# We may be through with the past but the past is not (ain't) through with us.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-be-through-with-the-past-but-the-past-is-not-aint-through-with-us/209809>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 27, 2003, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-be-through-with-the-past-but-the-past-is-not-aint-through-with-us/209809 "2003-10-27T08:05:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-be-through-with-the-past-but-the-past-is-not-aint-through-with-us/209809/1 "2003-10-27T08:05:01Z")

</div>

In the movie [Magnolia](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0175880/) this quote is preceded by “_And the book says . . ._”

Which book says this???

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-be-through-with-the-past-but-the-past-is-not-aint-through-with-us/209809/2 "2003-10-27T14:08:50Z")

</div>

I might be wrong, but I’m pretty sure “and the book says…” is only used as an expression. I don’t think it’s meant to be a reference to any actual book. The narrator is just being cute.

Kind of like a cooler way to say “Well, you know what they say…”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mr\_Salads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mr\_Salads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Salads)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-be-through-with-the-past-but-the-past-is-not-aint-through-with-us/209809/3 "2003-10-31T10:52:14Z")

</div>

The reference is to a book Paul read which dealt with mythical stories (including the falling frogs, which is where Paul read about this; it was only later, after one of his actors pointed out it was also in the bible, that he implemented the Exodus numbers into the script). I wish I could remember the author’s name.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Umbriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de053/32.png) [@Umbriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbriel)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-be-through-with-the-past-but-the-past-is-not-aint-through-with-us/209809/4 "2003-10-31T17:26:18Z")

</div>

I found [reference on another message board](http://www.quotationspage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6073) that might help clarify matters.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-be-through-with-the-past-but-the-past-is-not-aint-through-with-us/209809/5 "2003-10-31T19:08:49Z")

</div>

I wonder if the quote (either in the film or in the film’s source) was inspired by Faulkner’s “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” (From 1951’s _Requiem for a Nun_.)