Finish every day and be done with it. For manners and for wise living it is a vice to remember. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. To-morrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely, and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- End each day cleanly without dwelling on mistakes and start the next day fresh.
- In plain terms
- Finish today and forget your mistakes so you can start fresh tomorrow.
- What can you take from it?
- Let go of past errors to move forward effectively.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you end your day?
- Can you let go of the past?
Another view
Remembering past errors can help prevent repeating them.
More from Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Permalink to quote #289 I no more remember the books I have read than the meals I have eaten, but they have made me.
Permalink to quote #291 Do not believe that you can possibly escape the reward of your action.
Permalink to quote #288
Related quotes
Tomorrow never happens. It's all the same fucking day, man.
Janis JoplinJanis Joplin quote #1 Please give me a second grace
Nick DrakeNick Drake quote #3 In the course of an average lifetime anyone growing up in a house with such a clock will hear the tune over a million times.
Dudley MooreDudley Moore quote #3