“
Our biggest regrets are not for the things we have done but for the things we haven't done
”
”
Chad Michael Murray
“
Do you know my biggest regret?" She asks. "That you turned into this bright, beautiful, fascinating person... and I can't take credit for any of it.
”
”
Stephanie Perkins (Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss, #2))
“
They send a person who can never stay," she whispered. "Who can never accept my offer of companionship for more than a little while. They send me a hero I can't help ... just the sort of person I can't help falling in love with."
...
As I sailed into the lake I realized the Fates really were cruel. They sent Calypso someone she couldn't help but love. But it worked both ways. For the rest of my life I would be thinking about her. She would always be my biggest what if.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4))
“
But instead of taking the cue to leave, Patch crossed to Scott in three steps. He flung him around to face the wall. Scott tried to get his bearings, but Patch slammed him against the wall again, disorienting him further. “Touch her,” he said in Scott’s ear, his voice low and threatening, “and it’ll be the biggest regret of your life.”
Before leaving, Patch flicked his eyes once in my direction. “He’s not worth it.” He paused. “And neither am I.
”
”
Becca Fitzpatrick (Crescendo (Hush, Hush, #2))
“
Touch her,” he said in Scott’s ear, his voice low and threatening, “and it’ll be the biggest regret of your life.
”
”
Becca Fitzpatrick (Crescendo (Hush, Hush, #2))
“
Our biggest regrets are regretting over regrets only!
”
”
Pratibha Malav (A Kind Of Commitment)
“
My biggest regret is what I didn’t say… (Jake)
”
”
Keary Taylor (What I Didn't Say)
“
I wouldn't waste a day, not an hour, not a moment. Take what you want and damn caution. Live, enjoy. Feed ravenously. Or the biggest regret you'll have at the end of your life is wasted time.
”
”
Nora Roberts (Genuine Lies)
“
I have many regrets, many bad things I must take credit for, but believe me when I say that the negative impact that all of my actions have had on your life is my biggest one.
”
”
R.K. Lilley (Rock Bottom (Tristan & Danika, #2))
“
Hurting you is my biggest regret, loving you is my only redemption.
”
”
M. Robinson (Forbid Me (The Good Ol' Boys, #2))
“
What’s your biggest regret?” He didn’t even hesitate. “That I didn’t love hard enough.
”
”
Laurel Ulen Curtis (Hate: A Love Story)
“
When you were three, I had to drive you to the ER because you stuck a purple crayon up your butthole. That should be your biggest regret.
”
”
Ali Hazelwood (Love, Theoretically)
“
In fact, all three are so readily respectful and nice to my mother that I feel bad about how I go around feeling so superior to them. Who knows who I would be or what I would talk about if I'd been raised in the Capitol? Maybe my biggest regret would be having feathered costumes at my birthday party, too.
”
”
Suzanne Collins (Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2))
“
Loving you is my greatest accomplishment. Hurting you will always be my biggest regret." -Theodore Ellis, Conquered.
”
”
L.P. Lovell
“
Not having any regrets might actually be my biggest regret. I wish I was capable of feeling regret.
”
”
Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Before We Say Goodbye (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #4))
“
Okay," I said, "what's your biggest fear?"
As always, he took a second to think about the answer.
"Clowns," he said.
"Clowns."
"Yup."
I just looked at him.
"What?" he said, glancing over at me.
"That is not a real answer," I told him.
"Says who?"
"Says me. I meant a real fear, like of failure, of death, of regret. Like that. Something that keeps you awake nights, questioning your very existence."
He thought for a second. "Clowns.
”
”
Sarah Dessen (The Truth About Forever)
“
I imagined myself on my deathbed, and I could hear my biggest regret: I never even tried to be a writer.
”
”
Helene Wecker (The Golem and the Jinni (The Golem and the Jinni, #1))
“
If you have no regrets from the life you have lived,
your biggest regret should be the life you haven't lived.
”
”
Robert Sauber
“
Who knows who I would be or what I would talk about if I’d been raised in the Capitol? Maybe my biggest regret would be having feathered costumes at my birthday party, too.
”
”
Suzanne Collins (Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2))
“
Never let the little things, disrupt the biggest things you cherish in life. The smallest mistake, can cause the biggest regret and hurt to your closest companion.
