60 Don’t Look Back Quotes For Moving Forward

By Clifton Sankofa | Published November 1, 2023

Move forward with these inspirational, don’t look back quotes.

We can learn from our past, but it is vital to keep progressing forward.

Should we never look back?

The past is important because it provides experience for us to learn.

Moving forward is an essential part of growing.

Here are some reasons why it is important to look forward and not dwell in the past:

Time waits for no one.
If we focus on the past, we can lose the valuable gifts of the present.
Never looking back allows us to move forward without repeating old patterns.

None of us know how much time we have, so it is wise to make the most of your time.

We can amend behaviors and beliefs and release mistakes with grace moving forward.

Transformation can only occur by moving forward; remaining in the past keeps us stagnant.

The lessons that mean the most to us are in the here and now.

When we become aware of patterns in the present, we can break old habits and evolve into the complete version of ourselves.

Over time, our memories naturally idealize themselves.

It is human nature to romanticize the “good old times,” but some memories can be a mirage. ᐧ

Precious memories are worth keeping, but not all are worth holding on to; some are worth releasing.

There is a difference between looking at the past and staying in the past.

Learning from the past means improving our lives by incorporating what our experiences teach us.

Staying in the past means remaining stuck on one experience to the point where it hinders our clarity.

The Akan people of West Africa, who reside in modern-day Ghana, created the idea of Sankofa, which means to look to your past and retrieve what is good or what belongs to you.

The concept behind Sankofa is to engage in a deep analysis of how one came to be and use that energy to inform the knowledge we have in the present while moving toward our future.

Grounded in the present, eyes toward your future.

Check out our amazing never look back quotes below.

If you enjoy this article, check out our collection of I’m done quotes for never looking back.

Short Don’t Look Back Quotes

Here are some concise yet impactful quotes about never looking back.

1. “Always look ahead, but never look back.” — Miles Davis

2. “Don’t look back unless it’s a good view.” — Tupac Shakur

3. “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” — C.S. Lewis

4. “You can’t look back; you have to keep looking forward.” — Lucy Liu

5. “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” — Suzy Kassem

6. “Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is to never look back.” — Sushil Jain

7. “Don’t look back and ask, why? Look ahead and ask, Why not?” — Neil Patel

8. “Don’t look back. You’ll miss what’s in front of you. I don’t look back. I’m like a shark — I only look forward.” — Rita Rudner

9. “Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.” — James Thurber

10. “Walk ahead, because if you look back, you will go back.” — Dragos Bratasanu

Never look back quotes and sayings

Use the knowledge from the past to inform your decisions, but do not let it limit your choices. Keep an open mind to new experiences in the present.

11. “I don’t ever look back. I look forward.” — Steffi Graf

12. “If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much.” — Steve Jobs

13. “Never run back to what broke you. Once you make the decision to move on, don’t look back. Your destiny will never be found in the rearview mirror.” — Mandy Hale

14. “I turn, and I slowly walk away, and I don’t look back. It has always been a fault of mine, but it is the way I am. I never look back. Never.” — James Frey

15. “Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror.” — Byrd Baggett

16. “Start wide, expand further, and never look back.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

17. “When the past calls, let it go to voicemail. It has nothing new to say, and you don’t have to listen. Would you really dig into yesterday’s garbage to make tonight’s meal? Do you dig into yesterday’s mental garbage to create today’s experiences?” — Louise Hay

18. “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.” — Dr. Seuss

19. “Looking back, we see with great clarity, and what once appeared as difficulties now reveal themselves as blessings.” — Dan Millman

20. “Stop looking back when your future is ahead of you.” — Ricky Maye

Don’t look back quotes to inspire and teach

Anybody who has seen a scary movie knows never to look behind you! These quotes remind us to keep looking forward.

