--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The sad truth is that certain types of…" description: "\"The sad truth is that certain types of things can't go backward. Once they start going forward, no matter what you do, they can't go back the way they ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/haruki-murakami-21_certain_the-sad-truth-is-that-certain-types-of-t_1733521.jpg" --- # The sad truth is that certain types of things can't go… ![“The sad truth is that certain types of things can't go backward. Once they start going forward, no matter what you do, they can't go back the way they were. If even one little thing goes awry, then that's how it will stay forever.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/haruki-murakami-21_certain_the-sad-truth-is-that-certain-types-of-t_1733521.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/haruki-murakami-21_certain_the-sad-truth-is-that-certain-types-of-t_1733521.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/haruki-murakami-21_certain_the-sad-truth-is-that-certain-types-of-t_1733521.jpg) > “The sad truth is that certain types of things can't go backward. Once they start going forward, no matter what you do, they can't go back the way they were. If even one little thing goes awry, then that's how it will stay forever.” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Progress, once initiated, is irreversible; small errors become permanent fixtures. **In simple terms:** Once something moves forward, it can’t revert; mistakes stick. Key Takeaway Accept change and manage risks early. Themes change irreversibility risk continuity Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - project management - personal growth - technology development - policy making Key Concepts entropy path dependence system dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What small mistake could have lasting impact? - How can you build safeguards against irreversible change? A Different Perspective Not all setbacks are catastrophic; some can be corrected with intervention. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backward/) [Backward Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backward-start-1451667/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forward/) [Going forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-forward/) [Little things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-things/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Sad truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad-truth/) [Things Backward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-backward-1211834/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-is/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [I learn things in a backward way. I learn all those limitations, and slowly my brain soaks them up, and if things go right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-odenkirk/i-learn-things-in-a-backward-way-i-learn-all-those-limitations-and/) [Bob Odenkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-odenkirk/) > [“Us ballplayers do things backward. First we play, then we retire and go to work. —CHARLIE GEHRINGER”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-wilde/us-ballplayers-do-things-backward-first-we-play-then-we-retire-and-go-2/) [Lori Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-wilde/) > [“Things go backward. And then, one day, whatever it is we had, it’s gone. It won’t come back. We both know it. Whatever it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/things-go-backward-and-then-one-day-whatever-it-is-we-had-it-s-gone/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [“Hajime," she began, "the sad truth is that some things can't go backwards. Once they start going forward, no matter what you do, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/hajime-she-began-the-sad-truth-is-that-some-things-can-t-go-backwards/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The sad truth is that some things can't go backwards. Once they start going forward, no matter what you do, they can't go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sad-truth-is-that-some-things-can-t-go-backwards-once-they-start/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Us ballplayers do things backward. First we play, then we retire and go to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-gehringer/us-ballplayers-do-things-backward-first-we-play-then-we-retire-and-go/) [Charlie Gehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-gehringer/) > [“Life can only be understood going backward, but must be lived going forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/life-can-only-be-understood-going-backward-but-must-be-lived-going/) [SOREN KIERKEGAARD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [“It seems to me that going backward sometimes means going forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/it-seems-to-me-that-going-backward-sometimes-means-going-forward/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [And as the years have passed, the time has grown longer. The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/and-as-the-years-have-passed-the-time-has-grown-longer-the-sad-truth/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“I do need that time, though, for Naoko's face to appear. And as the years have passed, the time has grown longer. The sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-do-need-that-time-though-for-naoko-s-face-to-appear-and-as-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [We'll continue to work hard to do a better job in every area going forward. I don't know where those little things will come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-belichick/we-ll-continue-to-work-hard-to-do-a-better-job-in-every-area-going/) [Bill Belichick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-belichick/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, then a full minute—like shadows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too-2/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Sixteen is an intensely troublesome age. You worry about little things, can't pinpoint where you are in any objective way, become really proficient