”
”
Unarine Ramaru
“
My biggest regret is being naive enough in thinking that what happened is a big enough reason to miss out on each other's live.
”
”
Frank Warren (PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God)
“
I found myself suddenly jealous of the time when things were simple, when days centered on creek walks and tetherball, and your biggest worry was whether you'd have riding or sailing. There were no boys, there were no secrets or rumors, and there were no regrets. Not even fear of regret. There was just a best friend and endless hours to fill with Pixy Stix and laughing so hard you couldn't breathe.
”
”
Kathryn Williams (The Lost Summer)
“
Letting you walk out of my life is the biggest regret of my whole life … Hands down, the worst day of my life. Hands down, the worst decision I ever made. Hands down, the biggest regret I’ve had.
”
”
Natasha Madison (Mine to Have (Southern Wedding #1))
“
when they ask you who was your greatest love don’t whisper my name scream it and when they ask you what is your biggest regret don’t write it in a song cut yourself open and write it in blood • prove it, orpheus
”
”
Megan Fox (Pretty Boys Are Poisonous: Poems)
“
In my mind, we were two asteroids orbiting around each other. I thought I was the sun and you were earth, but now I see I got it all mixed up. You were always the sun. And even now, when I look at you, I don’t see regret and pain and suffering. I see the biggest opportunity, the sweetest promise, the road I should be taking.
”
”
L.J. Shen (Midnight Blue)
“
Funny -- an incident that feels like a massive misstep as it's happening often ends up as a footnote in your personal history, if you remember it at all. But a seemingly insignificant "should have" can turn out to be one of your biggest regrets.
”
”
Camille Pagán (Forever is the Worst Long Time)
“
We hurt each other very badly and that is my biggest regret. That is my very biggest regret, because I loved her with all of my fucking soul. To this day there is a piece of me that still loves her, and there is a piece of me that will never forgive her.
”
”
Taylor Jenkins Reid (Daisy Jones & The Six)
“
Our biggest regrets are not for the things we did, but for the things we didn't do.
”
”
J.K. Coi
“
If she only knew that my heart has ached for her since the day I left. I’d give the world to change what I did. Horrible decision? Try the biggest regret of my fucking life.
”
”
K.L. Grayson (A Lover's Lament)
“
If we’re going to become kinder, that process has to include taking ourselves seriously—as doers, as accomplishers, as dreamers. We have to do that, to be our best selves.
”
”
George Saunders (Congratulations, by the Way: Some Thoughts on Kindness)
“
We hurt each other very badly. And that is my biggest regret.
That is my very biggest regret. Because I loved her with all of my
fucking soul. To this day, there is a piece of me that still loves her. And
there is a piece of me that will never forgive her.
”
”
Taylor Jenkins Reid (Malibu Rising)
“
Looking back on their past decisions about whether to purchase experiences, 83 percent of people sided with Mark Twain, reporting that their biggest single regret was one of inaction, of passing up the chance to buy an experience when the opportunity came along.
”
”
Elizabeth Dunn (Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending)
“
Do you know what my biggest regret is, Leigh?’ ‘Tell me.’ ‘Waiting till I was seventy. Take my advice. Don’t wait. Not for anything.
”
”
Valerie Keogh (The Lodger)
“
The biggest regrets people have aren’t about what they did, but what they didn’t do.
”
”
Beverly K. Bachel (What Do You Really Want? How to Set a Goal and Go for It! A Guide for Teens)
“
The biggest regret a few years down the line would be…I wish I could. So dare to do what you dream of…NOW.
”
”
Vikrmn: CA Vikram Verma (10 Golden Steps of Life)
“
In his book "Originals," the business professor Adam Grant describes how there are two kinds of failures: those centered on action and those centered on inaction--or, failing by botching the thing you tried, or failing by not trying at all. Most people think, ahead of time, that it's the failed actions they'll regret the most: the anguish of a tanked business or the humiliation of a botched marriage proposal. But guess what? When people reflect on their biggest regrets, what they regret most are the inactions--or the failure to try, not the failure itself.
”
”
Jess Bennett (Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace)
“
Leaving you the way I did still remains my biggest regret. Seeing how hurt you were is seared into my brain. Because you…you were everything to me. And when I lost you, I lost a part of myself.
