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But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such… — Kazuo Ishiguro

Novel

But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently? One could presumably drive oneself to distraction in this way.

Kazuo Ishiguro
The Remains of the Day · 1989
★ 1.9
Other tags relating to this quote
Topic
Dwelling on the past
Medium
Novel
Time
1989
Person
Kazuo Ishiguro
Provenance
Citation
Ishiguro, Kazuo. The Remains of the Day. Faber & Faber, 1989.

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What can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished? The hard reality is, surely, that for the likes of you and I, there is little choice other than to leave our fate, ultimately, in the hands of those great gentlemen at the hub of this world who employ our services. What is the point in worrying oneself too much about what one could or could not have done to control the course one’s life took? Surely it is enough that the likes of you and I at least try to make our small contribution count for something true and worthy. And if some of us are prepared to sacrifice much in life in order to pursue such aspirations, surely that is in itself, whatever the outcome, cause for pride and contentment.

Kazuo Ishiguro
The Remains of the Day · 1989
Another quote aboutTopic·Dwelling on the past