Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.

The saying frames regret and fear as the two forces that “steal” life: regret robs the present by replaying what cannot be changed, while fear robs it by projecting suffering that has not yet arrived. By casting the self as “crucified,” Oursler emphasizes how people can participate in their own torment—pinning themselves to an inner cross made of memory and anticipation. The Christian allusion also implies a remedy: release, forgiveness, and trust that re-centers attention on the present moment and on constructive action. The quote’s power lies in its vivid compression of a common human pattern into a single, memorable image.