---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You must let bygones be bygones."
description: "\"“You must let bygones be bygones.”\" — W. Somerset Maugham"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/w-somerset-maugham-237_quote_you-must-let-bygones-be-bygones-1821797_1821797.jpg"
---

#  You must let bygones be bygones.

![“You must let bygones be bygones.” quote by W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/w-somerset-maugham-237_quote_you-must-let-bygones-be-bygones-1821797_1821797.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/w-somerset-maugham-237_quote_you-must-let-bygones-be-bygones-1821797_1821797.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/w-somerset-maugham-237_quote_you-must-let-bygones-be-bygones-1821797_1821797.jpg)

> ““You must let bygones be bygones.””

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Letting go of past grievances frees emotional energy for the present.

**In simple terms:** Release old hurts.

Key Takeaway

Practice forgiveness.

Themes

forgiveness emotional health letting go

Mood

reflective calming

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- relationships
- conflict resolution
- self‑care
- mental health

Key Concepts

psychology personal growth

Questions to Reflect On

- What grudges are you holding?
- How could forgiveness change your outlook?

A Different Perspective

May ignore accountability for harmful actions.

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## Related quotes

> [Thus let bygones be bygones. Let past differences, as nothing be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/thus-let-bygones-be-bygones-let-past-differences-as-nothing-be/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Somepeople have to learn to let bygones be bygones otherwise their lives will be bound with miseries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-ntuli/somepeople-have-to-learn-to-let-bygones-be-bygones-otherwise-their/)

[Simphiwe Ntuli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-ntuli/)

> [Let bygones be bygones!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-bygones-be-bygones/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Bygones" The weatherman says heavy rain, instead it dribbles like an old man unable to urinate. In the small orbit of the car, daylight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-karaszi/bygones-the-weatherman-says-heavy-rain-instead-it-dribbles-like-an/)

[Robert Karaszi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-karaszi/)

> [I let bygones be bygones, and guys, 'BB' game is over now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hina-khan/i-let-bygones-be-bygones-and-guys-bb-game-is-over-now/)

[Hina Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hina-khan/)

> [I suppose I could let bygones be bygones, forgive and forget, yadda yadda. But where's the fun in that? These pretty little bitches got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-shepard/i-suppose-i-could-let-bygones-be-bygones-forgive-and-forget-yadda/)

[Sara Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-shepard/)

> [Let bygones be bygones, But i'ma rememba da day I was hurt by ur words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe/let-bygones-be-bygones-but-i-ma-rememba-da-day-i-was-hurt-by-ur-words/)

[Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe/)

> [Labour once spent has no influence on the future value of any article; it isgone and lost for ever. In commerce bygones are forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stanley-jevons/labour-once-spent-has-no-influence-on-the-future-value-of-any-article/)

[William Stanley Jevons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stanley-jevons/)

> [I had orders from the great Bill Russell. Me and him were talking in Seattle the other day, and he was telling me how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-had-orders-from-the-great-bill-russell-me-and-him-were-talking-in/)

[Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/)

> [Nor is it wiser to weep a true occasion lost, but trim our sails, and let old bygones be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/nor-is-it-wiser-to-weep-a-true-occasion-lost-but-trim-our-sails-and/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [Letting bygones be bygones is a basic principle in economics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/letting-bygones-be-bygones-is-a-basic-principle-in-economics/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [We always have the choice, its either do or do not, but its really confusing if the outcomes of both choices are the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/we-always-have-the-choice-its-either-do-or-do-not-but-its-really/)

[Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/)

> [I don't like talking about bygones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-patekar/i-don-t-like-talking-about-bygones/)

[Nana Patekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-patekar/)

> [“Bygones would never be complete bygones till she was a bygone herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/bygones-would-never-be-complete-bygones-till-she-was-a-bygone-herself/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [But let the past as nothing be. For the future my view is that the fight must go on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/but-let-the-past-as-nothing-be-for-the-future-my-view-is-that-the/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

