---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The past reflects eternally between two…"
description: "\"The past reflects eternally between two mirrors -the bright mirror of words and deeds, and the dark one, full of things we didn't do or say.\" — Gregory..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/gregory-david-roberts-1039_dark_the-past-reflects-eternally-between-two_1146086.png"
---

#  The past reflects eternally between two mirrors -the…

![“The past reflects eternally between two mirrors -the bright mirror of words and deeds, and the dark one, full of things we didn't do or say.” quote by Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/gregory-david-roberts-1039_dark_the-past-reflects-eternally-between-two_1146086.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/gregory-david-roberts-1039_dark_the-past-reflects-eternally-between-two_1146086.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/gregory-david-roberts-1039_dark_the-past-reflects-eternally-between-two_1146086.png)

> “The past reflects eternally between two mirrors -the bright mirror of words and deeds, and the dark one, full of things we didn't do or say.”

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

## About This Quote

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

He describes how past actions are reflected in two mirrors: one showing deeds done, the other showing missed opportunities.

**In simple terms:** Our past is seen in what we did and what we failed to do.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on both actions and regrets to grow.

Themes

reflection regret growth

Mood

introspective melancholic

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- personal journaling
- relationship building
- career planning

Key Concepts

dual perspective self‑assessment

Questions to Reflect On

- Which "dark mirror" actions affect you most?
- How can you balance acknowledging deeds with learning from missed chances?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on regrets may cause paralysis.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Eternally Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternally-mirrors-3217314/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Mirrors Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors-bright-3217316/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Reflects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-reflects-3217313/) [Reflects Eternally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflects-eternally-3217315/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/)

## Related quotes

> [The judgment: You are now before Yama, King of the Dead. In vain will you try to...deny or conceal the evil deeds you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/the-judgment-you-are-now-before-yama-king-of-the-dead-in-vain-will/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [Verily the kindness that gazes upon itself in a mirror turns to stone, and a good deed that calls itself by tender names becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/verily-the-kindness-that-gazes-upon-itself-in-a-mirror-turns-to-stone/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [I rejoice that the reign of Christ is such, while it thrills the soul with emotions, and opens before the highest intellect the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-simpson/i-rejoice-that-the-reign-of-christ-is-such-while-it-thrills-the-soul/)

[Matthew Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-simpson/)

> [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/)

[Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/)

> [Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/time-which-wears-down-and-diminishes-all-things-augments-and/)

[Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/)

> [A nation of character is filled with citizens who gradually build lives based on the living awareness that their deeds are judged by eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/a-nation-of-character-is-filled-with-citizens-who-gradually-build/)

[Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/)

> [How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-oft-the-sight-of-means-to-do-ill-deeds-makes-ill-deeds-done/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Tis e'er the wont of simple folk to prize the deed and o'erlook the motive, and of learned folk to discount the deed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/tis-e-er-the-wont-of-simple-folk-to-prize-the-deed-and-o-erlook-the/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [Mechanical instruments, potentially a vehicle of rational human purposes, are scarcely a blessing when they enable the gossip of the village idiot and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/mechanical-instruments-potentially-a-vehicle-of-rational-human/)

[Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/)

> [Honest people don't hide their deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/honest-people-don-t-hide-their-deeds/)

[Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/)

> [Somehow, what's in our hearts, good or bad is eventually translated into words and deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/somehow-what-s-in-our-hearts-good-or-bad-is-eventually-translated/)

[Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/)

> [When deeds speak, words are nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/when-deeds-speak-words-are-nothing/)

[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/)

> [Time often serves to justify a deed which seems at first unjustifiable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-p-ryan/time-often-serves-to-justify-a-deed-which-seems-at-first-unjustifiable/)

[Donald P. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-p-ryan/)

> [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/)

[Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/)

