“Only look back to see how far you’ve come.” -Author Unknown
“You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest, that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.” -Jan Glidewell (James Janis ‘Jan’ Glidewell (1944 - 2013))
“If you’re yearning for the good old days, just turn off the air conditioning.” -Griff Niblack
“If you let go of the past, it no longer has a hold on you.” -Author Unknown
“Do not look back; if Cinderella had gone back to pick up her shoe, she would never have become a princess.” -Author Unknown
“You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.” -Charles F. Kettering (Charles Franklin Kettering (1876 - 1958))
“I live in the past because it’s cheaper there.” -Author Unknown
“Don’t look back - that’s not where the future is.” -Nathan Thomas Taylor (born 1966)
“Living in the past is a dull and lonely business; looking back strains the neck muscles, causes you to bump into people not going your way.” -Edna Ferber (1887 - 1968)
“The Ogle Fish swims everywhere backwards, because it is only interested in seeing where it has already been.” -Nathan Thomas Taylor (born 1966)
“Remember, you can’t reach for what’s in front of you, until you let go of what’s behind you.” -Author Unknown
“You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest, that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.” -Jan Glidewell (James Janis ‘Jan’ Glidewell (1944 - 2013))
“If you’re yearning for the good old days, just turn off the air conditioning.” -Griff Niblack
“If you let go of the past, it no longer has a hold on you.” -Author Unknown
“Do not look back; if Cinderella had gone back to pick up her shoe, she would never have become a princess.” -Author Unknown
“You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.” -Charles F. Kettering (Charles Franklin Kettering (1876 - 1958))
“I live in the past because it’s cheaper there.” -Author Unknown
“Don’t look back - that’s not where the future is.” -Nathan Thomas Taylor (born 1966)
“Living in the past is a dull and lonely business; looking back strains the neck muscles, causes you to bump into people not going your way.” -Edna Ferber (1887 - 1968)
“The Ogle Fish swims everywhere backwards, because it is only interested in seeing where it has already been.” -Nathan Thomas Taylor (born 1966)
“Remember, you can’t reach for what’s in front of you, until you let go of what’s behind you.” -Author Unknown
“Don’t look back. You’re not going that way.” -Author Unknown
“We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it.” -Lyndon B. Johnson (Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908 - 1973))
“The past is a guidepost, not a hitching post.” -L. Thomas Holdcroft
“Stop being a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future.” -Robin Sharma (born 1965)
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The Good Old Days
“In my day, we couldn’t afford shoes, so we went barefoot. In the Winter we had to wrap our feet with barbed wire for traction.” -Bill Flavin
“In my day, we didn’t have virtual reality. If a one-eyed razorback barbarian warrior was chasing you with an ax, you just had to hope you could outrun him.” -Sarah M. Wolford
“In my day, we didn’t have days. There was only ‘time for work,’ ‘time for prayer,’ and ‘time for sleep.’ The sheriff would go around and tell everyone when to change.” -Elden Carnahan
“In my day, we didn’t have water. We had to smash together our own hydrogen and oxygen atoms.” -Diana Hugue
by Author Unknown: “Washington Post” (about 1997), contest on the subject of the difficulty of the good old days
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“For those who live in the past, there is no future.” -Author Unknown
“When setting priorities, going forward is likely to be found to be more important than looking back.” -Nathan Thomas Taylor (born 1966)
“That which is past is gone and irrevocable, and wise men have enough to do with things present and to come.” -Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626): “Essays” (1597)
Aaron: How many past-dwellers does it take to change a light bulb?
Erin: Four. One to change the bulb and three to reminisce about how good the old burned-out, broken bulb was.
“I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.” -Lewis Carroll (pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832 - 1898)): “Alice in Wonderland” (1865)
“The water that is past cannot make the mill go.” -Author Unknown
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” -Will Rogers (William Penn Adair ‘Will’ Rogers (1879 - 1935)) (similar quotation attributed to Richard H. Nelson)
“If you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven’t done much today.” -Author Unknown
“Move forward, don’t look back, just forget the past.” -Author Unknown
Retrosaurus: A backward-looking dinosaur. Usage example: Past-dwellers can be crusty old retrosauruses at times.