at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/sixteen-is-an-intensely-troublesome-age-you-worry-about-little-things/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Maybe working on the little things as dutifully and honestly as we can is how we stay sane when the world is falling apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/maybe-working-on-the-little-things-as-dutifully-and-honestly-as-we/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Backward quotes > [I hate looking backward, but every once in a while it sneaks up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-lancaster/i-hate-looking-backward-but-every-once-in-a-while-it-sneaks-up-on-you/) [Burt Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-lancaster/) > [“Thus the thoughtless drift backward toward slavery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/thus-the-thoughtless-drift-backward-toward-slavery/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) > [“Whoever said that the past isn’t dead had it backward. It’s the future that’s already dead, already played out. This whole night has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/whoever-said-that-the-past-isn-t-dead-had-it-backward-it-s-the-future/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [Honestly, if you were any slower, you’d be going backward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honestly-if-you-were-any-slower-you-d-be-going-backward/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I learn things in a backward way. I learn all those limitations, and slowly my brain soaks them up, and if things go right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-odenkirk/i-learn-things-in-a-backward-way-i-learn-all-those-limitations-and/) [Bob Odenkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-odenkirk/) > [“It took us a while to discover that we do effectively think, but that we more readily narrate backward in order to give ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-took-us-a-while-to-discover-that-we-do-effectively-think-but-that/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Our habit of wishing backward from what is to what might have been is the soft but persistent tapping that cracks the crystal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/our-habit-of-wishing-backward-from-what-is-to-what-might-have-been-is/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [The thing I love most about my job is watching people age backward, becoming more lively and energetic as they free themselves from situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-thing-i-love-most-about-my-job-is-watching-people-age-backward/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [“Dreaming her way backward in time, resurrecting images, the young girl realized, with wonder, that the absent are always present, that you don't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-shields/dreaming-her-way-backward-in-time-resurrecting-images-the-young-girl/) [Carol Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-shields/) > [“Us ballplayers do things backward. First we play, then we retire and go to work. —CHARLIE GEHRINGER”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-wilde/us-ballplayers-do-things-backward-first-we-play-then-we-retire-and-go-2/) [Lori Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-wilde/) > [This was the Darker Life, where every truth was written backward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/this-was-the-darker-life-where-every-truth-was-written-backward/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Backward, flow backward, O tide of the years!I am so weary of toil and of tears,-Toil without recompense, tears all in vain!Take them, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chase-allen/backward-flow-backward-o-tide-of-the-years-i-am-so-weary-of-toil-and/) [Elizabeth Chase Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chase-allen/) > [I loved you backward and forward in time. I loved you beyond boundaries of time and space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/i-loved-you-backward-and-forward-in-time-i-loved-you-beyond/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead; that is where your future lies. Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/nobody-gets-to-live-life-backward-look-ahead-that-is-where-your/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) > [“Life, too, is like that. You live it forward, but understand it backward." from CUTTING FOR STONE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/life-too-is-like-that-you-live-it-forward-but-understand-it-backward/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) [Browse all 340 Backward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backward/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The sad truth is that certain types of things can't go backward. Once they start going forward, no matter what you do, they can't go back the way they were. If even one little thing goes awry, then that's how it will stay forever.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Haruki Murakami" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-certain-types-of-things-can-t-go-backward-once/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Backward" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-certain-types-of-things-can-t-go-backward-once/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/haruki-murakami-21_certain_the-sad-truth-is-that-certain-types-of-t_1733521.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/haruki-murakami-21_certain_the-sad-truth-is-that-certain-types-of-t_1733521.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/haruki-murakami-21_certain_the-sad-truth-is-that-certain-types-of-t_1733521.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The sad truth is that certain types of things can't go backward. Once they start going forward, no matter…” — Haruki Murakami", "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": "Haruki Murakami", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The sad truth is that certain...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-certain-types-of-things-can-t-go-backward-once/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-certain-types-of-things-can-t-go-backward-once/#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 } } ] } ```