Life Lesson Poems
Poems about Life Lessons
It has been said that life is the most patient teacher. You will be presented with the same experience over and over until you learn the best way to deal with the situation. This is not because life is cruel. Rather, it is because things have a way of coming back to haunt us when we don't deal with them. One form of intelligence is the ability to learn from mistakes. When you are presented with a painful experience, take the time to think about how you can avoid it in the future. This is an example of a lesson learned.
83 Poems about Lessons Learned from Mistakes
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1. Life Lines
A Lifetime Of LearningWalk where you have never been
and wonder at the beauty of this world.
Wish for the best, but work,
and for its own reward.
Give more than you receive
and share of it.
Be moderate in all things,
except goodness.
Wait your turn
and, on occasion, give it away.
Learn, if just to know,
grow wise.
Dream often,
and find a way to live your fondest.
Do all you can
never to hurt another.
Help someone daily;
it will heal your hurt as well.
Find something you enjoy;
it takes but one to make you happy.
Read,
for a book can change your life.
Write your own story,
you may change another's world.
Restore something old
and treasure it.
Reward freely,
repay always.
The greatest dignity is in the respect
given to one who is humble.
Obey and serve,
when it is due.
Always do what is right,
but do so ever with kindness.
Be confident in yourself
and humble before all others.
Befriend those who need,
for they can be the truest.
Love wholly and long
one who is worthy.
Give and receive love fully,
for that is the breath of life.
Be kind to all who will accept it,
and be fair to all others.
Beware that some are not good
and avoid, but never fear them.
Believe in something better,
and live to make it true.
Dig in good earth;
sow new life.
Reap with pride;
cook for pleasure.
Live fully within each moment you have,
for time will not return the chance.
Laugh out loud,
listen always.
Know the taste of longing
and the joy of play.
Listen to the music
you can find in silence.
Sing for the joy of it,
dance for its freedom.
Pray, even when it hard to believe,
for man was not meant to be alone.
Save for tomorrow,
each day.
Share from your heart
and with your hands.
Forgive as you can,
for we are all only human.
Accept what you cannot change,
remember warmly and wisely.
Stand for something that matters,
treasure memories most of all.
Trust when you can,
but doubt when you ought.
Know that despite it all,
life is good. -
2. These Stories We Wear
these stories we wear –
scars,
stretchmarks,
wrinkles,
are wrongly labelled
as imperfections.
but aren’t they such beautiful,
courageous signs
of how we have lived? -
3. I Still Matter
Dealing With Growing OldI'M STILL HERE
My looks are nothing special,
My face reveals my age,
My body shows some wear and tear,
And my energy's not the same.
Too often my memory fails me,
And I lose things all the time.
One minute I know what I plan to do,
And the next it may just slip my mind.
I try hard to avoid my mirror.
There are things I would rather not see,
And even those times when I just catch a glimpse,
I can no longer recognize me.
The things I used to do with ease
Can now cause aches and pains,
And the quality of the things I do
Will never be quite the same.
I always compare my older self
To those younger versions of me,
And I know I'm wasting too much time
Missing who I used to be.
But the thing that really makes me sad
Is despite what people see,
Underneath my tattered, worn out shell,
I'm still the same old me.
My heart can still feel endless love,
And at times it still can ache.
My heart can fill with so much joy,
And then it can suddenly break.
My soul can still feel sympathy
And longs for forgiveness and peace,
And there are times its light shines boldly through,
And times when it longs for release.
It's true, maybe now that I'm older,
Feeling lonely may be status quo,
But it also has made me more willing
To forgive and let past conflicts go.
So maybe to some I look ugly and old,
A person who barely exists.
I'm still quite aware of the beauty inside,
And my value should not be dismissed.
So although not as strong and no beauty, it's true,
I'm still here and want so much to live,
And I know that there's no one in this world quite like me,
And no one who has more to give.Latest Shared StoryThis poem really hit home with me. I will be 60 on my next birthday and it seems like years fly by like days. I too look in the mirror and wonder where all the lines and wrinkles have came...
