitions full of whereas and presented to any legal body who'd read it, it stank. But none of that had worn out his marrow. None of that. It was the ribbon. Tying his
flatbed up on the bank of the Licking River, securing it the best he could, he caught sight of something red on its bottom. Reaching for it, he thought it was a cardinal feather stuck to his boat. He tugged and what came loose in his hand was a red ribbon knotted around a curl of wet woolly hair, clinging still to its bit of scalp. He untied the ribbon and put it in his pocket, dropped the curl in the weeds. On the way home, he stopped, short of breath and dizzy. He waited until the spell passed before continuing on his way. A moment later, his breath left him again. This time he sat
down by a fence. Rested, he got to his feet, but before he took a step he turned to look back down the road he was traveling and said, to its frozen mud and the river beyond, "What are these people? You tell me, Jesus. What are they?"
When he got to his house he was too tired to eat the food his sister and nephews had prepared. He sat on the porch in the cold till way past dark and went to his bed only because his sister's voice calling him was getting nervous. He kept the ribbon; the skin smell nagged him, and his weakened marrow made him dwell on Baby Suggs' wish to consider what in the world was harmless. He hoped she stuck to blue, yellow, maybe green, and never fixed on red.
Mistaking her, upbraiding her, owing her, now he needed to let her know he knew, and to get right with her and her kin. So, in spite of his exhausted marrow, he kept on through the voices and tried once more to knock at the door of 124. This time, although he couldn't cipher but one word, he believed he knew who spoke them. The people of the broken necks, of fire-cooked blood and black girls who had lost their ribbons.
What a roaring.
”
”
Toni Morrison (Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1))
“
How easy it is to blame the present on the past, and allow history to shape the future. How many of us justify our current behaviour by reference to events long gone? Is this true within your relationship? Are you allowing past mistakes to dictate your destiny? If pain has been inflicted by a loved one, you may search for reasons and explanations that simply can’t be found. You pick away at the scar that is trying to heal, and cause the blood to flow again. You seek reassurances that you may never truly believe. The scar becomes ragged and ugly to all who can see it, and you become the walking wounded, waiting to be hurt again. Accept that your history has changed you. Rejoice in your survival. Let the wounds heal to form a stronger, more resilient you, and remember that forgiveness is not something we do for other people—we do it for ourselves. So forgive yourself for being a victim. Look positively to the here and now. Put the past behind you and think of it as somewhere you once visited, and possibly didn’t like very much. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Buddha
”
”
Rachel Abbott (The Back Road (DCI Tom Douglas #2))
“
Don't dwell on the mistakes of the past while the mistakes of the future are waiting for you
”
”
Ela Crain
“
No need to dwell on your past mistakes. You're going to make worse.
”
”
Nitya Prakash
“
Ditch the baggage
If you stay focused on the past, then you’ll get stuck where you are. That’s the reason some people don’t have any joy. They’ve lost their enthusiasm. They’re dragging around all this baggage from the past.
Someone offended them last week, and they’ve got that stuffed in their resentment bags. They lost their tempers or said some things they shouldn’t have. Now, they’ve put those mistakes in their bags of guilt and condemnation.
Ten years ago their loved one died and they still don’t understand why; their hurt and pain is packed in their disappointment bag. Growing up they weren’t treated right--there’s another suitcase full of bitterness.
They’ve got their regret bags, containing all the things they wish they’d done differently. Maybe there is another bag with their divorce in it, and they are still mad at their former spouse, so they’ve been carrying resentment around for years. If they went to take an airline flight, they couldn’t afford it. They’ve got twenty-seven bags to drag around with them everywhere they go.
Life is too short to live that way. learn to travel light. Every morning when you get up, forgive those who hurt you. Forgive your spouse for what was said. Forgive your boss for being rude. Forgive yourself for mistakes you’ve made.
At the start of the day, let go of the setbacks and the disappointments from yesterday. Start every morning afresh and anew. God did not create you to carry around all that baggage. You may have been holding on to it for years. It’s not going to change until you do something about it. Put your foot down and say, “That’s it. I’m not living in regrets. I’m not staying focused on my disappointments. I’m not dwelling on relationships that didn’t work out, or on those who hurt me, or how unfairly I was treated. I’m letting go of the past and moving forward with my life.
