With a bright future ahead, looking back on life offers an opportunity to reflect on everything that's brought you this far. To encourage your reflection and propel you toward that successful future, quotes about looking back might help you understand how that reflection makes you feel.
Grab one of these quotes to inspire a healthy perspective and encourage you to learn from the past as you look forward.
Quotes About Looking Back at the Past
Looking back at your past can be a positive practice if you're doing so simply for joy. These quotes point out the good in reflecting on your past and how it positively influences your present and future.
- Whenever I'm worried about the future, I look at how everything worked out in the past.
- Our pasts may not be perfect, but there are lessons there that we can carry for a lifetime.
- The past may be gone, but it lives on as we look back.
- Though the past may be painful, it's worth a look to see what you've overcome.
- You can run from the past, but eventually you'll have to turn around and see how far you've come.
- I look back not with regret but with gratitude.
- The past cannot change but it can teach.
- Life comprises a long past, a short present, and an unknown future.
- When I look back at the past I look beyond what caused pain to find the traces of what caused joy.
- We must look back at the past to learn from it.
- Someday I want to look back on my past and have every reason to smile.
- The past cannot hurt you when you look at it with your present wisdom.
"Looking Back" Quotes to Help You Move Forward
If you have a future, you also have a past. Learning how to appreciate both takes time but these quotes might inspire you along the way.
- How can you know where you want to go if you are too afraid to look at where you've been?
- When I'm tempted to give up, I look back at where I've been so I can keep pushing forward.
- Looking back shows me why I should keep moving forward.
- In life you can only look back or ahead and the key is finding the balance in both.
- I'm taking steps toward the life I want while looking back at all the steps that brought me this far.
- Though my journey races forward, I like to look back at all the wonderful places I've been.
- When the past is too painful to dwell on, look forward.
- 90% of the time I focus on moving forward. The other 10% is spent smiling over the past.
- Each step forward is propelled by the step before it.
- The past is what pushes us forward.
- I discovered my path forward by looking back at my steps before.
- I'm moving forward so I can look back with fondness for the places I've already been.
Related: Inspirational "New Day" Quotes to Help You Seize Every Moment
Inspiring Sayings About Looking Back at Life
Hopefully, you smile when you look back over your life. If you're working on seeing the past for all the good it brought, these quotes will help you stay inspired to continue appreciating all that life has brought you so far.
- When I look back over my life I see how everything was falling into place the whole time.
- How can you understand where you are if you never look back to where you started?
- I look back over my life to see how my story unfolded.
- The best parts of life are the ones that call you back in time.
- Our only form of time travel is looking back at life.
- For hope, I look to the future. For joy, I look to the past.
- When the present seems scary and the future unknown, I dwell on all the good things I've already experienced.
- Isn't it funny how a taste, smell, or sound can send you back in time?
- Looking back on life and being proud of what you see takes a lot of practice.
- I work hard now so I can look back on my life with pride someday.
- When I look back at life I see a story that's uniquely mine.
- How could I ever appreciate all I have without taking the time to look back?
Encouraging "Never Looking Back" Quotes
Though looking back over your lifetime with gratitude is a great practice, there are things in life that aren't worth another glance. If you're determined to never look back on parts of your life that didn't serve you, these quotes will keep you focused only on what's ahead.
- Once you decide on a change in life, never look back.
- Never look back on the things that haven't served you.
- I'm working on myself and refusing to look back.
- I'm too busy crushing it at life to look back on my mistakes.
- I'm leaving everything negative in the past and never looking back.
- Be so busy enjoying your present that you don't have time to look back.
- Get back up. Try again. And never look back.
- I'm choosing to never look back so I can focus entirely on moving forward.
- Looking back simply isn't an option.
- Those of us with big goals don't have time to look back.
- Moving on means never looking back.
- I don't look back. Not because I fear what's in the past. But because I'm too focused on the future.
Famous "Looking Back" Quotes to Stay Positive
- "I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now." Edna Mode, The Incredibles
- "All these precious moments that we carved in stone, are only memories after all." - Shawn Mendes, "Memories"
- When to the sessions of sweet silent thought, I summon up remembrance of things past. I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought, and with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste. - William Shakespeare, "Sonnet 30"
- “Glory days, yeah, they'll pass you by. Glory days, in the wink of a young girl's eye.” - Bruce Springsteen, "Glory Days"
Take a Look at How Far You've Come
These quotes might inspire you to take a look at the best parts of your life and see just how far you've come. When you need that extra push to keep striving or you feel called to the joys of a time passed, dwell on one of these quotes as you call memories to mind.
