--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you've just stared into the abyss…" description: "\"If you've just stared into the abyss, quickly forget it: the lessons of history can only hold you back.\" — Seth Klarman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/seth-klarman-1979_abyss_if-you-ve-just-stared-into-the-abyss-qui_1275482.png" --- # If you've just stared into the abyss, quickly forget it… ![“If you've just stared into the abyss, quickly forget it: the lessons of history can only hold you back.” quote by Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/seth-klarman-1979_abyss_if-you-ve-just-stared-into-the-abyss-qui_1275482.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/seth-klarman-1979_abyss_if-you-ve-just-stared-into-the-abyss-qui_1275482.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/seth-klarman-1979_abyss_if-you-ve-just-stared-into-the-abyss-qui_1275482.png) > “If you've just stared into the abyss, quickly forget it: the lessons of history can only hold you back.” [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Studying past failures can trap you in fear, preventing forward movement. **In simple terms:** History can hold you back if you dwell on it. Key Takeaway Focus on present opportunities, not past mistakes. Themes history learning paralysis Mood cautious analytical Type strategic inspirational When to use this quote - investment decisions - career planning - personal development Key Concepts risk aversion strategic planning Questions to Reflect On - What lessons serve you versus which hinder? - How can you balance learning and action? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on past can stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) [Abyss Quickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss-quickly-4103910/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Forget it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-it/) [Forget Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-lessons-2694106/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Hold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-hold-4057613/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Quickly Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quickly-forget-1284581/) [Stared Abyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stared-abyss-4103911/) ## Related quotes > [The task of history is to hold out for reprobation every evil word and deed, and to hold out for praise every great and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-task-of-history-is-to-hold-out-for-reprobation-every-evil-word/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [If the government of this country tramples the faith and values of its citizens, history will hold those in power responsible for the violent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-terry/if-the-government-of-this-country-tramples-the-faith-and-values-of/) [Randall Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-terry/) > [Is it ignorance or apathy, I forget the lessons taught to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/is-it-ignorance-or-apathy-i-forget-the-lessons-taught-to-me/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [We must try to FORGET the things that hurt us but we must NEVER forget the lessons they taught US.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-must-try-to-forget-the-things-that-hurt-us-but-we-must-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Who can forget the lessons, trouble teaches?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/who-can-forget-the-lessons-trouble-teaches/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I am blessed that I quickly forget things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hina-khan/i-am-blessed-that-i-quickly-forget-things/) [Hina Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hina-khan/) > [If on paper one would say, "You're gonna spend three weeks in Death Valley," you say, "No, I'm not going to be able to."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-huppert/if-on-paper-one-would-say-you-re-gonna-spend-three-weeks-in-death/) [Isabelle Huppert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-huppert/) > [I get so caught up in everything around me, movin quickly. I forget to cherish every single moment I receive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-kelly/i-get-so-caught-up-in-everything-around-me-movin-quickly-i-forget-to/) [Tori Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-kelly/) > [The same (hated) man will be loved after he's dead. How quickly we forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/the-same-hated-man-will-be-loved-after-he-s-dead-how-quickly-we-forget/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Countries under foreign command quickly forget their history, their past, their tradition, their national symbols, their way of living, often their own literary language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slobodan-milosevi/countries-under-foreign-command-quickly-forget-their-history-their/) [Slobodan Milosević](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slobodan-milosevi/) > [Crying wasn't like riding a bike. 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Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [Remind a man of what he remembers, and you will make him forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/remind-a-man-of-what-he-remembers-and-you-will-make-him-forget-it/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) ## More by Seth Klarman > [Unlike return, however, risk is no more quantifiable at the end of an investment that it was at its beginning. Risk simply cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/unlike-return-however-risk-is-no-more-quantifiable-at-the-end-of-an/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Because investors are not usually penalized for adhering to conventional practices, doing so is the less professionally risky strategy, even though it virtually guarantees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/because-investors-are-not-usually-penalized-for-adhering-to/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Value investing is risk aversion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/value-investing-is-risk-aversion/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Be focused on process and not outcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/be-focused-on-process-and-not-outcome/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [There is an old saying, "How did you go bankrupt?" And the answer is, "Gradually, and then suddenly." The impending fiscal crisis in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/there-is-an-old-saying-how-did-you-go-bankrupt-and-the-answer-is/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [In a rising market, everyone makes money and a value philosophy is unnecessary. 