”
”
Isabel Lucero (His Secret)
“
Taking a deep breath, George turned around taking in the unspectacular panorama. A tear moved slowly down his cheek. To George this was where it had all began. And where it was now ending. His biggest regret was not making peace with his family. All those years and now he’d reached the last moments of his life without saying the things he needed to say. Without making the effort he should have done. Years of taking things for granted.
”
”
Emily Organ (The Last Day)
“
Love BIG. You will never regret time spent loving beyond your own ability to love. You may have a broad horizon of days before, I pray you do, spend that days seeking love and kindness. These small moments are really the biggest moments of your life.
”
”
Kara Tippetts (Big Love: the practice of loving beyond your limits)
“
Graham: We hurt each other very badly. And that is my biggest regret. That is my very biggest regret. Because I loved her with all of my fucking soul. To this day, there is a piece of me that still loves her. And there is a piece of me that will never forgive her.
”
”
Taylor Jenkins Reid (Daisy Jones & The Six)
“
Don't be so concerned with someone who betrays you that it consumes you. You simply can not control another person's actions. People are who they are. Just be the kind of person that when truths are revealed, the one who breaches the trust will be the only one with regrets.
”
”
Carlos Wallace (Life Is Not Complicated-You Are: Turning Your Biggest Disappointments into Your Greatest Blessings (Printed in Spanish))
“
H--‐how did we get in the water?”
“You were burning. I needed to do something to cool you. As soon as I carried you in, though, you started flailing around. Scared me,” he added on a whisper.
That explained the dream. But it didn’t change what she knew was coming. She pressed her face against his neck and drew in the sweet scent of his skin. Loved the rasp of his stubbly cheek against her flesh.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re holding something back?” he asked softly.
Because he was smart. And because even in the short amount of time they’d been together, he’d learned more about her than anyone else in her entire life. “I believe in signs. I never did before but…I dreamed about you.”
“You did?”
She nodded. “I think I have for a while, I just…I didn’t know it was you. But now…”
She swallowed hard. “I should have waited for you. It’s the biggest regret I have. I’m sorry I didn’t wait.
”
”
Elisabeth Naughton (Bound (Eternal Guardians, #6))
“
Diner Customer 1 (Kyle): …I’ll give you one piece of advice, on account of I like you and I don’t want to see you get hurt. First time I went to Vegas, I thought It was the most beautiful place in the world. All lights and neon. And the women --- well, the WOMEN… Anyway, didn’t take me long to figure out the whole place was on the hustle, that none of it was what it looked like, and if you’re not real careful, a place like that can kill you.
Bill: Asgard ain’t Vegas, Kyle.
Diner Customer 1 (Kyle): No, sir. You’re absolutely right. It isn’t Vegas. ‘Cause in Vegas, even guys like you and me can win once in a while. (Kyle leaves the diner)
Diner Customer 2: Pay no attention to him, Bill. A man loses two hundred-fifty dollars on the slots, and he thinks it gives him wisdom. Biggest mistakes I ever made were in listening to guys like that, instead of listening to my own heart… what my granddad used to call “The Tyranny of Reasonable Voices.” Mistakes you make can always be worked out. The mistakes you don’t make because you do nothing, because you don’t try, you don’t risk, those are the ones that haunt you when you get old. Regret, that’s the real killer. Go where your heart leads you, Bill. Life’ll take care of the rest. It always does. - Thor #10 (2007)
”
”
J. Michael Straczynski
“
Neither of us is that naïve anymore, but I can tell you to live the time you have with that boy instead of spending it on worry and regret. You might have twenty years with him. You might only have two. If you waste that time, if you miss it, then when it ends, you’re going to feel like the biggest idiot who ever lived.
”
”
M.L. Wang (The Sword of Kaigen)
“
every timidity eventually turns into regret.
”
”
Anthony Doerr (Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World)
“
Assign a deadline to your biggest objectives and stick to it so they don’t become just another litany of “what ifs” and sad regrets.
”
”
Carlos Wallace (The Other 99 T.Y.M.E.S: Train Your Mind to Enjoy Serenity)
“
Who, in your life, do you remember most fondly, with the most undeniable feelings of warmth?
Those who were kindest to you.
”
”
George Saunders (Congratulations, by the Way: Some Thoughts on Kindness)
“
The biggest poison in the heart of a woman is the pain of regret.
