13 quotes about forgetting the past and moving on

What is your favorite quote about forgetting the past and moving on?

To help you get inspiration to forge ahead with your future, we asked CEOs and business leaders this question for their best quotes and lessons. There are several quotes that encourage you to let go of the past and set your eyes on the future ahead of you.

Here are 13 quotes these leaders draw strength from to forget their past and move on:

“Your Previous Errors Are Supposed to Guide You and Not to Define You”
“Regret is an Appalling Waste of Energy…”
“Forget What Hurt You But Never Forget What it Taught You”
“Let Us Not Burden Our Remembrance With a Heaviness That’s Gone”
“In Three Words I Can Sum Up Everything I’ve Learned About Life: It Goes on”
“When One Door Closes Another Door Opens..”
“If You Don’t Make Peace With Your Past it Will Keep Showing Up in Your Present”
“For Time And the World Do Not Stand Still…”
“Once You Realize You Deserve Better, Letting Go Will be the Best Decision Ever”
“Bring the Past Only if You Are Going to Build From it”
“The Past is a Place of Reference, Not a Place of Residence; the Past is a Place of Learning, Not a Place of Living”
“You Move on When Your Heart Finally Understands That There is no Turning Back”
“No Man is Rich Enough to Buy Back His Past”

Quotes About Forgetting The Past and Moving On

“Your Previous Errors Are Supposed to Guide You and Not to Define You”

The phrase that has helped me understand why it is vital to move on is from Lord Buddha: “Your previous errors are supposed to guide you, not to define you.”

This remark implies that your shortcomings do not define who you are. What you do after making mistakes will ultimately define your success. Every mistake you make is an opportunity to learn. They have no effect on your talents. However, how you handle them and develop from them is what defines you. As a result, it is critical to recognize that every event serves as a learning opportunity for the future. By doing so, I am no longer demotivated by past mistakes but rather delighted that I learned something and will take care not to repeat them.

Timothy Woods, Carnivore Style

“Regret is an Appalling Waste of Energy…”

One of the reasons why so many people cannot move forward is that they are mired in regret, and those individuals should learn from Katherine Mansfield’s quote “Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can’t build on it; it’s only good for wallowing in.” There are few thoughts that are as toxic as regret, as they touch on two major unproductive feelings, loss and futility. Like Ms. Mansfield stated, regret is a complete waste of energy as you cannot do anything to change or forget the past, and dwelling on it only causes hopelessness. Understanding that we all have made decisions or have taken actions in our lives that we regret and learned from is important. However, even more important is that we do not waste effort on wishing they had not occurred, because that can prevent us from moving on.

Cody Candee, Bounce

“Forget What Hurt You But Never Forget What it Taught You”

“Forget what hurt you but never forget what it taught you.” This is true of many things in life, from your relationships to your goals and dreams. In a business framework, I think it is so important to recognize the value of failure. Failures can be embarrassing, hurtful, and consequential, but they are also opportunities to learn so that you have the tools to make a different outcome happen in the future. Let go of the resentment and the other stuff that will just bring you down, but hold on to the lessons.

Anthony Martin, Choice Mutual

“Let Us Not Burden Our Remembrance With a Heaviness That’s Gone”

“Let us not burden our remembrance with a heaviness that’s gone.” William Shakespeare, The Tempest.

Forgetting the past does not mean forgetting about the past, but it’s about accepting the past as it happened, learning from it, and moving on. Our futures belong to us, but not if we wallow in what we cannot change.

Shawn Plummer, The Annuity Expert

“In Three Words I Can Sum Up Everything I’ve Learned About Life: It Goes on”

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.” —Robert Frost

Frost simplifies every complexity of life into three words that are so simple, that you can’t help but feel more at peace. We often get so tied up in problems big and small, but no matter their size, we lose perspective. Even when things feel incredibly difficult, we’ll keep going. We’ll move forward and though life might look different, we’ll adjust. And we’ll be okay.

Ruben Gamez, SignWell

“When One Door Closes Another Door Opens..”