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4. You Don't Have To Be A Doormat
Respecting YourselfWhen I was young and insecure,
And desperate to be liked.
I tended to withdraw in pain
And flee instead of fight.
All I wanted was to get along.
Conflict was not my style.
So despite what people did to me,
I took it with a smile.
So whenever someone hurt me,
I'd stuff those feelings deep inside.
Forgive but not forget it,
Just take it all in stride.
But anger tends to fester.
It's not so easy to control.
Just like a dormant bomb that's lit,
One day it will explode.
I've suffered many sad regrets.
I've felt my share of shame
For releasing all my pent-up ire
On the ones who weren't to blame.
So I would not advise this practice
Now that I've grown old and wise.
I've learned a great deal in my time,
And there's some truths I realized.
In life you must be tolerant,
But you also must be strong.
You don't have to be a doormat
When someone does you wrong.
You must carefully pick your battles,
Knowing when to let things go.
Don't seek revenge or try to hurt,
For what you reap you'll sow.
Don't back down but don't attack,
Hold your tongue but speak your mind.
You can defend yourself and others,
And still manage to be kind.
It's important that you love yourself.
This is the love that must come first.
If you can't see how grand you are,
Then no one else will see your worth.
A good rule of thumb to follow,
Show the world by what you do -
That you will gladly give respect
But will expect the same for you! -
5. Speak The Language Of Your Heart
Tell Others How You FeelEach day we wake is such a gift;
No moment's guaranteed.
Tomorrow isn't promised,
But to fate we must concede.
We cannot know our futures,
How long or short our lives.
We simply do the best we can
Until the end arrives.
And in life, what's most important,
In the scheme of every day,
Are the people who stand by our sides
As we venture on our way.
Those cherished, loyal, patient souls,
Who take us as we are,
Who look beyond our foolishness,
Our frailties and our scars.
How often do we take the time
To lay our hearts down bare
And tell them how we truly feel
And just how much we care?
Do we freely give a compliment
And acknowledge efforts made?
Or do our own quite fragile egos
Make us feel far too afraid?
Have we tried to overcome our pride
And forgive another's wrongs?
Or do we cling to hurt and anger
And carry grudges far too long?
Do we share our blessings willingly
With those who are in need?
Or do we hoard our own good fortune
Out of selfishness and greed?
It's the people all around us
Who make us who we are.
It is they who save our erring souls
And fill our lonely hearts.
So it's time we show some gratitude
And not wait another day.
For before we even know it,
Our chance may slip away.
It's past time to say I love you
And forgive another's sins.
We must let ourselves be vulnerable
By letting others in.
For one day, tomorrow will not come;
We may not meet again.
For inevitably, for each of us,
It all comes to an end.
So go ahead and say the words;
Make today a start.
Don't regret your silence;
Share the language of your heart.Latest Shared StoryThis touches my heart deeply. I believe life is more about what "IS" rather than the what "WAS" with unresolved issues between family or friends. I am in recovery with four estranged...
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6. Good Timber
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.Latest Shared StoryPoetry is a passionate way of expressing our innermost thoughts, emotions, spirit, and love, amongst other things. As I read this poem, I thought of a very humble gentleman who lost his...
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7. We Are All Human
Trying To Understand Each OtherI've lived quite a while and learned quite a bit
About life and this world where we live.
I've found that it's filled with both good and the bad.
Some who take, while some others will give.
There's a balance to life in the way it unfolds.
That's a truth that we all come to know.
They'll be times we endure some unbearable days
And sleepless nights filled with anger and woe.
Then come those moments of utter contentment,
When it all seems to fall into place,
When all that you are seems so right with the world,
You feel all of your pain's been erased.
We spend so much time on a quest for ourselves,
Searching for that internal peace.
