--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The past stays put, I just keep moving…" description: "\"The past stays put, I just keep moving farther away from it.\" — Thomas Jefferson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/thomas-jefferson-43_catchy_the-past-stays-put-i-just-keep-moving-fa_430596.jpg" --- # The past stays put, I just keep moving farther away from it. ![“The past stays put, I just keep moving farther away from it.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/thomas-jefferson-43_catchy_the-past-stays-put-i-just-keep-moving-fa_430596.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/thomas-jefferson-43_catchy_the-past-stays-put-i-just-keep-moving-fa_430596.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/thomas-jefferson-43_catchy_the-past-stays-put-i-just-keep-moving-fa_430596.jpg) > “The past stays put, I just keep moving farther away from it.” [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects a desire to distance oneself from the past, emphasizing continual forward motion. **In simple terms:** Moving away from past, focusing on future. Key Takeaway Keep progressing, leave past behind. Themes growth forward motion detachment Mood determined reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career transitions - relationship changes - personal healing - new projects Key Concepts psychology personal development Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure the past doesn't hinder your progress? - What steps help you move forward? A Different Perspective Past may still influence present decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Catchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catchy/) [Farther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farther/) [Farther Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farther-away-305633/) [Just keep moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-keep-moving/) [Keep moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep-moving/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Moving Farther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-farther-3796813/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Stays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-stays-1402203/) [Stays Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stays-just-2692328/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The truth is what I plan to find And I am getting closer every single day But from this world Im drifting farther away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-neil-maternick/the-truth-is-what-i-plan-to-find-and-i-am-getting-closer-every-single/) [Andrew Neil Maternick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-neil-maternick/) > [“when he was away she could stand him, and the farther he was away the more she could stand him!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/when-he-was-away-she-could-stand-him-and-the-farther-he-was-away-the/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [The farther away, the closer the home becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/the-farther-away-the-closer-the-home-becomes/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“The farther away you get from the literary traffic, the closer you are to sources.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-algren/the-farther-away-you-get-from-the-literary-traffic-the-closer-you-are/) [Nelson Algren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-algren/) > [It seems the farther away we are from Hollywood, the better the ratings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-milner/it-seems-the-farther-away-we-are-from-hollywood-the-better-the-ratings/) [Martin Milner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-milner/) > [“The zenith is just a little farther away from the nadir”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzoma-ezeson/the-zenith-is-just-a-little-farther-away-from-the-nadir/) [Uzoma Ezeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzoma-ezeson/) > [Every paint-stroke takes you farther and farther away from your initial concept. And you have to be thankful for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/every-paint-stroke-takes-you-farther-and-farther-away-from-your/) [Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/) > [If you think of failure in your mind, you are one step farther away from success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/if-you-think-of-failure-in-your-mind-you-are-one-step-farther-away/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Once you considered failure you were one step farther away from success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/once-you-considered-failure-you-were-one-step-farther-away-from/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“The more hopeless you were, the farther away they hid you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/the-more-hopeless-you-were-the-farther-away-they-hid-you/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [It seems farther away now because there are no rockets getting there. Nobody is going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/it-seems-farther-away-now-because-there-are-no-rockets-getting-there/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [The farther we get away from the land, the greater our insecurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/the-farther-we-get-away-from-the-land-the-greater-our-insecurity/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“Here is what you want: your life stays just the same, while I twist myself around you like a vine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/here-is-what-you-want-your-life-stays-just-the-same-while-i-twist/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) > [“Nothing ever stays the same. Just because things aren't good now doesn't mean they will be that way forever…Never quit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/nothing-ever-stays-the-same-just-because-things-aren-t-good-now-doesn/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“The past stays on you the way powdered sugar stays on your fingers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/the-past-stays-on-you-the-way-powdered-sugar-stays-on-your-fingers/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) ## More by Thomas Jefferson > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/states-and-the-federal-government-are-coordinate-departments-of-one/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-for-freedom-of-religion-and-against-all-maneuvers-to-bring-about/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-to-the-accidental-opinion-of-a/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Perceiving the order of nature to be that individual happiness shall be inseparable from the practice of virtue, I am willing to hope it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/perceiving-the-order-of-nature-to-be-that-individual-happiness-shall/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy, and not confidence, which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/free-government-is-founded-in-jealousy-and-not-in-confidence-it-is/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Though you cannot see, when you take one step, what will be the next, yet follow truth, justice, and plain dealing, and never fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/though-you-cannot-see-when-you-take-one-step-what-will-be-the-next/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The two principles on which our conduct towards the Indians should be founded are justice and fear. After the injuries we have done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-two-principles-on-which-our-conduct-towards-the-indians-should-be/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Knowledge is power...knowled ge is safety...knowle dge is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/knowledge-is-power-knowled-ge-is-safety-knowle-dge-is-happiness/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Nothing but free argument, raillery and even ridicule will preserve the purity of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/nothing-but-free-argument-raillery-and-even-ridicule-will-preserve/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [When the people are afraid of the government, that's tyranny. But when the government is afraid of the people, that's liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-the-people-are-afraid-of-the-government-that-s-tyranny-but-when/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-all-men-are-created/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Explore all 2,098 Thomas Jefferson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More Catchy quotes > [Don't miss out on today by living in yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/don-t-miss-out-on-today-by-living-in-yesterday/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Every reform was once a private opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-reform-was-once-a-private-opinion/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If you can laugh at yourself, you are going to be fine. If you allow others to laugh with you, you will be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/if-you-can-laugh-at-yourself-you-are-going-to-be-fine-if-you-allow/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) > [Yes, we were amazed when that happened. It was a real joke to us. Konrad Lueg and I did a Happening, and we used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/yes-we-were-amazed-when-that-happened-it-was-a-real-joke-to-us-konrad/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [We not letting shit slide this is not baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassius-quantrell-ellison/we-not-letting-shit-slide-this-is-not-baseball/) [Cassius Quantrell Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassius-quantrell-ellison/) > [So sure, start with a slogan. But don't bother wasting any time on it if you're merely going for catchy. Aim for true instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/so-sure-start-with-a-slogan-but-don-t-bother-wasting-any-time-on-it/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The interesting question would be whether there's a Darwinian process, a kind of selection process whereby some memes are more likely to spread than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-interesting-question-would-be-whether-there-s-a-darwinian-process/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [... you know that a plan was dreamed up by politicians and pollsters - and not by, oh, anyone who knows what they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-taylor/you-know-that-a-plan-was-dreamed-up-by-politicians-and-pollsters-and/) [Jerry Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-taylor/) > [Most advertisers spend millions upon millions of dollars to buy commercial time during the Super Bowl, and millions in creating eye-popping ads, hoping to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/most-advertisers-spend-millions-upon-millions-of-dollars-to-buy/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [I think people like catchy and new types of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yui-mizuno/i-think-people-like-catchy-and-new-types-of-music/) [Yui Mizuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yui-mizuno/) > [By definition pop is extremely catchy, whether you like it or not,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/by-definition-pop-is-extremely-catchy-whether-you-like-it-or-not/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Classical music can be catchy, so can African instrumental guitar music. It's not just pop songs that are catchy. 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