“The past cannot be corrected; what comes may still be pursued.” The line appears in the Wei Zi chapter of the Analects. Jieyu, known as the Madman of Chu, sang as he passed Confucius, urging him not to persist in public office amid dangerous political conditions. Here, “corrected” means recovered or set right, while “pursued” means caught up with or grasped.
The words are not Confucius’s own lament, nor are they merely general optimism. They accept that the past cannot be rewritten while leaving judgement and agency in actions not yet taken. Today, reflection that only repeats self-blame remains occupied by the past; useful reflection changes the next choice.
https://ctext.org/analects/wei-zi/zh
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