> [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

## More by Gregory David Roberts

> [The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with them, your heart always guides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-india-and-indian-people-is/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [I think the novel form chose me. I was a writer before I became a criminal... my first instinct was to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-think-the-novel-form-chose-me-i-was-a-writer-before-i-became-a/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [I look back, now, and I know that the naming moment, which seemed so insignificant then, which seemed to demand no more than an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-look-back-now-and-i-know-that-the-naming-moment-which-seemed-so/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [“Men are just men - it is what they do, or refuse to do, that links them to good and evil. The truth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/men-are-just-men-it-is-what-they-do-or-refuse-to-do-that-links-them/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Indians are the Italians of Asia and vice versa. Every man in both countries is a singer when he is happy, and every woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/indians-are-the-italians-of-asia-and-vice-versa-every-man-in-both/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [A lot of bad stuff in the world wasn’t really that bad until someone tried to change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/a-lot-of-bad-stuff-in-the-world-wasn-t-really-that-bad-until-someone/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Of course I wanted to know. I was a writer. I wanted to know everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/of-course-i-wanted-to-know-i-was-a-writer-i-wanted-to-know-everything/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with everything except tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/sometimes-we-love-with-nothing-more-than-hope-sometimes-we-cry-with/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Love is the passionate search for a truth other than your own; and once you feel it, honestly and completely, love is forever..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/love-is-the-passionate-search-for-a-truth-other-than-your-own-and/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [“I know now that it's the sweet, sweating smell of hope, which is opposite of hate; and it's the sour, stifled smell of greed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-know-now-that-it-s-the-sweet-sweating-smell-of-hope-which-is/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [I don't know what frightens me more](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-don-t-know-what-frightens-me-more/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [“I hesitated. Karla once said that men reveal what they think when they look away, and what they feel when they hesitate. With women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-hesitated-karla-once-said-that-men-reveal-what-they-think-when-they/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [you can't kill love. you can't even kill it with hate. you can kill in-love, and loving, and even loveliness. you can kill them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/you-can-t-kill-love-you-can-t-even-kill-it-with-hate-you-can-kill-in/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Some loves are like that. Your heart starts to feel like an overcrowded lifeboat. You throw your pride out to keep it afloat, &amp;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/some-loves-are-like-that-your-heart-starts-to-feel-like-an/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [I sometimes think that the size of our happiness is inversely proportional to the size of our house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-sometimes-think-that-the-size-of-our-happiness-is-inversely/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

[Explore all 276 Gregory David Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

## More Dark quotes

> [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [“I could see her will leaving and death seeping through her skin to skewer her soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-stroube/i-could-see-her-will-leaving-and-death-seeping-through-her-skin-to/)

[J.D. Stroube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-stroube/)

> [The soul wanders in the dark, until it finds love. And so, wherever our love goes, there we find our soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-zimmerman/the-soul-wanders-in-the-dark-until-it-finds-love-and-so-wherever-our/)

[Mary Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-zimmerman/)

> [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/)

[Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/)

> [All comedy comes from a dark place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katt-williams/all-comedy-comes-from-a-dark-place/)

[Katt Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katt-williams/)

> [It's a really dark, emotionally wrenching world that we've created on 'The Walking Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/it-s-a-really-dark-emotionally-wrenching-world-that-we-ve-created-on/)

[Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/)

[Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/)

> [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/)

[Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/)

> [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Let death bless me with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-death-bless-me-with-you/)

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

> [“what do you call/that space between the dark geographies of sex?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethaway/what-do-you-call-that-space-between-the-dark-geographies-of-sex/)

[Natasha Trethaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethaway/)

> [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/)

[Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/)

> [Even in the dark your shadow is like a guide to me! you are my rising sun that brings forth hope just as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkemjika-linus/even-in-the-dark-your-shadow-is-like-a-guide-to-me-you-are-my-rising/)

[Nkemjika Linus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkemjika-linus/)

[Browse all 10,198 Dark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The past reflects eternally between two mirrors -the bright mirror of words and deeds, and the dark one, full of things we didn't do or say.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gregory David Roberts"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-past-reflects-eternally-between-two-mirrors-the-bright-mirror-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dark"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-past-reflects-eternally-between-two-mirrors-the-bright-mirror-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/gregory-david-roberts-1039_dark_the-past-reflects-eternally-between-two_1146086.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/gregory-david-roberts-1039_dark_the-past-reflects-eternally-between-two_1146086.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/gregory-david-roberts-1039_dark_the-past-reflects-eternally-between-two_1146086.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The past reflects eternally between two mirrors -the bright mirror of words and deeds, and the dark one…” — Gregory David Roberts",
                "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": "Gregory David Roberts",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The past reflects eternally between two...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-past-reflects-eternally-between-two-mirrors-the-bright-mirror-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-past-reflects-eternally-between-two-mirrors-the-bright-mirror-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
