--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After all, what can we ever gain in…" description: "\"After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished?\" — Kazuo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_blame_after-all-what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forev_2357261.jpg" --- # After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back… ![“After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished?” quote by Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_blame_after-all-what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forev_2357261.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_blame_after-all-what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forev_2357261.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_blame_after-all-what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forev_2357261.jpg) > “After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished?” [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We waste time on self‑blame for outcomes we cannot control, hindering growth. **In simple terms:** Stop dwelling on past regrets. Key Takeaway Focus on present actions. Themes self‑reflection regret control Mood reflective somber Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal development - career decisions - relationship choices Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What can you change today? - How does letting go of blame affect your mindset? A Different Perspective Self‑blame can paralyze future progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame/) [Blaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blaming/) [Blaming Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blaming-lives-5760236/) [Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Forever Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever-looking-1122896/) [Gain Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gain-forever-4307347/) [Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) [Looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-back/) [Looking Blaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-blaming-5760237/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) ## Related quotes > [“What can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forever-looking-back-and-blaming-ourselves/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“Perhaps, then, there is something to his advice that I should cease looking back so much, that I should adopt a more positive outlook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/perhaps-then-there-is-something-to-his-advice-that-i-should-cease/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Much as we might wish it, looks don't always last forever. 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Maybe her infant memory was forever looking to Zod and Pari to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donia-bijan/maybe-we-don-t-really-grow-up-until-our-parents-die-she-thought-maybe/) [Donia Bijan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donia-bijan/) > [I've always wanted to know how long forever was... and by looking at some peoples relationships its around 2 to 4 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-bianco/i-ve-always-wanted-to-know-how-long-forever-was-and-by-looking-at/) [Tanya Bianco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-bianco/) > [A man who aspires to rise above the mediocre, to be something more than the ordinary, surely deserves admiration, even if he fails and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/a-man-who-aspires-to-rise-above-the-mediocre-to-be-something-more/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Blaming Obama for Iraq violence is like blaming Daniel Craig because Octopussy sucked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fugelsang/blaming-obama-for-iraq-violence-is-like-blaming-daniel-craig-because/) [John Fugelsang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fugelsang/) > [Our culture peculiarly honors the act of blaming, which it takes as the sign of virtue and intellect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-trilling/our-culture-peculiarly-honors-the-act-of-blaming-which-it-takes-as/) [Lionel Trilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-trilling/) > [Sometimes in life, some strange things happen. Whether you like it or not. Then you found caught blaming yourself, why?!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-maneja/sometimes-in-life-some-strange-things-happen-whether-you-like-it-or/) [Alex Maneja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-maneja/) > [Blaming is so much easier than taking responsibility, because if you take responsibility...then you might be the one to blame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/blaming-is-so-much-easier-than-taking-responsibility-because-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Blaming guns for murder is like blaming forks for obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/blaming-guns-for-murder-is-like-blaming-forks-for-obesity/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Blaming mother is just a negative way of clinging to her still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-friday/blaming-mother-is-just-a-negative-way-of-clinging-to-her-still/) [Nancy Friday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-friday/) > [Stop blaming others, whatever happens to you is nobody's fault if you get hurt because of disappointment is not the end of your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/stop-blaming-others-whatever-happens-to-you-is-nobody-s-fault-if-you/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [Stop blaming ur heart if u broke it, for a change start with ur brain it didn't argue enough w/ ur heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menchie-roxas-gelbolingo/stop-blaming-ur-heart-if-u-broke-it-for-a-change-start-with-ur-brain/) [Menchie Roxas Gelbolingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menchie-roxas-gelbolingo/) > [“Stop Blaming Others For Your Own Actions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-g-roldan/stop-blaming-others-for-your-own-actions/) [Alexis G. Roldan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-g-roldan/) ## More by Kazuo Ishiguro > [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [As a writer, I'm more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/as-a-writer-i-m-more-interested-in-what-people-tell-themselves/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“About him and his wife voting for different parties. A few years ago that would have been unthinkable.” “No doubt.” “Quite extraordinary the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/about-him-and-his-wife-voting-for-different-parties-a-few-years-ago/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently? One could presumably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-what-is-the-sense-in-forever-speculating-what-might-have-happened/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“Silence is just as likely to indicate the most profound ideas forming, the deepest energies being summoned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/silence-is-just-as-likely-to-indicate-the-most-profound-ideas-forming/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“I don't know why, but it didn't seem an option for more than one of us to storm off, and I wanted to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-know-why-but-it-didn-t-seem-an-option-for-more-than-one-of-us/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Our family arrived in England in 1960. At that time I thought the war was ancient history. But if I think of 15 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/our-family-arrived-in-england-in-1960-at-that-time-i-thought-the-war/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/he-chose-a-certain-path-in-life-it-proved-to-be-a-misguided-one-but/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“For however one may come in later years to reassess one’s achievements, it is always a consolation to know that one’s life has contained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/for-however-one-may-come-in-later-years-to-reassess-one-s/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [You're always in a rush, or else you're too exhausted to have a proper conversation. Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/you-re-always-in-a-rush-or-else-you-re-too-exhausted-to-have-a-proper/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I don't think it's any fun, even if you are one of the most respected authors in the world like Margaret Atwood, to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-think-it-s-any-fun-even-if-you-are-one-of-the-most-respected/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I think it's quite difficult to understand what kind of life a writer leads. They might be millionaires, or they might be starving people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-think-it-s-quite-difficult-to-understand-what-kind-of-life-a-writer/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But this small episode is as good an illustration as any of the hazards of uttering witticisms. By the very nature of a witticism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-this-small-episode-is-as-good-an-illustration-as-any-of-the/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or-less-count-the-number-of/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [My wife is the most savage critic. She doesn't feel intimidated by my reputation. As far as she's concerned, she's just criticising a boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/my-wife-is-the-most-savage-critic-she-doesn-t-feel-intimidated-by-my/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) [Explore all 292 Kazuo Ishiguro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## More Blame quotes > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Me mum used to always have the radio on - even now she has it on in every room. Me girlfriend sort of blames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/me-mum-used-to-always-have-the-radio-on-even-now-she-has-it-on-in/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-the-great/i-like-to-praise-and-reward-loudly-to-blame-quietly/) [Catherine the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-the-great/) > [Some of the things that I said I hated to say, but blame yourself mother fucker you made it this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedi-mind-tricks/some-of-the-things-that-i-said-i-hated-to-say-but-blame-yourself/) [Jedi Mind Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedi-mind-tricks/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“In places where government priorities and market imperatives create a world so capricious that to help a neighbor is to risk your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/in-places-where-government-priorities-and-market-imperatives-create-a/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“Stop Blaming Others For Your Own Actions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-g-roldan/stop-blaming-others-for-your-own-actions/) [Alexis G. Roldan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-g-roldan/) > [We know from this book entitled... What is it? Surrendered? Succumbed? I can never remember the title perform. And we learn from this book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-know-from-this-book-entitled-what-is-it-surrendered-succumbed-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't blame anyone .. I did this to myself .. It's my fault .. Everything is my FAULT ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nurnizz95/i-don-t-blame-anyone-i-did-this-to-myself-it-s-my-fault-everything-is/) [Nurnizz95](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nurnizz95/) > [“They would congratulate themselves every morning on keeping their integrity, and blame themselves each night for that missed opportunity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/they-would-congratulate-themselves-every-morning-on-keeping-their/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I try to live my life where I end up at a point where I have no regrets. So I try to choose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-aronofsky/i-try-to-live-my-life-where-i-end-up-at-a-point-where-i-have-no/) [Darren Aronofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-aronofsky/) > [How come you don't feel that magic in the air? I guess I knew you'll never be there. I guess I knew you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-come-you-don-t-feel-that-magic-in-the-air-i-guess-i-knew-you-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am down mentally. I can't understand how it happened and who is to blame? I don't know why the ground was rolled before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeasin-khan/i-am-down-mentally-i-can-t-understand-how-it-happened-and-who-is-to/) [Yeasin Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yeasin-khan/) > [A refusal to admit one's mistake & not accepting responsibility for that mistake by blaming everyone else, is d beginning of one's decline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-refusal-to-admit-one-s-mistake-not-accepting-responsibility-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Listen, the guy was not created by coverage from MSNBC and CNN. If you want to blame us for making Donald Trump president because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-tur/listen-the-guy-was-not-created-by-coverage-from-msnbc-and-cnn-if-you/) [Katy Tur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-tur/) [Browse all 3,779 Blame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kazuo Ishiguro" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/after-all-what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forever-looking-back-and-blaming/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blame" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/after-all-what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forever-looking-back-and-blaming/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_blame_after-all-what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forev_2357261.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_blame_after-all-what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forev_2357261.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_blame_after-all-what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forev_2357261.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned…” — Kazuo Ishiguro", "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": "Kazuo Ishiguro", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "After all, what can we ever...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/after-all-what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forever-looking-back-and-blaming/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/after-all-what-can-we-ever-gain-in-forever-looking-back-and-blaming/#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 } } ] } ```