---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Four things come not back: the spoken…"
description: "\"“Four things come not back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity.”\" — Aiki Flinthart"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/aiki-flinthart-59884_inspirational_four-things-come-not-back-the-spoken-wor_1513364.jpg"
---

#  Four things come not back: the spoken word, the sped…

![“Four things come not back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity.” quote by Aiki Flinthart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/aiki-flinthart-59884_inspirational_four-things-come-not-back-the-spoken-wor_1513364.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/aiki-flinthart-59884_inspirational_four-things-come-not-back-the-spoken-wor_1513364.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/aiki-flinthart-59884_inspirational_four-things-come-not-back-the-spoken-wor_1513364.jpg)

> ““Four things come not back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity.””

[Aiki Flinthart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiki-flinthart/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Four things cannot be retrieved: spoken words, an arrow already shot, a past life, and a missed chance.

**In simple terms:** Some actions and opportunities are irreversible.

Key Takeaway

Act promptly and speak carefully.

Themes

impermanence regret time opportunity

Mood

reflective cautionary

Type

proverbial philosophical

When to use this quote

- business decisions
- personal relationships
- career moves
- investment choices

Key Concepts

causality irreversibility life cycles

Questions to Reflect On

- Which irreversible moments have shaped you?
- How do you mitigate future regrets?

A Different Perspective

Not all missed chances can be reclaimed, even with effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Past life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-life/) [Spoken word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spoken-word/)

## Related quotes

> [Four things do not come back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/four-things-do-not-come-back-the-spoken-word-the-sped-arrow-the-past/)

[Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/)

> [Regret of neglected opportunity is the worst hell that a living soul can inhabit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-sabatini/regret-of-neglected-opportunity-is-the-worst-hell-that-a-living-soul/)

[Rafael Sabatini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-sabatini/)

> [Sometimes we dont realize just how we neglected the opportunity when it knocked the door.. Were caught up in our own world and neglect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/sometimes-we-dont-realize-just-how-we-neglected-the-opportunity-when/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [All things come round to him who will but wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/all-things-come-round-to-him-who-will-but-wait/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Good things come to those who hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/good-things-come-to-those-who-hustle/)

[Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/)

> [I appreciate the written word and spoken word more, but Atonement sort of established so much of me. It was a character that didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-appreciate-the-written-word-and-spoken-word-more-but-atonement-sort/)

[Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/)

> [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/)

[Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/)

> [Comedy, although it is not one of the fine arts - it's a vulgar art, it's one of the people's arts, it's the spoken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/comedy-although-it-is-not-one-of-the-fine-arts-it-s-a-vulgar-art-it-s/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [Animals do feel like us, also joy, love, fear and pain but they cannot grasp the spoken word. It is our obligation to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-de-rougemont/animals-do-feel-like-us-also-joy-love-fear-and-pain-but-they-cannot/)

[Denis de Rougemont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-de-rougemont/)

> [The spoken word vanished with the wind. Likewise, the unrecorded life disappears as if it never existed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/the-spoken-word-vanished-with-the-wind-likewise-the-unrecorded-life/)

[Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/)

> [“In creating man, God voluntarily determined, at the same time, to establish a relationship with him. That relationship is properly designated a covenant; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-scott-oliphint/in-creating-man-god-voluntarily-determined-at-the-same-time-to/)

[K. Scott Oliphint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-scott-oliphint/)

> [What I love is the comedy of the body. It's a little highfalutin', but you can even say pre-verbal comedy. People laugh differently at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-irwin/what-i-love-is-the-comedy-of-the-body-it-s-a-little-highfalutin-but/)

[Bill Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-irwin/)

> [What if it turns out there really are witches and vampires and werewolves living right here alongside us? After all, what better disguise could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-lukyanenko/what-if-it-turns-out-there-really-are-witches-and-vampires-and/)

[Sergei Lukyanenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-lukyanenko/)

> [Between thought and spoken word is a gap where intention can enter, the symbol be twisted aside, and the lie come to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/between-thought-and-spoken-word-is-a-gap-where-intention-can-enter/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [“What said those two souls communicating through the language of the eyes, more perfect than that of the lips, the language given to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-rizal/what-said-those-two-souls-communicating-through-the-language-of-the/)

[José Rizal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-rizal/)

## More by Aiki Flinthart

> [“Isn't it funny, how often we meet our destiny in the very place we try to hide from it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiki-flinthart/isn-t-it-funny-how-often-we-meet-our-destiny-in-the-very-place-we-try/)

[Aiki Flinthart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiki-flinthart/)

> [“One does not need to journey a thousand miles to find the truth within.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiki-flinthart/one-does-not-need-to-journey-a-thousand-miles-to-find-the-truth-within/)

[Aiki Flinthart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiki-flinthart/)

> [“Pretty words are not always true, true words are not always pretty; and yet, they are still true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiki-flinthart/pretty-words-are-not-always-true-true-words-are-not-always-pretty-and/)

[Aiki Flinthart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiki-flinthart/)

> [“It is not who you are that holds you back, but who you think you are not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiki-flinthart/it-is-not-who-you-are-that-holds-you-back-but-who-you-think-you-are/)

[Aiki Flinthart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiki-flinthart/)

[Explore all 5 Aiki Flinthart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiki-flinthart/)

## More Inspirational quotes

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/)

[H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/)

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/)

[Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/)

> [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/)

[Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/)

> [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/)

[Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/)

> [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/)

[Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/)

> [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/)

[Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/)

> [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

[Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Four things come not back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Aiki Flinthart"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiki-flinthart/four-things-come-not-back-the-spoken-word-the-sped-arrow-the-past/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Inspirational"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiki-flinthart/four-things-come-not-back-the-spoken-word-the-sped-arrow-the-past/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/aiki-flinthart-59884_inspirational_four-things-come-not-back-the-spoken-wor_1513364.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/aiki-flinthart-59884_inspirational_four-things-come-not-back-the-spoken-wor_1513364.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/aiki-flinthart-59884_inspirational_four-things-come-not-back-the-spoken-wor_1513364.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Four things come not back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity.” — Aiki Flinthart",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Aiki Flinthart",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiki-flinthart/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Four things come not back: the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiki-flinthart/four-things-come-not-back-the-spoken-word-the-sped-arrow-the-past/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiki-flinthart/four-things-come-not-back-the-spoken-word-the-sped-arrow-the-past/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
