We look before and after, And pine for what is not; Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught; Our sweetest songs are those that tell Of saddest thought.

Percy Bysshe Shelley
About This Quote

In this quote, William Shakespeare is saying that we look back on our past and think of the good times that we’ve had. However, he also says that these memories are mixed with thoughts of sadness. This is because when something good happens, there is always the thought that something bad could happen to take it away. We can't change what has already happened, but we can use the way in which we remember it to make us stronger.

Source: The Complete Poems

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More Quotes By Percy Bysshe Shelley
  1. The sunlight claps the earth, and the moonbeams kiss the sea: what are all these kissings worth, if thou kiss not me?
  2. Soul meets soul on lovers lips.
  3. Our sweetest songs are those of saddest thought.
  4. In fact, the truth cannot be communicated until it is perceived.
  5. God is an hypothesis, and, as such, stands in need of proof: the onus probandi rests on the theist.
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