how would you interpret these two rules which is right the first statement or the second?

Question

you can't go forward if you keep on looking backward or if you don't look back where you came from you can't go onward. Is it confusing help me interpret these statement . I always heared these statement from my olds but when i asked them which one to follow the can't give me a good answer.

Answer 1

The first statement means that you can't move on with your life if you keep yourself haunted by your past especially your sad experiences or failures.

The second statement deals with your sense of gratitude. Meaning you will not be successful or your success would be empty if you will forget your roots and those people who in their own small way helped you succeed.

Answer 2

At first glance, these 2 statements seems to be contradicting to each other. However, if we look at them more closely and we will see that they are not mutually exclusive to each other. I would interpret these two sentences in this fashion:

1) "you can't go forward if you keep on looking backward" :
This statement refers to letting go of our inhibitions. Whatever that is holding us back, negative past experiences, conditioned reactions since childhood, fear...etc, we need to let go these past matters which actually hinder us going forward.

2) "If you don't look back where you came from you can't go onward":
Without understanding where we come from, often we will find ourselves lost our root. Understanding our own past and how we get from there to here is the best way to examine our own life and get to know who we are better. Once we understand more about who we are and what made us the way we are today, it usually gets to be a bit easier to figure out what to do next in life. Similar mistakes could be avoided too!

So to me, these 2 statements are talking about two completely different things. And they can work side by side for anyone.

Answer 3

The statements are both correct.

However, the truth lies in both, and the solution to your dilemma is those words "keep on".

'You can't go forward if you keep on looking backward.' True. Keeping on looking back will hinder you, and you will not see 'bumps' in the road ahead of you.

However, you have to glance back now and then to find out what went WRONG there in your past behaviour.

If you don't (SOMETIMES) look back where you came from you can't go onward. See? I added /sometimes/, and the sentences are now both true, and useful.

Answer 4

Speaking as someone who is 65, it shows you can't believe older people. Common sense is full of statements that sound portentious but actually contradict each other, such as birds of a feather stick together and opposites attract. The two statements you cite each suggest dirrectly opposite action imperatives. You will have to make up your own mind how you will choose to live.
Ain't it grand that man is endowed with free will.

Answer 5

"You can't go forward if you keep on looking backward"
If you keep on dwelling on the past, then you wont have a future


"If you don't look back where u came from, you can't go onward"
you can't have a future if you don't know where it started

those are my interpretations.. i think they basically say that you can't get anywhere if you dont know where u started, but if you keep looking back, you wont get anywhere period

Answer 6

They're both right without contradicting each other. Basically you have to let things go and not dwell on the past but at the same time you cannot simply ignore your past because you can learn from mistakes.

Answer 7

1. You will never go forward if you concentrate on the past too much.
2. If you don't remember the mistakes you made in your past you will never go forward, you will continually make them over and over again.

Answer 8

And here's another example of proverbs which appear to contradict each other:
Too many cooks spoil the broth
Many hands make light work