--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The things that have been and shall be no…" description: "\"The things that have been and shall be no more, The things that are, and that hereafter shall be, The things that might have been, and yet were not, Th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_departed_the-things-that-have-been-and-shall-be-n_98000.jpg" --- # The things that have been and shall be no more, The things… ![“The things that have been and shall be no more, The things that are, and that hereafter shall be, The things that might have been, and yet were not, The fading twilight of joys departed.” quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_departed_the-things-that-have-been-and-shall-be-n_98000.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_departed_the-things-that-have-been-and-shall-be-n_98000.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_departed_the-things-that-have-been-and-shall-be-n_98000.jpg) > “The things that have been and shall be no more, The things that are, and that hereafter shall be, The things that might have been, and yet were not, The fading twilight of joys departed.” [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reflects on the impermanence of all states—past, present, future, potential, and lost joys—suggesting everything is fleeting. **In simple terms:** All things change and fade. Key Takeaway Impermanence pervades existence. Themes philosophy transience nostalgia temporal reflection Mood melancholy contemplative Type poetic reflection philosophical musing When to use this quote - grieving a loss - celebrating a milestone - reflecting on career changes Key Concepts ephemeral nature of experience Practical Applications - practice mindfulness of the present - record cherished moments Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to truly appreciate the present? - How can we balance acceptance of change with desire for stability? A Different Perspective The focus on loss may overlook the value of enduring aspects like love or legacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Departed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/departed/) [Hereafter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hereafter/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Twilight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twilight/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [Of joys departed, not to return, how painful the remembrance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-blair/of-joys-departed-not-to-return-how-painful-the-remembrance/) [Robert Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-blair/) > [Surely 't is better, when summer is over To die when all fair things are fading away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haynes-bayly/surely-t-is-better-when-summer-is-over-to-die-when-all-fair-things/) [Thomas Haynes Bayly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haynes-bayly/) > [I'd be a butterfly; living a rover, Dying when fair things are fading away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haynes-bayly/i-d-be-a-butterfly-living-a-rover-dying-when-fair-things-are-fading/) [Thomas Haynes Bayly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haynes-bayly/) > [So in the heart, When, fading slowly down the past, Fond memories depart, And each that leaves it seems the last; Long after all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/so-in-the-heart-when-fading-slowly-down-the-past-fond-memories-depart/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [Dead he is not, but departed, for the artist never dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/dead-he-is-not-but-departed-for-the-artist-never-dies/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Thus departed Hiawatha, Hiawatha the Beloved, In the glory of the sunset, In the purple mists of evening, To the regions of the home-wind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-departed-hiawatha-hiawatha-the-beloved-in-the-glory-of-the/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [We are all sure of two things, at least; we shall suffer and we shall all die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/we-are-all-sure-of-two-things-at-least-we-shall-suffer-and-we-shall/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [“If we do not understand the things which are below ourselves, how shall we understand those which are above us?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-arnoudt/if-we-do-not-understand-the-things-which-are-below-ourselves-how/) [Peter J. Arnoudt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-arnoudt/) > [“We learn an art or craft by doing the things that we shall have to do when we have learnt it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/we-learn-an-art-or-craft-by-doing-the-things-that-we-shall-have-to-do/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“If we will disbelieve everything, because we cannot certainly know all things, we shall do muchwhat as wisely as he who would not use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/if-we-will-disbelieve-everything-because-we-cannot-certainly-know-all/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [“You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, not look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/you-shall-no-longer-take-things-at-second-or-third-hand-not-look/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [As often as not our whole self...engages itself in the most trivial of things, the shape of a particular hill, a road in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/storm-jameson/as-often-as-not-our-whole-self-engages-itself-in-the-most-trivial-of/) [Storm Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/storm-jameson/) > [Four be the things I am wiser to know: Idleness, sorrow, a friend, and a foe. Four be the things I'd been better without:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/four-be-the-things-i-am-wiser-to-know-idleness-sorrow-a-friend-and-a/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [“I want to learn more and more to see as beautiful what is necessary in things; then I shall be one of those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-want-to-learn-more-and-more-to-see-as-beautiful-what-is-necessary-2/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“And all shall be well. And all shall be well. And all manner of things shall be exceeding well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-of-norwich/and-all-shall-be-well-and-all-shall-be-well-and-all-manner-of-things/) [Julian of Norwich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-of-norwich/) ## More by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow > [The spring came suddenly, bursting upon the world as a child bursts into a room, with a laugh and a shout and hands full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-spring-came-suddenly-bursting-upon-the-world-as-a-child-bursts/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [In old age our bodies are worn-out instruments, on which the soul tries in vain to play the melodies of youth. But because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/in-old-age-our-bodies-are-worn-out-instruments-on-which-the-soul/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“ Endymion The rising moon has hid the stars; Her level rays, like golden bars, Lie on the landscape green, With shadows brown between.