Often times, we come across situations in life where we have to decide between staying and moving on. When you burn bridges, you put a complete end to any relationship, be it with your family, friend, partner, employer, and the like. If you too are in a dilemma of this sort, and need a way out, take a look at some quotes and sayings about burning bridges.
Did You Know?
The phrase ‘burn your bridges’ comes from a military strategy during ancient times, where troops were ordered to burn down the bridge after crossing a river, so that they couldn’t retreat, and the enemy couldn’t follow them easily either.
Bridges are like opportunities, and are meant to connect two places, so that you can take advantage of this opportunity of crossing over to the next place. However, as we grow older and wiser, there are times when you may not want to go back, and decide to burn down a bridge forever. Burning bridges is an idiomatic expression that used particularly in a job situation.
When you leave a job or position under negative circumstances, you may worsen the situation by passing bad remarks about your employer or company. By doing so, you burn the bridge down and take away all your chances of ever returning, which is why many people suggest NOT to burn this kind of bridge down. But in the end, whether to burn or not is completely your call. This applies to all kinds of relationships. No matter how much ever we may want things to stay the same, they are going to change. Sometimes, this change is for the better, and sometimes not. Regardless of why things and situations change, we should learn to let go and move on in order to lead a better and successful life, be it a painful breakup, failure in a job, rift with family, etc. So, if you are looking for answers on whether to stay put or move on, here are some quotes that might just help you out.
Quotes on Burning Bridges
“Stop telling me not to burn bridges. Some bridges are meant to be burnt, some roads are never meant to be traveled again.”
― Steve Maraboli
“The hardest thing in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn.”
― David Russell
“It makes no difference if I burn my bridges behind me ― I never retreat.”
― Fiorello LaGuardia
“When one burns one’s bridges, what a very nice fire it makes.”
― Dylan Thomas
“I’m not a wilting flower. I’m honest, so I pick a lot of fights. I’ve burned a lot of bridges.”
― Scott Thompson
“Don’t burn bridges. You’ll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.”
― Anonymous
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
― Seneca
“I demolish my bridges behind me ― then there is no choice but to move forward.”
― Fridtjof Nansen
“Sometimes burning bridges isn’t a bad thing. It prevents you from going back to a place you should never have been to begin with…”
― Anonymous
“Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy.”
― Robert Tew
“Most people say never burn your bridges. I say if your bridges damage and cannot be repaired, may the bridges I burn light my way!”
― Anonymous
“Never burn your bridges till you come to them.”
― Clayton Rawson
“Make sure you completely burn the bridges you want to burn or you’ll be tempted to turn around and go back to your mistakes.”
― Anonymous
“The only bad thing about burning your bridges behind you is that the world is round.”
― Anonymous
People burn their bridges until they realize they’re stranded… and then it’s too late.”
― Anonymous
“I never wanted to set the world on fire. So I never had to burn any bridges behind me.”
― Dinah Shore
“Sometimes you just have to turn around, give a little smile, throw the match, and burn that bridge.”
― Anonymous
“If the bridge to your past is burned behind you, then you have no choice but to travel the path into a successful future.”
― John Di Lemme
“The bridge you burn today may be the one you have to cross tomorrow.”
― Anonymous
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
― Robert Frost
“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.”
― Denis Waitley
“We cross our bridges when we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and a presumption that once our eyes watered.”
― Tom Stoppard
Always remember, if one door closes for you, there’s always a new window of opportunity that opens up. All you need is a little patience and perseverance. If you hold on to the past, you’ll never have the courage to walk towards a new direction. If you want to live your life to the fullest and grab every opportunity that comes your way, you’ll need to burn some bridges on the way, if only you’re pretty sure that you won’t be going back there ever again. So, take your eyes off the rear view mirror, and focus on the road in front!