And on each of our paths we may misstep and fall,
But our need for the answers won't cease.
We're composed and we're driven by our hearts and souls.
Our beliefs grow from what we've been taught.
Our dreams are all nurtured by the things that we see,
And our morals from the fights we have fought.
We all look so different; we all have our ways,
And at times we just can't understand
That inside we're no different, our humanities the same,
And we all do the best that we can.
Feelings of sadness, grief, joy, and pain,
Feeling lonely and empty and scared.
We each have these feelings, no matter our lives,
And we all yearn for someone to care.
It's that not understanding each other
Fosters the feelings of hate,
So we must take the time to learn all that we can,
While forgiving each other's mistakes.
Yes, I've learned quite a lot in my 63 years,
And to look well beyond what I see
To embrace and respect everyone as they are,
And hope that they'll do that for me.
The world won't stop spinning, and the sun will still rise.
There will always be conflict and strife,
But accepting we're all only human
Will make this a much better life. -
8. Time Keeps Marching On
Reflecting On The Passage Of TimeTime passes all so quickly,
Moments melting into years.
It's true, time waits for no one,
And the end is always near.
We live a life so tenuous,
So easily it's gone.
And no matter what we each endure,
Time keeps marching on.
We take refuge in the moment,
And we cling to every day.
We pretend it's all forever,
Just to keep the end at bay.
We hearken back to childhood,
When the world was filled with treasures,
And our lives and what the future held
Was beyond what we could measure.
When our family was our everything,
There was still no place like home.
And with our best friends by our sides,
We came into our own.
And though we took our private paths,
We all have kept in mind
That in life our greatest struggle,
Is our battle against time.
Will we get to know what true love is?
Will we have the things we need?
Will we conquer all our greatest fears?
Will we fail or will we succeed?
And then as we grow older,
And the future shrinks away,
Our lives become more memories
And less about today.
We share our wisdom and our hope
With the children in our lives,
And say good-bye to those we loved,
Who once stood by our side.
But there's a peace in growing old,
As time becomes more dear.
And who we are and why we're here
Becomes so crystal clear.
And we see time is not the enemy,
But how that time was lived.
And if we took all that we could,
Or gave all that we could give.
For in our final hours,
As our time begins to wane.
The goodness that our soul's bestowed,
Is all that shall remain.Latest Shared StoryAnother lovely poem, Patricia - keep them coming. Very best wishes, Ann
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9. Life Will Bloom When It Is Ready
I keep pulling
on my roots
urging them to grow
impatient for the bloom
and the sunshine
and the growth
but it doesn’t work like that
tears flow, soil drenches and dries
there have to be some slower days
some rainfall, even snow
—life will bloom when it is ready
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10. Keep On Smiling
If at times you feel you want to cry
And life seems such a trial,
Above the clouds there's a bright blue sky,
So make your tears a smile.
As you travel on life's way
With its many ups and downs,
Remember it's quite true to say
One smile is worth a dozen frowns.
Among the world's expensive things,
A smile is very cheap.
And when you give a smile away,
You get one back to keep.
Happiness comes at times to all,
But sadness comes unbidden,
And sometimes a few tears must fall
Among the laughter hidden.
So when friends have sadness on their face
And troubles round them piled,
The world will seem a better place
And all because you smiled.
Latest Shared StorySo I moved and I really wanted good friends. I had this one friend who was always happy and could light up a room by walking in. He was always smiling and this poem reminded me of him. Thank you.
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11. Each Moment Is Precious
Living In The Present MomentLive in the moment,
Just take it all in.
Pay attention to everything,
Right there and right then.
Don't let your mind wander
To what's coming next.
Cherish this moment
And give it your best.
Don't let tomorrow
Make you rush through today,
Or too many great moments
Will just go to waste.
And the person you're with,
In that moment you share,
Give them all of your focus;
Be totally there.
Laugh till it hurts,
Let the tears drop.