“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell. It’s too bad that people can become so focused on past hurts that they miss the beauty and the opportunities right in front of them, in the present moment. I like to give myself a short amount of time to ponder any hurts or resentments, and when the time’s up, I choose to move on. This way is better for me and those around me.

Asker Ahmed, iProcess

“If You Don’t Make Peace With Your Past it Will Keep Showing Up in Your Present”

Wayne Dyer once said, “If you don’t make peace with your past, it will keep showing up in your present.” I love to copy this quote because he doesn’t simply say, “forget the past.” You must make peace with your past if you want to truly move on. Better things won’t come if your past is still hanging over your head. It’s important to confront your past head on in order to move on.

Christian Kjaer, ElleVet

“For Time And the World Do Not Stand Still…”

“For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” These words by John F. Kennedy are my favorite. I love that he talks about the transient nature of the world while emphasizing that time does not stop for anybody. Kennedy with his words “change is a law of life” induces a comforting effect on the reader who is reassured that you need to accept the change in the present to move on to the future. The last line emphasizes the need to focus on the future instead of fixating on the past. It may be difficult to close a chapter of your past life in the present. However, you will miss out on a brighter future if you continue reminiscing because the present is tough instead of letting it go.

Alexander Reid, TriviaWhizz

“Once You Realize You Deserve Better, Letting Go Will be the Best Decision Ever”

“Once you realize you deserve better, letting go will be the best decision ever.”
Moving on seems tough, until and unless you develop an understanding of why you are doing this. The question of “Why” is important to make you understand that moving on is inevitable. One of the best ways to ask yourself is whether you deserve to be going through this scenario. If not, try deviating your thoughts to something supreme, something higher than your present state. Manifesting yourself as your better version where you consider yourself being surrounded by all that you deserve helps a lot.

Michael Koh, Propnex

“Bring the Past Only if You Are Going to Build From it”

“Bring the past only if you are going to build from it.” This quote by Doménico Cieri Estrada is my favorite one about moving on from the past because it is simple and brief but impactful. It emphasizes that the only time our past is useful is if we use it to build our tomorrow on it. Other than that, we let it go and start moving forward.

Josh Tyler, Tell Me Best

“The Past is a Place of Reference, Not a Place of Residence; the Past is a Place of Learning, Not a Place of Living”

My all-time favorite quote about forgetting the past and moving on is ‘the past is a place of reference, not a place of residence; the past is a place of learning, not a place of living.’ by Roy T. Bennett.

These simple words are so inspiring. We are all guilty of focusing too much on our past mistakes rather than using these mistakes to help us move forward in the right direction. Learning the right way is often more rewarding than if we knew the right way the first time. It also allows for change. Doing things differently in order to succeed will help us to become more invested in what we are doing which will increase our chances of succeeding. So, if you have made a mistake, think of it as a way to learn rather than an opportunity to punish yourself. It’s normal to make mistakes and, in some ways, it’s beneficial too, as you will be able to quickly recall earlier mistakes, allowing you to problem-solve more efficiently.

Renton Fenley, The Broke Backpacker

“You Move on When Your Heart Finally Understands That There is no Turning Back”

I’m sure there could be a hundred quotes on this topic but I have always been a fanatical fan when it comes to “The Lord of the Rings” and I would like to quote JRR Tolkien.

“How do you move on? You move on when you heart finally understands that there is no turning back” – JRR Tolkien

Such a bittersweet quote that holds a valuable truth, sometimes you can only move on when you have come to terms with your past.

Mike Clancy, CarDonationCenters

“No Man is Rich Enough to Buy Back His Past”

“No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” This is a quote from Oscar Wilde about moving forward no matter how great or awful the past may have been. It groups every individual into the same boat and reminds us that we all have to deal with life in the present moment, no matter our financial or social standing. The only way to change the past is by shifting your perspective. Moving forward, you can take a negative and turn it into a positive. And conversely, if the past was glorious and you feel as though your better days are behind you, simply finding solace in the fact you were able to experience what you did is a reward in itself in the short time we get to have on earth.

Haley Wood, The Look