--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People want to avoid the past. I suppose…" description: "\"People want to avoid the past. I suppose that's natural. When we tally up all we've said and done over the years, despite the wonderful memories, the r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/jeffery-deaver-2663_coal_people-want-to-avoid-the-past-i-suppose_2809682.jpg" --- # People want to avoid the past. I suppose that's natural… ![“People want to avoid the past. I suppose that's natural. When we tally up all we've said and done over the years, despite the wonderful memories, the regrets may be fewer but stand out more prominently, glowing coals that we can never quite extinguish, try though we might” quote by Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/jeffery-deaver-2663_coal_people-want-to-avoid-the-past-i-suppose_2809682.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/jeffery-deaver-2663_coal_people-want-to-avoid-the-past-i-suppose_2809682.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/jeffery-deaver-2663_coal_people-want-to-avoid-the-past-i-suppose_2809682.jpg) > “People want to avoid the past. I suppose that's natural. When we tally up all we've said and done over the years, despite the wonderful memories, the regrets may be fewer but stand out more prominently, glowing coals that we can never quite extinguish, try though we might” [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People tend to focus on painful memories, letting them dominate despite fewer regrets overall. **In simple terms:** Regrets stand out more than good memories. Key Takeaway Acknowledge past pains but don’t let them define you. Themes memory regret reflection Mood melancholy thoughtful Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal growth - therapy - relationship counseling - creative writing Key Concepts psychology nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - What regrets teach you about your values? - How can you balance remembering good times with learning from regrets? A Different Perspective Regrets can be useful guides if examined objectively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Never quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-quit/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regrets/) [Standing out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing-out/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) [Wonderful memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful-memories/) ## Related quotes > [In order to focus on your Future you must, Avoid your past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-to-focus-on-your-future-you-must-avoid-your-past/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's hard to avoid the past but one goes forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-summers/it-s-hard-to-avoid-the-past-but-one-goes-forward/) [Andy Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-summers/) > [“It seemed sometimes that life was nothing more than the accumulation of emotional baggage-memories,regrets and lost opportunities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-e-taylor/it-seemed-sometimes-that-life-was-nothing-more-than-the-accumulation/) [Dennis E. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-e-taylor/) > [“That kind of empty; when hope is no longer deferred but evaporated, and try as you might, and you do try, you can't find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binnie-kirshenbaum/that-kind-of-empty-when-hope-is-no-longer-deferred-but-evaporated-and/) [Binnie Kirshenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binnie-kirshenbaum/) > [Create memories not regrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-sebastiao/create-memories-not-regrets/) [Emanuel Sebastiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-sebastiao/) > [I avoid looking back. I prefer good memories to regrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-kelly/i-avoid-looking-back-i-prefer-good-memories-to-regrets/) [Grace Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-kelly/) > [“We can only try to live our lives with enough joy and passion that when our time is finished we leave behind more good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-c-cast/we-can-only-try-to-live-our-lives-with-enough-joy-and-passion-that/) [P.C. Cast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-c-cast/) > [Judge me if you want,but at the end of my life I choose to have memories,no regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/judge-me-if-you-want-but-at-the-end-of-my-life-i-choose-to-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes, knowing what true love is...is such a heavy cross to bare. You watch the love your parents have for each other, like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-nathaniel-butler/sometimes-knowing-what-true-love-is-is-such-a-heavy-cross-to-bare-you/) [Eugene Nathaniel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-nathaniel-butler/) > [I don't think I'll ever act again. I have so many wonderful memories, but those days are over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-connery/i-don-t-think-i-ll-ever-act-again-i-have-so-many-wonderful-memories/) [Sean Connery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-connery/) > [It happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-happens-to-everyone-as-they-grow-up-you-find-out-who-you-are-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My memories of my childhood are wonderful memories. I feel that I was privileged because I grew up in a beautiful city. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luca-parmitano/my-memories-of-my-childhood-are-wonderful-memories-i-feel-that-i-was/) [Luca Parmitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luca-parmitano/) > [Life is good to those who know how to live. I do not ever hope to accumulate great funds of worldly wealth, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-good-to-those-who-know-how-to-live-i-do-not-ever-hope-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It was such a whirlwind for us for about three to four years there that, every time we turned around, we were pulled in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-demarcus/it-was-such-a-whirlwind-for-us-for-about-three-to-four-years-there/) [Jay DeMarcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-demarcus/) > [We have four beautiful children and some wonderful memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-wayans/we-have-four-beautiful-children-and-some-wonderful-memories/) [Damon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-wayans/) ## More by Jeffery Deaver > [Trying to write books with a subject matter or in a genre or style you're not familiar with is the best way to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/trying-to-write-books-with-a-subject-matter-or-in-a-genre-or-style/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“I realized finally what the problem was,” I told Maree. “It wasn’t him. It was my wife. She was treating him like a normal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/i-realized-finally-what-the-problem-was-i-told-maree-it-wasn-t-him-it/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“But then someday the truth would come out. It always did. Repress what you will, someday