---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can’t go back,” he says. “Just look…"
description: "\"“You can’t go back,” he says. “Just look forward. You’re doing the right thing now.”\" — Emily Giffin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/emily-giffin-938_doing-right_you-can-t-go-back-he-says-just-look-forw_2947903.png"
---

#  You can’t go back,” he says. “Just look forward. You’re…

![“You can’t go back,” he says. “Just look forward. You’re doing the right thing now.” quote by Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/emily-giffin-938_doing-right_you-can-t-go-back-he-says-just-look-forw_2947903.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/emily-giffin-938_doing-right_you-can-t-go-back-he-says-just-look-forw_2947903.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/emily-giffin-938_doing-right_you-can-t-go-back-he-says-just-look-forw_2947903.png)

> ““You can’t go back,” he says. “Just look forward. You’re doing the right thing now.””

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

## About This Quote

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

Moving forward requires letting go of the past and trusting that present actions are correct, emphasizing progress over regret.

**In simple terms:** Can't return; focus on present rightness.

Key Takeaway

Embrace forward motion.

Themes

growth acceptance decision‑making future orientation

Mood

hopeful steady

Type

literary motivational

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- relationship counseling
- personal development

Key Concepts

psychology narrative therapy

Questions to Reflect On

- What holds you back from moving forward?
- How to trust current choices?

A Different Perspective

Regret may linger despite forward focus.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Doing right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-right/) [Doing the right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-the-right-thing/) [Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forward/) [Look forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-forward/) [Right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-thing/) [Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says/) [Says Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-just-1157481/)

## Related quotes

> [Money will come to you when you are doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-phillips/money-will-come-to-you-when-you-are-doing-the-right-thing/)

[Michael Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-phillips/)

> [But there are times in this harum-scarum world when figuring out the right thing to do is quite simple, but doing the right thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-there-are-times-in-this-harum-scarum-world-when-figuring-out-the/)

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

> [That's what my mindset is, making the right play and doing the right thing each and every possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trae-young/that-s-what-my-mindset-is-making-the-right-play-and-doing-the-right/)

[Trae Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trae-young/)

> [If you scapegoat someone, it's a third party that will be aware of it. It won't be you. Because you will believe you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/if-you-scapegoat-someone-it-s-a-third-party-that-will-be-aware-of-it/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [Pissing people off doesn't mean you're doing the right things, but doing the right things will almost inevitably piss people off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/pissing-people-off-doesn-t-mean-you-re-doing-the-right-things-but/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [Initiative is doing the right thing without being told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/initiative-is-doing-the-right-thing-without-being-told/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [There’s a very comfortable techno-libertarian culture where you think you’re doing the right thing,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-baker/there-s-a-very-comfortable-techno-libertarian-culture-where-you-think/)

[Stewart Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-baker/)

> [“success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-keller/success-is-about-doing-the-right-thing-not-about-doing-everything/)

[Gary Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-keller/)

> [Being trustworthy requires: Doing the right thing. And doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-peppers/being-trustworthy-requires-doing-the-right-thing-and-doing-things/)

[Don Peppers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-peppers/)

> [Sometimes you have to steer away from the crowd in order to be a better person. It's not always easy, that's for sure. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/sometimes-you-have-to-steer-away-from-the-crowd-in-order-to-be-a/)

[Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/)

> [“Health, peace of mind, peak performance, and success in any area of life all depend upon doing the right thing at the right time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobe-hanson/health-peace-of-mind-peak-performance-and-success-in-any-area-of-life/)

[Tobe Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobe-hanson/)

> [“Doing the right thing causes us to stand taller, dance more often, and step into life with more confidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patsy-clairmont/doing-the-right-thing-causes-us-to-stand-taller-dance-more-often-and/)

[Patsy Clairmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patsy-clairmont/)

> [Never let making a profit stand in the way of doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-jenkins/never-let-making-a-profit-stand-in-the-way-of-doing-the-right-thing/)

[George W. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-jenkins/)

> [You should never be proud of doing the right thing. You should just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-smith/you-should-never-be-proud-of-doing-the-right-thing-you-should-just-do/)

[Dean Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-smith/)

> [“Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-stovall/integrity-is-doing-the-right-thing-even-if-nobody-is-watching/)

[Jim Stovall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-stovall/)