”
”
Joel Osteen (You Can You Will: 8 Undeniable Qualities of a Winner)
“
A more realistic perception of our relation to others, in particular our similarities to them, injects a little humility into our self-serving biases. Admitting that we are disposable and irrelevant in the grander scheme of things may not be for everyone, but I find nothing more empowering. It should drown out your anxieties rather than inhibit your passions. Accepting your imperfections and limitations allows you to stop dwelling on past mistakes, and pushes you to enjoy making the most of every moment moving forward.
”
”
Erman Misirlisoy (Thought Traps: A Short Guide to Overcoming Your Brain's Cheap Tricks)
“
Dwelling on past mistakes is a way of reinforcing your ego. The ego can be strengthened just as well by dwelling on what’s bad about you as it can by dwelling on what’s good. In fact, for some of us — myself included — dwelling on what’s bad about ourselves reinforces the ego much more effectively than dwelling on what’s good.
”
”
Brad Warner (The Other Side of Nothing: The Zen Ethics of Time, Space, and Being)
“
Dwelling on past mistakes is the best way to fail many times. For the future belongs to those who sees them as stepping stones.
”
”
Ikhenoba, Joseph
“
A woman of faith does not dwell on her past mistakes. She walks past them and triumphs as if she never made mistakes.
”
”
Gift Gugu Mona (Woman of Virtue: Power-Filled Quotes for a Powerful Woman)
“
You should not dwell too much on the mistakes, faults, and failures of the past. Be done with shame and remorse and contempt for yourself. With God’s help, develop a new self-respect. Unless you respect yourself, others will not respect you. You ran a race, you stumbled and fell, you have risen again, and now you press on toward the goal of a better life. Do not stay to examine the spot where you fell, only feel sorry for the delay, the shortsightedness that prevented you from seeing the real goal sooner.
”
”
Anonymous (Twenty-Four Hours a Day (Hazelden Meditations Book 1))
“
Most of us don’t live in the present tense. We dwell in a mental place where our regrets and grudges from our past compete with our fears about the future. Sometimes we barely notice what’s going on around us, we’re so busy time traveling. Before Victory was born, I could spend whole days trying to sort out the things that have happened to me, the terrible mistakes I’ve made. I marinated in my anger and self-loathing, cataloged all the different ways my parents failed me, cast myself as the victim and played the role like I was gunning for a gold statuette. Motherhood
”
”
Lisa Unger (Black Out)
“
Sometimes looking back can be helpful. Reflecting on how God has worked in our life strengthens our faith. Examining past behavior can help us learn from our mistakes. But a tendency to dwell constantly on past failures and regrets hinders our spiritual growth. If we allow ourselves to think with longing about what we left behind to serve Christ, our commitment may falter. Following Christ means being focused on him and the future he has planned for us. Compared with that, nothing from our past is worth a second glance.
”
”
Dianne Neal Matthews (Designed for Devotion: A 365-Day Journey from Genesis to Revelation)
“
Don’t dwell on the mistakes of the past while the mistakes of the future are waiting for you
”
”
Ela Crain
“
Stop living in the past and dwelling on mistakes. We’ve all made them. And now we’re all trying to heal. It’ll take a lot of patience and compassion, but we’ll get there. Don’t let history define your future. Think about your priorities.
”
”
Jamie Beck (Before I Knew (The Cabots, #1))
“
gratitude puts us in a state of appreciation for the way things already exist. When we are grateful, we aren't grasping for future rewards, nor are we dwelling on past mistakes. This is directly in line with what mindfulness is about.
”
”
Shea Matthew Fisher (Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick)
“
Be alert as you practice this so that you do not unwittingly transform clock time into psychological time. For example, if you made a mistake in the past and learn from it now, you are using clock time. On the other hand, if you dwell on it mentally, and self-criticism, remorse, or guilt come up, then you are making the mistake into "me" and "mine": you make it part of your sense of self, and it has become psychological time, which is always linked to a false sense of identity.
”
”
Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, The Art of Happiness 10th Anniversary Edition, You Are a Badass, Life Leverage 4 Books Collection Set)
“
Focus on the present and the future rather than dwelling on the past. Learn from your mistakes and thrive.
