And Lot’s wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human.
So she was turned into a pillar of salt. So it goes.Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1922–2007) American novelist, journalist
Slaughterhouse-Five, ch. 1 (1969)
(Source)
Comparing the tale of Lot's wife with his own retrospective look at WW2 and the firebombing of Dresden.
Quotations about:
looking back
Note not all quotations have been tagged, so Search may find additional quotes on this topic.
The past is an old armchair in the attic, the present an ominous ticking sound, and the future is anybody’s guess.
James Thurber (1894–1961) American humorist, cartoonist, writer
Letter (1961-07-05) to Marianna Brown
(Source)
I’ve never understood why people consider youth a time of freedom and joy. It’s probably because they have forgotten their own.
Margaret Atwood (b. 1939) Canadian writer, literary critic, environmental activist
“Hair Jewellery,” Dancing Girls (1982)
(Source)
Things are not getting worse; things have always been this bad. Nothing is more consoling than the long perspective of history. It will perk you up no end to go back and read the works of progressives past. You will learn therein that things back then were also terrible, and what’s more, they were always getting worse. This is most inspiriting.
