“Good, to forgive;
Best, to forget!
Living, we fret;
Dying, we live.”
Dedication to La Saisiaz.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)
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Robert Browning 179
English poet and playwright of the Victorian Era 1812–1889Related quotes

“We live only a few conscious decades, and we fret ourselves enough for several lifetimes.”
Source: Hitch-22: A Memoir

Quote is often seen as attributed to Joan of Arc. However, the quote is actually a line from a script for the 1946 Broadway play entitled Joan of Lorraine by Maxwell Anderson which later become a movie in 1948 entitled Joan of Arc directed by Victor Fleming and starring Ingrid Bergman. The line is spoken by Joan of Arc to Bishop Pierre Cauchon in Act II, Scene III of the play. ( Script http://books.google.com/books?id=bOe6kHHbSiEC)
Misattributed

“He who was living is now dead
We who were living are now dying
With a little patience.”
Source: The Waste Land

“We live a dying dream / If you know what I mean”
Falling Down
Dig Out Your Soul (2008)