## More by Emily Giffin

> [I try to have something in common with my protagonists, especially when I'm writing in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-have-something-in-common-with-my-protagonists-especially/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [I think exercise is critical to my writing and an essential way to recharge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-think-exercise-is-critical-to-my-writing-and-an-essential-way-to/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [“Grab his penis like this, and I guarantee, it’s a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/grab-his-penis-like-this-and-i-guarantee-it-s-a-done-deal/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [“Well, anyway… it’s over,” I say, realizing that those two words lump me right in with a hoard of naive women who say it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/well-anyway-it-s-over-i-say-realizing-that-those-two-words-lump-me/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [There are two kinds of sorry. There is the sorry imbued with regret. And a pure sorry. The kind that is merely asking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/there-are-two-kinds-of-sorry-there-is-the-sorry-imbued-with-regret/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [Throw in the intensity of emotions that come with that bittersweet summer sandwiched between high school graduation and the rest of your life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/throw-in-the-intensity-of-emotions-that-come-with-that-bittersweet/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [“You can never be too sure when it comes to things that matter most”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/you-can-never-be-too-sure-when-it-comes-to-things-that-matter-most/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [“It occurs to me that she is not unique--that all women compare lives. We are aware of whose husband works more, who helps more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/it-occurs-to-me-that-she-is-not-unique-that-all-women-compare-lives/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [“I desperately want to feel that way again. To be in a relationship that I’m not trying to script or water down. It’s about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-desperately-want-to-feel-that-way-again-to-be-in-a-relationship/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [I always find something in common with my protagonist, particularly when I write in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-always-find-something-in-common-with-my-protagonist-particularly/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [There is no grief like heartbreak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/there-is-no-grief-like-heartbreak/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [I find my voice and manage to say those three one-syllable words back to him. Words I haven't uttered in a very, very long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-find-my-voice-and-manage-to-say-those-three-one-syllable-words-back/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [i wish i could freeze this moment, somehow delay my final decision, and just hang here in the balance between two places, two worlds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-wish-i-could-freeze-this-moment-somehow-delay-my-final-decision-and/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [I try to write about real women, real people - in other words flawed characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-people-in-other-words-flawed/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [“never had a good gut feeling. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t have faith in my team, but that I maintained the truest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/never-had-a-good-gut-feeling-it-wasn-t-so-much-that-i-didn-t-have/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

[Explore all 324 Emily Giffin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

## More Doing right quotes

> [If you think you're doing everything right, then you have a tendency to stand pat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/if-you-think-you-re-doing-everything-right-then-you-have-a-tendency/)

[John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/)

> [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/)

[Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/)

> [Money will come to you when you are doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-phillips/money-will-come-to-you-when-you-are-doing-the-right-thing/)

[Michael Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-phillips/)

> [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/)

[Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/)

> [Any artist can't get away from the way the world works, which is that it wants to know what you did, and you're only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-stella/any-artist-can-t-get-away-from-the-way-the-world-works-which-is-that/)

[Frank Stella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-stella/)

> [Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/quality-means-doing-it-right-when-no-one-is-looking/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [“Because doing what is right is in your bones. Just follow where your bones take you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-x-stork/because-doing-what-is-right-is-in-your-bones-just-follow-where-your/)

[Francisco X. Stork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-x-stork/)

> [It's all about doing the right things at the right times and I believe I can win everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-cross/it-s-all-about-doing-the-right-things-at-the-right-times-and-i/)

[Rob Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-cross/)

> [You should never be proud of doing the right thing. You should just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-smith/you-should-never-be-proud-of-doing-the-right-thing-you-should-just-do/)

[Dean Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-smith/)

> [“Management is about doing things right; leadership is about doing the right things. Peter Drucker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-banfield/management-is-about-doing-things-right-leadership-is-about-doing-the/)

[Richard Banfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-banfield/)

> [Audiences are hungry for something different. With binge-watching, they're hungry for interesting content they haven't seen before, and they want to be entertained. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-millar/audiences-are-hungry-for-something-different-with-binge-watching-they/)

[Miles Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-millar/)

> [“Doing better is creativity, doing faster is creativity, doing smarter is creativity, doing right is creativity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/doing-better-is-creativity-doing-faster-is-creativity-doing-smarter/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [I went to Oregon to study permaculture and lived in an eco-village for a month outside Eugene. Its called Lost Valley. It was amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-page/i-went-to-oregon-to-study-permaculture-and-lived-in-an-eco-village/)

[Ellen Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-page/)

> [Never let making a profit stand in the way of doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-jenkins/never-let-making-a-profit-stand-in-the-way-of-doing-the-right-thing/)

[George W. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-jenkins/)

> [Knowing what is right is not the same as doing what is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-caine/knowing-what-is-right-is-not-the-same-as-doing-what-is-right/)

[Christine Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-caine/)

[Browse all 734 Doing right quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-right/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“You can’t go back,” he says. “Just look forward. You’re doing the right thing now.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Emily Giffin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/you-can-t-go-back-he-says-just-look-forward-you-re-doing-the-right/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doing right"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/you-can-t-go-back-he-says-just-look-forward-you-re-doing-the-right/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/emily-giffin-938_doing-right_you-can-t-go-back-he-says-just-look-forw_2947903.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/emily-giffin-938_doing-right_you-can-t-go-back-he-says-just-look-forw_2947903.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cc/emily-giffin-938_doing-right_you-can-t-go-back-he-says-just-look-forw_2947903.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You can’t go back,” he says. “Just look forward. You’re doing the right thing now.” — Emily Giffin",
                "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": "Emily Giffin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“You can’t go back,” he says....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/you-can-t-go-back-he-says-just-look-forward-you-re-doing-the-right/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/you-can-t-go-back-he-says-just-look-forward-you-re-doing-the-right/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