Fill up each moment
With all that you've got.
Don't miss the details;
The lesson is there.
Don't get complacent;
Stay sharp and aware.
It can take but a moment
To change your life's path.
And once it ticks by,
There is no going back.
In just 60 seconds,
You may make a new friend.
Find your true love,
Or see a life start or end.
You become who you are
In those moments you live.
And the growth's not in taking
But in how much you give.
Life is just moments,
So precious and few.
Whether valued or squandered,
It's all up to you!Latest Shared StoryThat was touching. It really said my whole life. I'm too busy with everything and I'm memorizing this to my heart. I'm busy with school. I take too much time thinking about tomorrow than...
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12. Love After Love
The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
And say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.Latest Shared StoryMy husband died 10 years ago. He was the love of my life, my soul-mate, my best friend. I have not known how to 'adjust' to him being gone until I read this poem, "Love After Love." Everyone...
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13. Changing The Past
Poem About Letting Go Of The PastThe past is the past for a reason.
That is where it is supposed to stay,
But some cannot let it go.
In their heads it eats away
Until all their focus becomes
The person they used to be,
The mistakes they made in their life.
Oh, if only they could see
That you cannot change what happened,
No matter how hard you try,
No matter how much you think about it,
No matter how much you cry.
What happens in your lifetime
Happens for reasons unknown,
So you have to let the cards unfold.
Let your story be shown.
Don't get wrapped up in the negative.
Be happy with what you have been given.
Live for today not tomorrow.
Get up, get out, and start living,
Because the past is the past for a reason.
It's been, and now it is gone,
So stop trying to think of ways to fix it.
It's done, it's unchangeable; move on.
Latest Shared StoryI really enjoyed this poem. It's so very true. We all have certain regrets or circumstances in life we would give anything to change if we could. Sometimes that is just not possible, and even...
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14. Family Circle
Cycle Of Life PoemWhen I am born, you are here
In your eye, I see a tear
Time flies and already I'm two
"Look, Daddy, I can tie my shoe!"
Before you know it, I'm five
Every day, you thank God I'm alive
Pretty soon, I turn eight
You tell me I'm never allowed to date
I'm already twelve in my preteen years
Which means you'll help me with all my new fears
Now fourteen with my permit to drive
Waiting to hit the big one-five
Too early comes sixteen, with my license now
It went by too fast, you just ask how
You want to meet my boyfriend when I'm eighteen
I pray to God that you're not too mean
The same guy two years later asks for my hand
I'm relieved when you say, that's just grand
About a year later, you walk me down the aisle
Through all the tears, you bare a smile
Three years later, you're gonna be a grandfather
You show love and pride for your new granddaughter
Another year down the road
Mom dies, oh the many tears that flowed
You're not doing so well without her
Less than a year later, you forgot all about her
Alzheimer's sets in and it scares me so
Not long after, you decide to go
Now I'm regretting not saying goodbye
Every time I think about it, I start to cry
The cycle has begun again
It has started over with little Megan
The other day, she turned two
And said, "Look, daddy, I can tie my shoe!"Latest Shared StoryWow! Words cannot describe the quality of this poem. It is touching and another thing is that it co-relates with life's reality. Thanks a lot and thumbs up for the great job!
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15. If You Must Go
Poem With Words Of AdviceIf you must go, then go for a while
Remember that first step is a hard traveled mile.
To learn what lessons life has in store,
You must be willing to open each door.
Don't be afraid to experience something new
For each experience will be a benefit to you.
Never live your life in the past
Enjoy every day as if it were your last
Mistakes you will make along the way
Learn from them, and you'll be okay
Set your goals high and strive for them
As long as you try, you'll never be condemned
Be kind and respect the people you meet
For they may be the ones to make life complete
Be sincere in everything you do
And treat others as you wish they would you
Whatever you do, make sure you're content
For the last thing you want is something to resent
So if you must go, then go for a while
And when you return, return with a smile.