”
”
Dr. Reina Moo
“
Perhaps the biggest obstacle is an internal resistance or no to life as it is: we regret the past, worry about the future, and reject our present circumstances. The key to staying in the zone is to let go of this internal resistance and accept the past, trust the future, and embrace the present, just as they are. The key, in other words, is to say yes to life.
”
”
William Ury (Getting to Yes with Yourself: (and Other Worthy Opponents))
“
I believe that one of Satan’s biggest lies is telling us that it’s too late. We’ve sinned beyond redemption. The mistakes in our past have ruined our future. Too many bad things have happened to us. Wishing and hoping and living in regret doesn’t threaten him because we are still in Moab. It’s when we make the decision to leave the past behind, repent, and go back home to Bethlehem that he gets to trembling.
”
”
Donna Schultz (Lessons From Ruth:Discovering Your Destiny)
“
You will regret the fear. In The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, Bronnie Ware—a nurse who worked in palliative care—shared her experience of talking to those near the end of their lives. Far and away the biggest regret they had was fear. Many of Bronnie’s patients were in deep anguish that they had spent their whole lives worrying. Lives consumed by fear. Worrying what other people thought of them. A worry that had stopped them being true to themselves.
”
”
Matt Haig (Notes on a Nervous Planet)
“
My mother comes in, somewhat shyly, and says that Cinna has asked her to show the preps how she did my hair the day of the reaping. They respond with enthusiasm and then watch, thoroughly engrossed, as she breaks down the process of the elaborate braided hairdo. In the mirror, I can see their earnest faces following her every move, their eagerness when it is their turn to try a step. In fact, all three are so readily respectful and nice to my mother that I feel bad about how I go around feeling so superior to them. Who knows who I would be or what I would talk about if I’d been raised in the Capitol? Maybe my biggest regret would be having feathered costumes at my birthday party, too.
”
”
Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games: Four Book Collection (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes))
“
Will: Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you never met your wife?
Sean: What? Do I wonder if I'd be better off if I never met my wife? No, that's okay. It's an important question. 'Cause you'll have your bad times, which wake you up to the good stuff you weren't paying attention to. And you can fail, as long as you're trying hard. But there's nothing worse than regret.
Will: You don't regret meetin' your wife?
Sean: Why? Because of the pain I feel now? I have regrets Will, but I don't regret a single day I spent with her.
Will: When did you know she was the one?
Sean: October 21, 1975. Game six of the World Series. Biggest game in Red Sox history. Me and my friends slept out on the sidewalk all night to get tickets. We were sitting in a bar waiting for the game to start and in walks this girl. What a game that was. Tie game in the bottom of the tenth inning, in steps Carlton Fisk, hit a long fly ball down the left field line. Thirty-five thousand fans on their feet, screamin' at the ball to stay fair. Fisk is runnin' up the baseline, wavin' at the ball like a madman. It hits the foul pole, home run. Thirty-five thousand people went crazy. And I wasn't one of them.
Will: Where were you?
Sean: I was havin' a drink with my future wife.
Will: You missed Pudge Fisk's home run to have a drink with a woman you had never met?
Sean: That's right.
Will: So wait a minute. The Red Sox haven't won a World Series since nineteen eighteen, you slept out for tickets, games gonna start in twenty minutes, in walks a girl you never seen before, and you give your ticket away?
Sean: You should have seen this girl. She lit up the room.
Will: I don't care if Helen of Troy walked into that bar! That's game six of the World Series! And what kind of friends are these? They let you get away with that?
Sean: I just slid my ticket across the table and said "sorry fellas, I gotta go see about a girl."
Will: "I gotta go see about a girl"? What did they say?
Sean: They could see that I meant it.
Will: You're kiddin' me.
Sean: No Will, I'm not kiddin' you. If I had gone to see that game I'd be in here talkin' about a girl I saw at a bar twenty years ago. And how I always regretted not goin' over there and talkin' to her. I don't regret the eighteen years we were married. I don't regret givin' up counseling for six years when she got sick. I don't regret being by her side for the last two years when things got real bad. And I sure as Hell don't regret missing that damn game.
Will: Would have been nice to catch that game though.
Sean: Well hell, I didn't know Pudge was gonna hit the home run.