”
”
Gift Gugu Mona (365 Motivational Life Lessons)
“
I’d tried to do that in the past by asking for feedback. But research suggests that’s a mistake. Instead of seeking feedback, you’re better off asking for advice. Feedback tends to focus on how well you did last time. Advice shifts attention to how you can do better next time. In experiments, that simple shift is enough to elicit more specific suggestions and more constructive input.[*] Rather than dwelling on what you did wrong, advice guides you toward what you can do right.
”
”
Adam M. Grant (Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things)
“
You can’t let a mistake beat you twice. When you dwell on a defeat in your head, you experience it over and over again. Each time you mentally replay it, you experience those negative feelings again. It brings you down. It stifles your confidence. The past defeat beats you all over again.
”
”
Darrin Donnelly (The Turnaround: How to Build Life-Changing Confidence (Sports for the Soul Book 6))
“
Every joy which comes to you is a jewel which should be carefully placed in the jewel casket of the mind. But the thefts, the disappointments, the mistakes should be left with their own hour and day. Yesterday belongs distinctly to the past. The failures which belong to it are perished. It is wicked, inhuman to dig up the remnants of each and rehash it today. Half the failures made by both men and women are brought about by dwelling on other past failures. Half the miseries of both heart and mind are repeated because they are not left to the past. No man or woman can possibly live properly today if they spend time in living over the yesterday. Every well-balanced man and woman does each day that which he believes to be right. When tomorrow comes let today enjoy the peace of the past.
”
”
Patricia Wagner (Depression Era Recipes)
“
Focus of attention in the present moment, the only one you can really live in. Focus means not dwelling on the past, either on mistakes or glories; it means not being so caught up in the future, either its fears or its dreams, that my full attention is taken from the present. The ability to focus the mind is the ability to not let it run away with you.
”
”
W. Timothy Gallwey
“
One who dwells on mistakes of the past can easily become entangled by worries and fears.
”
”
Calvin W. Allison (Growing in the Presence of God)
“
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
”
”
Mary Frame (Ridorkulous (Dorky Duet #1))
“
The past holds all your mistakes and humiliations. The future holds whatever you can make it. So the past has already been determined. It also holds all your victories and accomplishments, but the bad stuff is there too; so why dwell? Learn from it, and move on.
”
”
Henry Rollins
“
I can’t dwell on the mistakes of my past. I have to accept that pain and suffering are a part of life. They make you appreciate things more when everything is glowing and great.
”
”
A.J. Rivers (The Last Aloha (Bella Walker #3))
“
Don't keep dwelling on the follies of past, but start a fresh, learn from your failures, rectify your mistakes, amplify your strengths and look at glories of the future.
”
”
Dr. Kshitij Shinghal
“
Focus means not dwelling on the past, either on mistakes or glories; it means not being so caught up in the future, either its fears or its dreams, that my full attention is taken from the present.
”
”
W. Timothy Gallwey (The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance)
“
If you’re dwelling on the past, you won’t see the new thing. If you’re focused on who hurt you and what wasn’t fair, then you’ll miss your destiny. God is saying, forget the former things, quit dwelling on your mistakes. This is a new day.
”
”
Joel Osteen
“
Focus means not dwelling on the past, either on mistakes or glories; it means not being so caught up in the future, either its fears or its dreams, that my full attention is taken from the present. The
”
”
W. Timothy Gallwey (The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance)
“
Stop living in the past and dwelling on mistakes. We’ve all made them. And now we’re all trying to heal. It’ll take a lot of patience and compassion, but we’ll get there. Don’t let history define your future. Think about your priorities. What, or who, is most important to you? Answer that question and then make a plan.
”
”
Jamie Beck (Before I Knew (The Cabots, #1))
“
For example, if you made a mistake in the past and learn from it now, you are using clock time. On the other hand, if you dwell on it mentally, and self-criticism, remorse, or guilt come up, then you are making the mistake into “me” and “mine”: You make it part of your sense of self, and it has become psychological time, which is always linked to a false sense of identity. Nonforgiveness necessarily implies a heavy burden of psychological time.
”
”
Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment)