Bret Harte, Mrs. Jenkins.
“
If of all words of tongue and pen, The saddest are, "It might have been," More sad are these we daily see, "It is, but it hadn't ought to be."
— Bret Hart on Words
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "If of all words of tongue and pen, The saddest are, "It might have been," More sad are these we daily see, "It is, but it hadn't ought to be."" in the context of "Bret Harte, Mrs. Jenkins." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Words" (Quotes, Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations: Quotes reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 902-07.)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Bret Hart
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian actor, writer, amature and professional wrestler who is generally considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
About Bret Hart
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian actor, writer, amature and professional wrestler who is generally considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
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