”
”
Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting)
“
The biggest mistake I’ve ever made was letting you go. I told myself I was doing it to protect you, but I was scared. No one had ever loved me enough to stick around, and I was tired of being left, so I did it before you could. But Stevie, there hasn’t been a second that’s gone by that I haven’t regretted that decision. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Always will be.
”
”
Liz Tomforde (Mile High (Windy City, #1))
“
I don’t have a lot of regrets in life, but one of my biggest is that when my son Kyle was about 10 and was proudly demonstrating how many laps he could swim underwater without taking a breath, I jumped in the pool and swam one more length than he did. It was an unthinking moment, and a great demonstration of the destructive power of competitiveness. I didn’t just show up my child; I risked damaging his self-confidence and our bond.
”
”
Chris Hadfield (An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth)
“
Another pastor from India gave me some simple and powerful advice I hope never leaves me. His ministry has led over three million people to Jesus. All these people are being discipled. When I asked how he organized this massive army, he replied, “Americans always want to know about strategy. This is what I will tell you: my leaders are the most humble men I know, and they know Jesus deeply.” He proceeded to tell me that his biggest mistakes were the times when he allowed people into leadership who were not humble. He got so excited about releasing their gifts, but it always led to their destruction. To this day, he says those are his biggest regrets. Now his main criterion for identifying leaders is humility, and his leadership problems have significantly decreased. We would never admit it, but we often search for leaders the way the world does. We look at outward appearances.
”
”
Francis Chan (We Are Church)
“
As you get older, your self will diminish and you will grow in love. YOU will gradually be replaced by LOVE. If you have kids, that will be a huge moment in your process of self-diminishment. You really won’t care what happens to YOU, as long as they benefit. That’s one reason your parents are so proud and happy today. One of their fondest dreams has come true: You have accomplished something difficult and tangible that has enlarged you as a person and will make your life better, from here on in, forever.
”
”
George Saunders (Congratulations, by the Way: Some Thoughts on Kindness)
“
However, when your emotional state isn’t optimal—whether you’re experiencing stress, fear, worry, regret, resentment, or any other unpleasant emotion—you’re not thinking about what’s possible. You’re not fine-tuning your plans or brainstorming creative solutions to your problems. You’re not filled with energy. No, you’re dwelling on your negative emotions. You’re licking your wounds, so to speak. Meanwhile, the possibilities are passing you by because there’s no space in your brain for anything more than those negative emotions.
”
”
Hal Elrod (The Miracle Equation: The Two Decisions That Turn Your Biggest Goals from Possible, to Probable, to Inevitable)
“
you get to a point when you just don’t want to be pushed anymore. pushed to pretend you’re okay with condescending behavior and disrespectful attitudes. pushed to ignore the determined yearnings of your clearest truth. pushed to engage in conversations and situations that in no way serve your state of peace. pushed to act a bogus part and clap for those who are acting theirs. pushed to be quiet and to stay small. pushed to exist rather than live. you get to a point when it’s all too much, too exhausting, too false. something must change. then you realize that the changes you crave have always been within your power to create. you realize that no one has the might to push you into anything when you are unwilling to be pushed. you realize that you, more effectively than any outside influence, have been your biggest pusher all along. so you stop—pushing and pretending and acting and shrinking. you stop it all, because you can. and you don’t waste too much time regretting that you didn’t do it sooner. you’re suddenly much too busy living your life for such silly regrets.
”
”
Scott Stabile
“
I have a funny story about your dad,” John says, looking at me sideways.
I groan. “Oh no. What did he do?”
“It wasn’t him; it was me.” He clears his throat. “This is embarrassing.”
I rub my hands together in anticipation.
“So, I went over to your house to ask you to eighth grade formal. I had this whole extravagant plan.”
“You never asked me to formal!”
“I know, I’m getting to that part. Are you going to let me tell the story or not?”
“You had a whole extravagant plan,” I prompt.
John nods. “So I gathered a bunch of sticks and some flowers and I arranged them into the letters FORMAL? in front of your window. But your dad came home while I was in the middle of it, and he thought I was going around cleaning people’s yards. He gave me ten bucks, and I lost my nerve and I just went home.”