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/endymion-the-rising-moon-has-hid-the-stars-her-level-rays-like-golden/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [There's nothing fair nor beautiful, but takes Something from thee, that makes it beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/there-s-nothing-fair-nor-beautiful-but-takes-something-from-thee-that/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Fame comes only when deserved, and then is as inevitable as destiny, for it is destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/fame-comes-only-when-deserved-and-then-is-as-inevitable-as-destiny/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Nature paints not; In oils, but frescoes the great dome of heaven; With sunsets, and the lovely forms of clouds; And flying vapors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/nature-paints-not-in-oils-but-frescoes-the-great-dome-of-heaven-with/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“  Thus dwelt together in love these simple Acadian farmers,—   Dwelt in the love of God and of man. Alike were they free from   Fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-dwelt-together-in-love-these-simple-acadian-farmers-dwelt-in-the/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [The trees are white with dust, that o'er their sleep Wave their broad curtains in the south-wind's breath, While underneath such leafy tents they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-trees-are-white-with-dust-that-o-er-their-sleep-wave-their-broad/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/heights-by-great-men-reached-and-kept-were-not-obtained-by-sudden/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [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/) > [Ah, how skillful grows the hand That obeyeth Love's command! It is the heart, and not the brain, That to the highest doth attain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/ah-how-skillful-grows-the-hand-that-obeyeth-love-s-command-it-is-the/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Thus departed Hiawatha, Hiawatha the Beloved, In the glory of the sunset, In the purple mists of evening, To the regions of the home-wind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-departed-hiawatha-hiawatha-the-beloved-in-the-glory-of-the/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Books are sepulchres of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/books-are-sepulchres-of-thought/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Morality without religion is only a kind of dead reckoning - an endeavor to find our place on a cloudy sea by measuring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/morality-without-religion-is-only-a-kind-of-dead-reckoning-an/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Buried was the bloody hatchet; Buried was the dreadful war-club; Buried were all warlike weapons, And the war-cry was forgotten. Then was peace among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/buried-was-the-bloody-hatchet-buried-was-the-dreadful-war-club-buried/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) [Explore all 755 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) ## More Departed quotes > [The end result of how I obviously departed from the Cubs wasn't ideal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/the-end-result-of-how-i-obviously-departed-from-the-cubs-wasn-t-ideal/) [Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/) > [I find very reasonable the Celtic belief that the souls of our dearly departed are trapped in some inferior being, in an animal, aplant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/i-find-very-reasonable-the-celtic-belief-that-the-souls-of-our-dearly/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [So in the heart, When, fading slowly down the past, Fond memories depart, And each that leaves it seems the last; Long after all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/so-in-the-heart-when-fading-slowly-down-the-past-fond-memories-depart/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [Leo couldnt deliver Mr. Martin Scorsese his Oscar with The Aviator, but I will go on record to say I will do so in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-anderson/leo-couldnt-deliver-mr-martin-scorsese-his-oscar-with-the-aviator-but/) [Anthony Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-anderson/) > [Those who grieve frequently find themselves alone. Missed is the laughter of children, the commotion of teenagers, and the tender, loving concern of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/those-who-grieve-frequently-find-themselves-alone-missed-is-the/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [Thus departed Hiawatha, Hiawatha the Beloved, In the glory of the sunset, In the purple mists of evening, To the regions of the home-wind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-departed-hiawatha-hiawatha-the-beloved-in-the-glory-of-the/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [I am indeed a fortunate man and today's hours are but a bonus, undeserved. Why have I been allowed to live this extra day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-am-indeed-a-fortunate-man-and-today-s-hours-are-but-a-bonus/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [So I departed and was free from imprisonment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-i-departed-and-was-free-from-imprisonment/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I haven't died in a movie in a while,'The Departed,' 'Body of Lies,' 'Revolutionary Road,' 'Shutter Island' and 'Inception.' I guess I did die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-haven-t-died-in-a-movie-in-a-while-the-departed-body-of-lies/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [When we come face-to-face with one down a dark alley, we're going to be having a shufti to see if it's solid, aren't we,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-come-face-to-face-with-one-down-a-dark-alley-we-re-going-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-was-broken-in-body-soul-and-spirit-my-natural-elasticity-was/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Here the Frenchman, Spaniard, and Englishman all passed, leaving each his legend; and a brilliant and more or less feudal civilization with its aristocracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hervey-allen/here-the-frenchman-spaniard-and-englishman-all-passed-leaving-each/) [Hervey Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hervey-allen/) > [Language is in decline. Not only has eloquence departed but simple, direct speech as well, though pomposity and banality have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-newman/language-is-in-decline-not-only-has-eloquence-departed-but-simple/) [Edwin Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-newman/) > [He who has once stood beside the grave, to look back upon the companionship which has been forever closed, feeling how impotent there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/he-who-has-once-stood-beside-the-grave-to-look-back-upon-the/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [You can learn a lot, watching things eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-costello/you-can-learn-a-lot-watching-things-eat/) [Frank Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-costello/) [Browse all 201 Departed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/departed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The things that have been and shall be no more, The things that are, and that hereafter shall be, The things that might have been, and yet were not, The fading twilight of joys departed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Wadsworth Longfellow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-things-that-have-been-and-shall-be-no-more-the-things-that-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Departed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-things-that-have-been-and-shall-be-no-more-the-things-that-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_departed_the-things-that-have-been-and-shall-be-n_98000.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_departed_the-things-that-have-been-and-shall-be-n_98000.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5c/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_departed_the-things-that-have-been-and-shall-be-n_98000.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The things that have been and shall be no more, The things that are, and that hereafter shall be, The things…” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow", "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": "Henry Wadsworth Longfellow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The things that have been and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-things-that-have-been-and-shall-be-no-more-the-things-that-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-things-that-have-been-and-shall-be-no-more-the-things-that-are/#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 } } ] } ```