the truth comes out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/but-then-someday-the-truth-would-come-out-it-always-did-repress-what/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“Stanton clawed his way to the bedside table and managed to grab his knife. He jabbed it into Rhyme. Once, twice. But the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/stanton-clawed-his-way-to-the-bedside-table-and-managed-to-grab-his/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [Hardcover books are fairly expensive these days and to read one requires a significant commitment of time in our busy society. So I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/hardcover-books-are-fairly-expensive-these-days-and-to-read-one/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“You’re sure it was Loving?” “Yes. That’s exactly the kind of strategy he’d choose. There’s no doubt it was him.” I was aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/you-re-sure-it-was-loving-yes-that-s-exactly-the-kind-of-strategy-he/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“Maree opened her eyes wide. “Wait, wait . . . I know you.” She regarded me with a frown. I must have blinked in surprise. Had we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/maree-opened-her-eyes-wide-wait-wait-i-know-you-she-regarded-me-with/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [The best way to learn about writing is to study the work of other writers you admire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-best-way-to-learn-about-writing-is-to-study-the-work-of-other/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“eager’ and ‘anxious’ aren’t the same, or how ‘disinterested’ doesn’t mean ‘uninterested.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/eager-and-anxious-aren-t-the-same-or-how-disinterested-doesn-t-mean/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [The recent fascination, I think, reflects the shift in approach by law enforcement officials to embrace technology as wholeheartedly as the rest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-recent-fascination-i-think-reflects-the-shift-in-approach-by-law/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“DuBois’s observations were back. She’d largely recovered from the Graham ignominy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/dubois-s-observations-were-back-she-d-largely-recovered-from-the/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“Maree may have noted that I said “wife” and not “ex,” which imparted some information to her. She was smarter than the package suggested.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/maree-may-have-noted-that-i-said-wife-and-not-ex-which-imparted-some/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“You see tumbleweeds? You see cowpokes? Indians? This isn’t the streets of Laredo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/you-see-tumbleweeds-you-see-cowpokes-indians-this-isn-t-the-streets/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“The young woman shrugged, walked to her computer, picked it up. She flopped down on the couch and scanned through it. This was something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-young-woman-shrugged-walked-to-her-computer-picked-it-up-she/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“As a matter of fact, yeah, they were foolproof. The problem is that you don't have to protect yourself against fools. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/as-a-matter-of-fact-yeah-they-were-foolproof-the-problem-is-that-you/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) [Explore all 154 Jeffery Deaver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) ## More Coal quotes > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The only difference between black coal and a precious diamond is the amount of pressure it endured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/the-only-difference-between-black-coal-and-a-precious-diamond-is-the/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [In that sense, I became politicized because the people in the coal mining villages who were involved in the struggle knew why they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/in-that-sense-i-became-politicized-because-the-people-in-the-coal/) [Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/) > [Dusty, dark, cold, and hard, coal has no beauty of its own, but when it is consummated by fire it is beautiful and becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederica-mathewes-green/dusty-dark-cold-and-hard-coal-has-no-beauty-of-its-own-but-when-it-is/) [Frederica Mathewes-Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederica-mathewes-green/) > [a TEN-YEAR-OLD lad in Indianapolis who was arrested for picking up coal along the side of railroad tracks is now in jail. If the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/a-ten-year-old-lad-in-indianapolis-who-was-arrested-for-picking-up/) Mother Jones > [Coal is the moral choice, particularly for the developing world... The model for the world right now should be Australia. Australia gets it. Scientifically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-morano/coal-is-the-moral-choice-particularly-for-the-developing-world-the/) Marc Morano > [Iron and coal dominated everywhere, from grey to black: the black boots, the black stove-pipe hat, the black coach or carriage, the black iron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/iron-and-coal-dominated-everywhere-from-grey-to-black-the-black-boots/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [I remember being very influenced by 'Taxi Driver', and also Tommy Lee Jones in 'Coal Miner's Daughter' a little bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-rockwell/i-remember-being-very-influenced-by-taxi-driver-and-also-tommy-lee/) [Sam Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-rockwell/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Shakespeare doesn't belong to the past. If his material is valid, it is valid now. It's like coal. The only meaningfulness of a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brook/shakespeare-doesn-t-belong-to-the-past-if-his-material-is-valid-it-is/) [Peter Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brook/) > [Coal is My Worst Nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/coal-is-my-worst-nightmare/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [America is the Saudi Arabia of coal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/america-is-the-saudi-arabia-of-coal/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“...those others - they're looking for trends - subjects to catch a spark - but I have you - a coal from God's altar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/those-others-they-re-looking-for-trends-subjects-to-catch-a-spark-but/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [We're not going to be living in a world of abundant coal power in a hundred years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-chait/we-re-not-going-to-be-living-in-a-world-of-abundant-coal-power-in-a/) [Jonathan Chait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-chait/) Browse all 720 Coal quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People want to avoid the past. 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