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Keep Out Of The Past
Ella Wheeler Wilcox gives us good advice in this poem: keep out of the past. We cannot change what has already happened, but we can choose what we do with today. Continually looking backward can keep us from seeing the opportunities that are right in front of us.
Life keeps moving forward, and so must we. When our thoughts are filled with "if only" or "why did this happen," we can miss the good that today has to offer. Wilcox uses strong images of the past as a place where hopes and pleasures have faded, while the present offers sunshine, new hope, and something still to be won.
Let this poem encourage you to learn from yesterday without continuing to live there. The past may be part of your story, but today gives you another opportunity to move forward.
Updated October 6, 2026, by Catherine Pulsifer.
Keep Out Of The Past
Poet: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Keep out of the Past! for its highways
Are damp with malarial gloom;
Its gardens are sere and its forests are drear,
And everywhere moulders a tomb.
Who seeks to regain its lost pleasures
Finds only a rose turned to dust;
And its storehouse of wonderful treasures
Are covered and coated with rust.
Keep out of the Past. It is haunted:
He who in its avenues gropes
Shall find there the ghost of a joy prized the most,
And a skeleton throng of dead hopes.
In place of its beautiful rivers,
Are pools that are stagnant with slime;
And these graves gleaming white in a phosphoric light,
Hide dreams that were slain in their prime.
Keep out of the Past It is lonely,
And barren and bleak to the view;
Its fires have grown cold, and its stories are old —
Turn, turn to the Present — the New;
To-day leads you up to the hill-tops
That are kissed by the radiant sun,
To-day shows no tomb, life's hopes are in bloom,
And to-day holds a prize to be won.
Key Reflections In This Poem
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Do Not Live In The Past
What happened yesterday cannot be changed by continually returning to it. We can remember the past and learn from it without allowing it to control the life we are living today.
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Let Go Of What Cannot Be Recovered
Some experiences, opportunities, and relationships belong to another time. Trying to regain what is gone can keep us from appreciating what is still possible.
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Turn Toward The Present
Wilcox contrasts the darkness of the past with the light of today. Her words remind us to turn our attention toward the opportunities that are available to us now.
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There Is Still Hope Ahead
The past may contain disappointments, but that does not mean our future must be disappointing. As the poem says, life's hopes can still be in bloom.
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Today Has Something To Offer
Each new day gives us another opportunity to make choices, move forward, and find purpose. Instead of wishing we could change yesterday, we can make good use of today.
Popular Pages
Explore more poems and thoughts about letting go, living in the present, and moving forward with hope.
Find more timeless wisdom in Famous Poems About Life that offer thoughtful perspectives on the experiences and lessons that shape us.
Discover the words and wisdom of Famous Poets whose poetry continues to encourage, challenge, and inspire readers.
Read the Letting Go Poem for more encouragement to release what is behind you and continue moving forward.
Let these Just For Today Quotes remind you to focus on the day you have rather than becoming weighed down by yesterday or tomorrow.
Find practical encouragement in How To Live Your Best Life and be reminded to make good use of the time and opportunities you have.
Read In An Open Place for another poem offering thoughtful words about life and the way we choose to face it.
Conclusion
We all have memories we treasure and experiences we wish had turned out differently, but we cannot live yesterday again. Ella Wheeler Wilcox reminds us that constantly looking backward can cause us to miss what is still waiting for us today. Learn from the past, carry its lessons with you, and then turn toward the present. There are still hopes to pursue, opportunities to discover, and, as Wilcox reminds us, a prize to be won today.
More Ella Wheeler Wilcox Poems to Inspire