## More by W. Somerset Maugham

> [“A man thinks it quite natural that he should fall out of love with a woman, but it never strikes him for a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-thinks-it-quite-natural-that-he-should-fall-out-of-love-with-a/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“A man's work reveals him. In social intercourse he gives you the surface that he wishes the world to accept, but in his book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-s-work-reveals-him-in-social-intercourse-he-gives-you-the/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/love-is-only-a-dirty-trick-played-on-us-to-achieve-continuation-of/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [The world is hard and cruel. We are here none knows why, and we go none knows whither. We must be very humble. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-world-is-hard-and-cruel-we-are-here-none-knows-why-and-we-go-none/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“There is no more merit in having read a thousand books than in having ploughed a thousand fields.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-is-no-more-merit-in-having-read-a-thousand-books-than-in-having/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“I wanted to live again and again. I was willing to accept every sort of life, no matter what its pain and sorrow; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-wanted-to-live-again-and-again-i-was-willing-to-accept-every-sort/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [In Hollywood, the women are all peaches. It makes one long for an apple occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/in-hollywood-the-women-are-all-peaches-it-makes-one-long-for-an-apple/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Follow your inclinations with due regard to the policeman round the corner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/follow-your-inclinations-with-due-regard-to-the-policeman-round-the/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

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[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

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[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [If only the good were a little less heavy-footed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/if-only-the-good-were-a-little-less-heavy-footed/)

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> [Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/perfection-has-one-grave-defect-it-is-apt-to-be-dull/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“A God that can be understood is no God. Who can explain the Infinite in words?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-god-that-can-be-understood-is-no-god-who-can-explain-the-infinite/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“My dear, you used to be quite a dish; now you're quite a tureen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/my-dear-you-used-to-be-quite-a-dish-now-you-re-quite-a-tureen/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“When people say they do not care what others thing of them, for the most part they deceive themselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/when-people-say-they-do-not-care-what-others-thing-of-them-for-the/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

[Explore all 840 W. Somerset Maugham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

## More Bygones quotes

> [Thus let bygones be bygones. Let past differences, as nothing be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/thus-let-bygones-be-bygones-let-past-differences-as-nothing-be/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Letting bygones be bygones is a basic principle in economics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/letting-bygones-be-bygones-is-a-basic-principle-in-economics/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [“Bygones would never be complete bygones till she was a bygone herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/bygones-would-never-be-complete-bygones-till-she-was-a-bygone-herself/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [But let the past as nothing be. For the future my view is that the fight must go on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/but-let-the-past-as-nothing-be-for-the-future-my-view-is-that-the/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Let bygones be bygones!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-bygones-be-bygones/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't like talking about bygones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-patekar/i-don-t-like-talking-about-bygones/)

[Nana Patekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-patekar/)

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[Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/)

> [Somepeople have to learn to let bygones be bygones otherwise their lives will be bound with miseries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-ntuli/somepeople-have-to-learn-to-let-bygones-be-bygones-otherwise-their/)

[Simphiwe Ntuli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-ntuli/)

> [Nor is it wiser to weep a true occasion lost, but trim our sails, and let old bygones be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/nor-is-it-wiser-to-weep-a-true-occasion-lost-but-trim-our-sails-and/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [I had orders from the great Bill Russell. Me and him were talking in Seattle the other day, and he was telling me how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-had-orders-from-the-great-bill-russell-me-and-him-were-talking-in/)

[Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/)

> [I let bygones be bygones, and guys, 'BB' game is over now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hina-khan/i-let-bygones-be-bygones-and-guys-bb-game-is-over-now/)

[Hina Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hina-khan/)

> [Labour once spent has no influence on the future value of any article; it isgone and lost for ever. In commerce bygones are forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stanley-jevons/labour-once-spent-has-no-influence-on-the-future-value-of-any-article/)

[William Stanley Jevons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stanley-jevons/)

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[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let bygones be bygones because everybody knew that forgiveness was divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-kagen/let-bygones-be-bygones-because-everybody-knew-that-forgiveness-was/)

[Lesley Kagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-kagen/)

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