“When we cling to the past, we become unavailable in the present.” -Author Unknown
“Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror.” -Byrd Baggett
“The more we look backwards, the less we will be able to see forward.” -Author Unknown
Past-Dwelling and Past-Dwellers Quiz
- What does it mean when a person is said to be dwelling in the past?
- What is the difference between dwelling in the past and reminiscing?
- What harm can it do to dwell in the past?
- How can a person stop dwelling in the past, start living in the present, and start working and planning for the future?
“It’s okay to look back at the past. Just don’t stare.” -Benjamin Dover
“We consume our tomorrows fretting about our yesterdays.” -Persius (Aulus Persius Flaccus (C.E. 34 - C.E. 62))
“It is not possible to go forward while looking back.” -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 - 1969)
“When you focus on what might have been, it gets in the way of what can be.” -Patricia Fripp
“Looking back gives you regrets. Looking ahead gives you opportunities.” -Author Unknown
“Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” -Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)
This is ‘MFOL!’ . . . perhaps someday, we will look back on all of this, laugh nervously, and change the subject . . . until then, we will just keep going forward . . . and hope we are headed in the right direction . . .
“We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it.” -Lyndon B. Johnson (Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908 - 1973))
“The past is a guidepost, not a hitching post.” -L. Thomas Holdcroft
“Stop being a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future.” -Robin Sharma (born 1965)
●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●
The Good Old Days
“In my day, we couldn’t afford shoes, so we went barefoot. In the Winter we had to wrap our feet with barbed wire for traction.” -Bill Flavin
“In my day, we didn’t have virtual reality. If a one-eyed razorback barbarian warrior was chasing you with an ax, you just had to hope you could outrun him.” -Sarah M. Wolford
“In my day, we didn’t have days. There was only ‘time for work,’ ‘time for prayer,’ and ‘time for sleep.’ The sheriff would go around and tell everyone when to change.” -Elden Carnahan
“In my day, we didn’t have water. We had to smash together our own hydrogen and oxygen atoms.” -Diana Hugue
by Author Unknown: “Washington Post” (about 1997), contest on the subject of the difficulty of the good old days
●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●
“For those who live in the past, there is no future.” -Author Unknown
“When setting priorities, going forward is likely to be found to be more important than looking back.” -Nathan Thomas Taylor (born 1966)
“That which is past is gone and irrevocable, and wise men have enough to do with things present and to come.” -Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626): “Essays” (1597)
Aaron: How many past-dwellers does it take to change a light bulb?
Erin: Four. One to change the bulb and three to reminisce about how good the old burned-out, broken bulb was.
“I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.” -Lewis Carroll (pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832 - 1898)): “Alice in Wonderland” (1865)
“The water that is past cannot make the mill go.” -Author Unknown
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” -Will Rogers (William Penn Adair ‘Will’ Rogers (1879 - 1935)) (similar quotation attributed to Richard H. Nelson)
“If you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven’t done much today.” -Author Unknown
“Move forward, don’t look back, just forget the past.” -Author Unknown
Retrosaurus: A backward-looking dinosaur. Usage example: Past-dwellers can be crusty old retrosauruses at times.
“When we cling to the past, we become unavailable in the present.” -Author Unknown
“Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror.” -Byrd Baggett
“The more we look backwards, the less we will be able to see forward.” -Author Unknown
Past-Dwelling and Past-Dwellers Quiz
- What does it mean when a person is said to be dwelling in the past?
- What is the difference between dwelling in the past and reminiscing?
- What harm can it do to dwell in the past?
- How can a person stop dwelling in the past, start living in the present, and start working and planning for the future?
“It’s okay to look back at the past. Just don’t stare.” -Benjamin Dover
“We consume our tomorrows fretting about our yesterdays.” -Persius (Aulus Persius Flaccus (C.E. 34 - C.E. 62))
“It is not possible to go forward while looking back.” -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 - 1969)
“When you focus on what might have been, it gets in the way of what can be.” -Patricia Fripp
“Looking back gives you regrets. Looking ahead gives you opportunities.” -Author Unknown
“Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” -Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)
This is ‘MFOL!’ . . . perhaps someday, we will look back on all of this, laugh nervously, and change the subject . . . until then, we will just keep going forward . . . and hope we are headed in the right direction . . .
