Quotes About Letting go

Nothing you ever do can change the past. Can't live your life looking backwards or you'll spend it walking in circles.

It isn't good to hold on too hard to the past. You can't spend your whole life looking back. Not even when you can't see what lies ahead. All you can do is keep on keeping on, and try to believe that tomorrow will be what it should be—even if it isn't what you expected.

My teacher told me something once," I heard myself say in a quiet voice. "That the hardest lesson in life is learning when to do nothing. To learn to let go.

Ease up on yourself, man. You can't change the past.

No one gets over anything.

When you leave, you can leave a lot behind. Simple as that. And when you return the bad stuff has all disappeared in your absence because you were keeping it alive.

Why shouldn't this happen? I have to rid myself of this last land mine, the unlived life.

Why do you always have to be right. Why do you always have to have the last word. For once in your life just let it go.

In fact I no longer value this kind of memento. I no longer want reminders of what was, what got broken, what got lost, what got wasted. There was a period, a long period, dating from my childhood until quite recently, when I thought I did. A period during which I believed that I could keep people fully present, keep them with me, by preserving their mementos, their things, their totems.

Let me just be in the ground. Let me just be in the ground and go to sleep.

The past could be jettisoned . . . but seeds got carried.

There is no real way to deal with everything we lose.

We all know that if we are to live ourselves there comes a time when we must relinquish the dead, let them go, keep them dead. Let them become the photograph on the table. Let them become the name on the trust accounts. Let go of them in the water. Knowing this does not make it any easier to let go of them in the water.

I know why we try to keep the dead alive: we try to keep them alive in order to keep them with us. I also know that if we are to live ourselves there comes a point at which we must relinquish the dead, let them go, keep them dead. Let them become the photograph on the table. Let them become the name on the trust accounts. Let go of them in the water. Knowing this does not make it any easier to let go of him in the water.

You have your wonderful memories," people said later, as if memories were solace. Memories are not. Memories are by definition of times past, things gone. Memories are the Westlake uniforms in the closet, the faded and cracked photographs, the invitations to the weddings of the people who are no longer married, the mass cards from the funerals of the people whose faces you no longer remember. Memories are what you no longer want to remember.

Memories are what you no longer want to remember.

The error, if it was an error, had been there from the beginning. I left it as it was. Why do you always have to be right. Why do you always have to have the last word. For once in your life just let it go.

Water under the bridge and dynamite it behind you.

I know why we try to keep the dead alive: we try to keep them alive in order to keep them with us. I also know that if we are to live ourselves there comes a point at which we must relinquish the dead, let them go, keep them dead. Let them become the photograph on the table. Let them become the name on the trust accounts. Let go of them in the water.

Sometimes walking away is best. I should know. It's my specialty.

No point carrying useless ballast. It won't change a thing.

L'ho lasciata fare. Non ho detto che sarebbe andato tutto bene. Non ho fatto lo sforzo di consolarla. A volte è meglio lasciare le cose come sono, lasciare che il dolore faccia il suo corso.

You can't look back - you just have to put the past behind you, and find something better in your future.

Three months ago, if you asked me, I would have told you that if you really loved someone, you'd let them go. But now I look at you, and I dreamed about Maggie, and I see that I've been wrong. If you really love someone, Allie, I think you have to take them back.