---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Verily, a man should not cling to those…"
description: "\"Verily, a man should not cling to those who have passed, for he will likely neglect service to the living.\" — Wayne Gerard Trotman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_life_verily-a-man-should-not-cling-to-those-w_2429299.png"
---

#  Verily, a man should not cling to those who have passed…

![“Verily, a man should not cling to those who have passed, for he will likely neglect service to the living.” quote by Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_life_verily-a-man-should-not-cling-to-those-w_2429299.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_life_verily-a-man-should-not-cling-to-those-w_2429299.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_life_verily-a-man-should-not-cling-to-those-w_2429299.png)

> “Verily, a man should not cling to those who have passed, for he will likely neglect service to the living.”

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

## About This Quote

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

Holding onto the dead distracts from serving the living, urging focus on present responsibilities.

**In simple terms:** Don't cling to the past; serve the present.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize living relationships.

Themes

responsibility loss presence

Mood

reflective serious

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- community work
- family dynamics
- volunteering

Key Concepts

ethics prioritization

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance honoring the dead with supporting the living?
- What actions can you take today to serve those around you?

A Different Perspective

Neglecting the past can cause unresolved grief.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Neglect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neglect/)

## Related quotes

> [Verily, a man without fear is either dead or happy to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/verily-a-man-without-fear-is-either-dead-or-happy-to-die/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [How can you have a dead service with a living Christ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/how-can-you-have-a-dead-service-with-a-living-christ/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [The study of Freemasonry is the study of man as a candidate for a blessed eternity. It furnishes examples of holy living, and displays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/the-study-of-freemasonry-is-the-study-of-man-as-a-candidate-for-a/)

[William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/)

> [The neglect this implied, the suffering and wasted quality of human life were appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hollows/the-neglect-this-implied-the-suffering-and-wasted-quality-of-human/)

[Fred Hollows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hollows/)

> [The Republicans have chosen to neglect young Americans who need assistance with the costs of higher education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-conyers/the-republicans-have-chosen-to-neglect-young-americans-who-need/)

[John Conyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-conyers/)

> [All morality depends upon our sentiments; and when any action or quality of the mind pleases us after a certain manner we say it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/all-morality-depends-upon-our-sentiments-and-when-any-action-or/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [Sir, you must not neglect doing a thing immediately good from fear of remote evil; -from fear of its being abused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/sir-you-must-not-neglect-doing-a-thing-immediately-good-from-fear-of/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [It is a well-settled principle of the international code that where one nation owes another a liquidated debt which it refuses or neglects to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jackson/it-is-a-well-settled-principle-of-the-international-code-that-where/)

[Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jackson/)

> [It is through the body that everything comes to the mind. It is through and with your body that you have to reach realization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/it-is-through-the-body-that-everything-comes-to-the-mind-it-is/)

[B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/)

> [I get letters every year from women who think Valentine's Day is an empty exercise, but are ironically pretty exercised when their boyfriends neglect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-get-letters-every-year-from-women-who-think-valentine-s-day-is-an/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [There is all the difference in the world between departure from recognised rules by one who has learned to obey them, and neglect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-terry/there-is-all-the-difference-in-the-world-between-departure-from/)

[Ellen Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-terry/)

> [Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of this book a lifetime pursuit. Otherwise, he is placing his soul in jeopardy and neglecting that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/every-latter-day-saint-should-make-the-study-of-this-book-a-lifetime/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

> [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/)

[John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/)

> [One reason for the tremendous increase in health-care costs in the U.S. is managerial neglect of the "hotel services" by the people who dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-reason-for-the-tremendous-increase-in-health-care-costs-in-the-u/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [The less we show our love to a woman, Or please her less, and neglect our duty, The more we trap and ruin her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/the-less-we-show-our-love-to-a-woman-or-please-her-less-and-neglect/)

[Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/)

## More by Wayne Gerard Trotman

> [“And the blind man said to the deaf man, "Do you see what I hear?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/and-the-blind-man-said-to-the-deaf-man-do-you-see-what-i-hear/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“Opportunity knocks but some people are too busy watching TV.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/opportunity-knocks-but-some-people-are-too-busy-watching-tv/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“Fashion is one of the greatest forms of manipulation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/fashion-is-one-of-the-greatest-forms-of-manipulation/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“When you repay evil with evil, you become evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/when-you-repay-evil-with-evil-you-become-evil/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“So many things seem impossible until you try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/so-many-things-seem-impossible-until-you-try/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [Today, I attended a friend's birthday party dressed as a ninja. I soon discovered that ninjas are very misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/today-i-attended-a-friend-s-birthday-party-dressed-as-a-ninja-i-soon/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“To try is to accept the possibility of failure. Simply do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/to-try-is-to-accept-the-possibility-of-failure-simply-do/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“Always dress well, you’ll feel great and get better treatment from strangers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/always-dress-well-you-ll-feel-great-and-get-better-treatment-from/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [Armon stared into the wild darkness of his opponent and saw a reflection of his own fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/armon-stared-into-the-wild-darkness-of-his-opponent-and-saw-a/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [Change. Adapt. Bend so as not to be broken. Let opportunity guide your actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/change-adapt-bend-so-as-not-to-be-broken-let-opportunity-guide-your/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“One of the most devastating symptoms of pride is the unwillingness to forgive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/one-of-the-most-devastating-symptoms-of-pride-is-the-unwillingness-to/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“Laughter is much better than anger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/laughter-is-much-better-than-anger/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“Perfect understanding of the infinite requires limitless intellectual capacity; our undivided attention is better suited for humbler aspirations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/perfect-understanding-of-the-infinite-requires-limitless-intellectual/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“We should respect those able to choose love after enduring a lifetime of hate. It is the least we could do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/we-should-respect-those-able-to-choose-love-after-enduring-a-lifetime/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [“May the scribes record it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/may-the-scribes-record-it/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

[Explore all 134 Wayne Gerard Trotman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

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

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Verily, a man should not cling to those who have passed, for he will likely neglect service to the living.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wayne Gerard Trotman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/verily-a-man-should-not-cling-to-those-who-have-passed-for-he-will/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/verily-a-man-should-not-cling-to-those-who-have-passed-for-he-will/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_life_verily-a-man-should-not-cling-to-those-w_2429299.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_life_verily-a-man-should-not-cling-to-those-w_2429299.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/wayne-gerard-trotman-3291_life_verily-a-man-should-not-cling-to-those-w_2429299.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Verily, a man should not cling to those who have passed, for he will likely neglect service to the living.” — Wayne Gerard Trotman",
                "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": "Wayne Gerard Trotman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Verily, a man should not cling...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/verily-a-man-should-not-cling-to-those-who-have-passed-for-he-will/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/verily-a-man-should-not-cling-to-those-who-have-passed-for-he-will/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