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It is an, with an ongoing need for judgment, refinement, patience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/it-is-important-to-remember-that-value-investing-is-not-a-perfect/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Value investing is at its core the marriage of a contrarian streak and a calculator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/value-investing-is-at-its-core-the-marriage-of-a-contrarian-streak/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [The avoidance of loss is the surest way to ensure a profitable outcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/the-avoidance-of-loss-is-the-surest-way-to-ensure-a-profitable-outcome/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Do not suffer interim losses, relish and appreciate them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/do-not-suffer-interim-losses-relish-and-appreciate-them/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Ratings agencies are highly conflicted, unimaginative dupes. They are blissfully unaware of adverse selection and moral hazard. Investors should never trust them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/ratings-agencies-are-highly-conflicted-unimaginative-dupes-they-are/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [It is crucial to have a strategy in place before problems hit, precisely because no one can accurately predict the future direction of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/it-is-crucial-to-have-a-strategy-in-place-before-problems-hit/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) [Explore all 193 Seth Klarman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) ## More Abyss quotes > [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-organization-seemed-to-be-in-free-fall-indulging-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-cradle-rocks-above-an-abyss-and-common-sense-tells-us-that-our/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [In the end things must be as they are and have always been--the great things remain for the great, the abysses for the profound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-end-things-must-be-as-they-are-and-have-always-been-the-great/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I admire the Elsie Tanners and Barbara Windsors of the world: people who have crawled back from the abyss. I'm quite camp in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-eclair/i-admire-the-elsie-tanners-and-barbara-windsors-of-the-world-people/) [Jenny Eclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-eclair/) > [I've been to unpretty places with the roles I've played, and I'm attracted to reckless abandon. I like being taken to the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/i-ve-been-to-unpretty-places-with-the-roles-i-ve-played-and-i-m/) [Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/) > [I look into my heart and see the abyss looking back at me.' 'I won't let you fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/i-look-into-my-heart-and-see-the-abyss-looking-back-at-me-i-won-t-let/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [There is no drop of water in the ocean, not even in the deepest parts of the abyss, that does not know and respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/there-is-no-drop-of-water-in-the-ocean-not-even-in-the-deepest-parts/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [“But first whom shall we send In search of this new world, whom shall we find Sufficient? Who shall tempt, with wand'ring feet The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/but-first-whom-shall-we-send-in-search-of-this-new-world-whom-shall/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Many women don’t know what orgasm is. Many men don’t know was total orgasm is. Many only achieve a local orgasm, a genital orgasm;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-women-don-t-know-what-orgasm-is-many-men-don-t-know-was-total/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Fear not. For fear itself is fed by fear, and all fears pass. Did no one tell you so? Come take my hand, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/fear-not-for-fear-itself-is-fed-by-fear-and-all-fears-pass-did-no-one/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [God gave the sea the danger and the abyss, but it was in it that He mirrored the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/god-gave-the-sea-the-danger-and-the-abyss-but-it-was-in-it-that-he/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [We belong to an age where apocalypse is our daily bread, coffee's black, and we know we're part of the abyss. Red Spider White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/we-belong-to-an-age-where-apocalypse-is-our-daily-bread-coffee-s/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) [Browse all 625 Abyss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you've just stared into the abyss, quickly forget it: the lessons of history can only hold you back.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Klarman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/if-you-ve-just-stared-into-the-abyss-quickly-forget-it-the-lessons-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abyss" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/if-you-ve-just-stared-into-the-abyss-quickly-forget-it-the-lessons-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/seth-klarman-1979_abyss_if-you-ve-just-stared-into-the-abyss-qui_1275482.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/seth-klarman-1979_abyss_if-you-ve-just-stared-into-the-abyss-qui_1275482.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/seth-klarman-1979_abyss_if-you-ve-just-stared-into-the-abyss-qui_1275482.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you've just stared into the abyss, quickly forget it: the lessons of history can only hold you back.” — Seth Klarman", "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": "Seth Klarman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you've just stared into the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/if-you-ve-just-stared-into-the-abyss-quickly-forget-it-the-lessons-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/if-you-ve-just-stared-into-the-abyss-quickly-forget-it-the-lessons-of/#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 } } ] } ```