21. “Spend eighty percent of your time focusing on the opportunities of tomorrow rather than the problems of yesterday.” — Brian Tracy

22. “I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.” — Walt Disney

23. “Stop being a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future.” — Robin Sharma

24. “I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.” — Abraham Lincoln

25. “When a thing is done, it’s done. Don’t look back. Look forward to your next objective.” — George C. Marshall

26. “Do not look backward if your goal is to move forward.” — Germany Kent

27. “Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” — Henry David Thoreau

28. “The more you look back, the more beautiful things you will miss in life.” — Brandon Smith

29. “Don’t look back! For a bright future is ahead of you.” — Joel Brown

30. “We ought not to look back, unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors and for the purpose of profiting by dear-bought experience.” — George Washington

Don’t look back quotes to help you focus on your goals

Keep your eyes on your goal, and let the past be the past. These quotes remind us to let our hope shape our future.

31. “Let your hope, not your hurts, shape your future.” — Robert H. Schuller

32. “Life is simple: Make choices and don’t look back.” — Sung Kang

33. “I don’t want to look back-I want to keep looking ahead. I’d hate for my defining moment to be my past.” — Scott Hamilton

34. “In looking back, I see nothing to regret, and little to correct.” — John C. Calhoun

35. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” — Robert Breault

36. “Don’t look back unless you can smile; don’t look ahead unless you can dream.” — Irish Proverb

37. “You know, I try not to look back because looking forward is so much better than looking backward.” — Jim Bakker

38. “You live life looking forward, you understand life looking backward.” — Soren Kierkegaard

39. “Never look back reminiscing on yesterday; smile for the future. Tomorrow’s a new day.” — Zayn Malik

40. “I tend not to look back. It’s confusing.” — Walter Hill

Don’t look back quotes about letting go of the past

These quotes provide context to the importance of not looking back and dwelling on our past.

41. “They say not to look back, but if you’re not sure what lies ahead, what else is there but looking back?” — Laurell K. Hamilton

42. “Don’t turn around. Don’t look back. Keep moving forward. Keep pushing. The pot of gold is at the end of the rainbow, not the beginning.” — Ziad K. Abdelnour

43. “The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come.” — Mick Kremling

44. “Don’t look back with tears, look forward with joy; and grab every bit of happiness you can.” — Pippa Franks

45. “Let hope inspire you, but let not idealism blind you. Don’t look back; you can never look back.” — Don Henley

46. “Too much looking backwards is bad for progress.” — Henry Ward Beecher

47. “Look up, always. Look back, never.” — Karen Quan

48. “Doors are opening. There’s no reason to turn back. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.” — Hilary Clinton

49. “Never look back at your past; everything happens for a reason. Keep your head up and look forward.” — Brandon Smith

50. “The future is full of endless possibilities. Stop looking back and forge your dreams. The only person you should strive to be better than is the person you were yesterday.” — Mattu Mullins

51. “Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back.” — Katherine Mansfield

52. “Looking back isn’t going to help you. Moving forward is the thing you have to do.” — McKayla Maroney

53. “No excuses and no sob stories. Life is full of excuses if you’re looking. I have no time to gripe over misfortune. I don’t waste time looking back.” — Junior Seau

54. “But there’s no point in looking back and saying I was unlucky.” — Jamie Redknapp

55. “I always look forward, not back.” — Pat Nixon

56. “I’m not big on looking back beyond the moment in which decisions and events occur. I’m always pushing forward.” — David Stern

57. “Live, so you do not have to look back and say: ‘God, how I have wasted my life.’” — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

58. “Do not look back upon what has been done. Go ahead!” — Swami Vivekananda

59. “Continue on your life’s journey moving forward. Nothing to be gained by travelling backwards.” — Jane Somers

60. “Everything ends, people move on, they don’t look back. It’s how they should be.” — Lauren Oliver

What did you learn from these don’t look back quotes?

The future is changeable.

It is the present moment that determines how we move forward.

A fun exercise is to imagine your future self.

When you get time, take a quiet moment to yourself, close your eyes and start using your imagination.

Ask yourself how your future self looks.

Imagine this person in your mind’s eye.

Pay attention to how they dress and talk.

Take note of their facial expressions and mannerisms.

If they look happy and content, ask yourself what gives them this satisfaction.

Now imagine how this person behaves, and begin to take steps to act like that person.

Hillary Clinton reminds us, “Doors are opening. There’s no reason to turn back. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.”

We do not want to miss opportunities because our attention is on the past, ignoring the present.