Latest Shared StoryI, too, was motivated by your poem. Like Arimoon, I also allow my past to hold me back. I am so hard on myself for my past mistakes, regret, bad decisions, etc... but with each new day that...
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16. Perceptions
Jumping To Conclusions About PeopleFirst impressions can be strong
About those we see around.
Yet how often are they wrong?
That is the truth I've found.
Not all who cry are weak.
Not everyone who looks can see.
Not all who are quiet are meek.
Not all who nod agree.
Not all who snarl are cruel.
Not everyone generous is just.
Not everyone clumsy is a fool.
Not all who wander are lost.
We never know people's character.
In just a single instance.
We never know who people are
By judging from a distance.
But whether we like it or not,
We'll always be around people.
Is it better to know a few people a lot
Or a lot of people a little?
I'd rather know a few people a lot
Than a lot of people a little.Latest Shared StoryWhat a wonderful piece of writing. I love it! I agree with it. In my early 20's I worked in a convenience store, and I had a game I played where I would judge whether the customer would be...
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17. True Joy
I'll be happy once I've done this certain thing.
We all say this often, not realizing what it brings.
We look only to the future for our happiness,
Letting life slip through our fingers in its fullness.
Will we really feel complete when the task is done
or look back and see how we missed so much fun?
Self consumed so we can't see anything else,
hurting those we love as well as ourselves.
So many things around us to be grateful for.
When seeking for an answer, willingly open the door.
So often, others see what's in front of our face,
but we're too blind to look as we're snared in the race.
What is this life supposed to be about?
Is it money, fortune, fame, or a big house?
When speaking to a man on his dying bed,
none of these answers are what he said.
Family, love, laughter are what we should seek.
These are the precious things that keep life from being bleak. Latest Shared StoryWell thought out expression of a very deep yet communal event given voice in an authentic poetry format. Deeply set me thinking about my father's recent death. It's an experience that bind...
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18. Teach Them Well
You are not defined
by the way other people
see you
treat you
love you
You are defined
by the way you
see yourself
treat yourself
love yourself
Others will do unto you
as you teach them how to;
teach them well
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19. Forgiveness Is Divine
The Power Of ForgivenessSome people view forgiveness
As a virtue for the weak.
An act of mercy undeserved,
That serves no useful need.
They stand firmly in their judgment
And won't consider a mistake.
They prefer to hold a senseless grudge
Than accept amends when made.
They feel they have some godly right
To reject and criticize.
They're possessed by righteous anger,
And consumed by pointless pride.
They're focused on how they've been wronged,
And won't be made the fool again.
So they feel they must avenge themselves
By refusing to give in.
They will sacrifice their family,
Or forsake a long-time friend.
Do anything they have to do
To be the winner in the end.
Or perhaps it's that they can't resolve
The depth of all their hurt,
Caused when someone they've trusted,
Left them questioning their worth.
But no matter why the struggle,
Out of pride or out of fear,
Not being able to forgive
Can cause the loss of ones most dear.
Yes, forgiveness is a virtue,
They even say it is divine.
But more than that it sets you free
From what weighs you down inside.
The best way to approach this life
Is to ask forgiveness and to forgive.
There's a balance to this crazy world,
So live and just let live.Latest Shared StoryHi Pat,
I was so pleased to wake this morning and find one of your poems. Everything you write comes from your heart. I have commented to you before of how I enjoy your poems and I feel... -
20. Truth
Poem About Forgiving YourselfThere comes a time in all our lives
when truth will set us free,
so live each day as though you know
your last it may well be.
And when you make mistakes, my friend,
as we're all sure to do,
be not so quick to judge yourself
and lay all of that blame on you,
for none of us are perfect.
We know that from the start.
Just do your best from day to day,
and listen to your heart.
Latest Shared StoryI just love this poem it is so true and yes it has touched me!
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