--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The past is a black, heavy thing. It will…" description: "\"“The past is a black, heavy thing. It will quietly smother our spirits if we let it. You must make peace with it and move forward.”\" — Sarah McCoy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/sarah-mccoy-42696_move-forward_the-past-is-a-black-heavy-thing-it-will_58179.jpg" --- # The past is a black, heavy thing. It will quietly smother… ![“The past is a black, heavy thing. It will quietly smother our spirits if we let it. You must make peace with it and move forward.” quote by Sarah McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/sarah-mccoy-42696_move-forward_the-past-is-a-black-heavy-thing-it-will_58179.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/sarah-mccoy-42696_move-forward_the-past-is-a-black-heavy-thing-it-will_58179.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/sarah-mccoy-42696_move-forward_the-past-is-a-black-heavy-thing-it-will_58179.jpg) > ““The past is a black, heavy thing. It will quietly smother our spirits if we let it. You must make peace with it and move forward.”” [Sarah McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mccoy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The past can weigh us down, but confronting and accepting it prevents it from stifling our growth. **In simple terms:** Past can smother; acceptance frees. Key Takeaway Acknowledge history, then act. Themes resilience self‑acceptance growth mindfulness emotional health Mood reflective hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - grieving a loss - overcoming trauma - career setbacks - relationship breakups Key Concepts psychology personal development Practical Applications - therapy sessions - coaching workshops Questions to Reflect On - How does holding onto past events limit you? - What steps can you take to reconcile with your history? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Make Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-peace/) [Move forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/move-forward/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-black-801237/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peace Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-forward-801238/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Make peace with yourself before you move forward. Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/make-peace-with-yourself-before-you-move-forward-accept-yourself-love/) [Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/) > [“In the future, as in the present, as in the past, black people will build many new worlds. This is true. I will make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/in-the-future-as-in-the-present-as-in-the-past-black-people-will/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [My child, seek those things which make for peace. Cease to stir up the King against the Church, and urge upon him a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-child-seek-those-things-which-make-for-peace-cease-to-stir-up-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is essential for world peace that the world religions make peace with each other. If they don't, we can hardly expect the nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/it-is-essential-for-world-peace-that-the-world-religions-make-peace/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [“Make peace with yourself, and both heaven and earth will make peace with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-isaac-the-syrian/make-peace-with-yourself-and-both-heaven-and-earth-will-make-peace/) [St. Isaac the Syrian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-isaac-the-syrian/) > [Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/why-should-the-arabs-make-peace-if-i-was-an-arab-leader-i-would-never/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [“PEACE When we make peace with ourselves, our quarrels with the world come to an end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amar-ochani/peace-when-we-make-peace-with-ourselves-our-quarrels-with-the-world/) [Amar Ochani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amar-ochani/) > [“If you spend too much time living in the past, you never move forward”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/if-you-spend-too-much-time-living-in-the-past-you-never-move-forward/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Grant us more powers, not less; grant us more democracy, not less; grant us the tools to move forward because, I can assure you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anibal-acevedo-vila/grant-us-more-powers-not-less-grant-us-more-democracy-not-less-grant/) [Anibal Acevedo Vila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anibal-acevedo-vila/) > [I don't want to keep looking back in the past. I want to move forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-kufrin/i-don-t-want-to-keep-looking-back-in-the-past-i-want-to-move-forward/) [Becca Kufrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-kufrin/) > [We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-cannot-go-back-in-time-and-change-the-past-but-we-can-repent-the/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [“With human beings the urge to make peace takes some time to germinate, while Homo Sapiens is always ready to hate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikl-s-b-nffy/with-human-beings-the-urge-to-make-peace-takes-some-time-to-germinate/) [Miklós Bánffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikl-s-b-nffy/) > [But while we all pray for peace, we do not always, as free citizens, support the policies that make for peace or reject those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-b-pearson/but-while-we-all-pray-for-peace-we-do-not-always-as-free-citizens/) [Lester B. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-b-pearson/) > [“It is useless to try to make peace with ourselves by being pleased with everything we have done. In order to settle down in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/it-is-useless-to-try-to-make-peace-with-ourselves-by-being-pleased/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“There are two choices: to be human, made in the image of God, with Jesus; warp to be in human, consumed with greed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mckenna/there-are-two-choices-to-be-human-made-in-the-image-of-god-with-jesus/) [Megan McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mckenna/) ## More by Sarah McCoy > [We all tell little lies about ourselves, Our past, our presents. We think some of them are minuscule, unimportant, And others, large and incriminating.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mccoy/we-all-tell-little-lies-about-ourselves-our-past-our-presents-we/) [Sarah McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mccoy/) > [The marks on our lives are like music notes on the page--they sing a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mccoy/the-marks-on-our-lives-are-like-music-notes-on-the-page-they-sing-a/) [Sarah McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mccoy/) > [“People often miss things that don’t exist—miss things that were but are not anymore. So there or here, I’d still miss home because my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mccoy/people-often-miss-things-that-don-t-exist-miss-things-that-were-but/) [Sarah McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mccoy/) > [“1945 Elsie, I hope this letter finds its way to your good hands. Tobias and I are among friends in Zurich. 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