I laugh. “I…can’t believe you did that.” I can’t believe that this almost happened to me. What would that have felt like, to have a boy do something like that for me? In the whole history of my letters, of my liking boys, not once has a boy liked me back at the same time as I liked him. It was always me alone, longing after a boy, and that was fine, that was safe. But this is new. Or old. Old and new, because it’s the first time I’m hearing it.
“The biggest regret of eighth grade,” John says, and that’s when I remember--how Peter once told me that John’s biggest regret was not asking me to formal, how elated I was when he said it, and then how he quickly backtracked and said he was only joking.
”
”
Jenny Han (P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #2))
“
Target killing of Palestinian leaders, including moderate ones, was not a new phenomenon in the conflict. Israel began this policy with the assassination of Ghassan Kanafani in 1972, a poet and writer, who could have led his people to reconciliation. The fact that he was targeted, a secular and leftist activist, is symbolic of the role Israel played in killing those Palestinians it ‘regretted’ later for not being there as partners for peace.
In May 2001 President George Bush Jr appointed Senator George J. Mitchell as a special envoy to the Middle East conflict. Mitchell produced a report about the causes for the second Intifada. He concluded: ‘We have no basis on which to conclude that there was a deliberate plan by the PA to initiate a campaign of violence at the first opportunity; or to conclude that there was a deliberate plan by the [Government of Israel] to respond with lethal force.’13 On the other hand, he blamed Ariel Sharon for provoking unrest by visiting and violating the sacredness of the al-Aqsa mosque and the holy places of Islam.
In short, even the disempowered Arafat realized that the Israeli interpretation of Oslo in 2000 meant the end of any hope for normal Palestinian life and doomed the Palestinians to more suffering in the future. This scenario was not only morally wrong in his eyes, but also would have strengthened, as he knew too well, those who regarded the armed struggle against Israel as the exclusive way to liberate Palestine.
”
”
Ilan Pappé (The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of the Occupied Territories)
“
I didn’t realize how far back I’d have to go in order to tell you about John Coffey, or how long I’d have to leave him there in his cell, a man so huge his feet didn’t just stick off the end of his bunk but hung down all the way to the floor. I don’t want you to forget him, all right? I want you to see him there, looking up at the ceiling of his cell, weeping his silent tears, or putting his arms over his face. I want you to hear him, his sighs that trembled like sobs, his occasional watery groan. These weren’t the sounds of agony and regret we sometimes heard on E Block, sharp cries with splinters of remorse in them; like his wet eyes, they were somehow removed from the pain we were used to dealing with. In a way—I know how crazy this will sound, of course I do, but there is no sense in writing something as long as this if you can’t say what feels true to your heart—in a way it was as if it was sorrow for the whole world he felt, something too big ever to be completely eased. Sometimes I sat and talked to him, as I did with all of them—talking was our biggest, most important job, as I believe I have said—and I tried to comfort him. I don’t feel that I ever did, and part of my heart was glad he was suffering, you know. Felt he deserved to suffer. I even thought sometimes of calling the governor (or getting Percy to do it—hell, he was Percy’s damn uncle, not mine) and asking for a stay of execution. We shouldn’t burn him yet, I’d say. It’s still hurting him too much, biting into him too much, twisting in his guts like a nice sharp stick. Give him another ninety days, your honor, sir. Let him go on doing to himself what we can’t do to him.
It’s that John Coffey I’d have you keep to one side of your mind while I finish catching up to where I started—that John Coffey lying on his bunk, that John Coffey who was afraid of the dark perhaps with good reason, for in the dark might not two shapes with blonde curls—no longer little girls but avenging harpies—be waiting for him? That John Coffey whose eyes were always streaming tears, like blood from a wound that can never heal.
”
”
Stephen King (The Green Mile)
“
The flag story is important, Berntson thought. Before the assault was over, Christmas had sent Frank Thomas, his gunnery sergeant, to find an American flag. He knew it was against the rules. This was a war on behalf of the Republic of Vietnam, and the correct flag to run up the pole at its province headquarters would have been Saigon’s yellow and red ensign. But Christmas’s men had bled and died all the way across southern Hue, not ARVN troops. They had looked up at that enemy flag the whole way. They had taken it down, and they wanted to show who had done it. The Stars and Stripes had earned its place. Berntson continued jotting down Christmas’s words: “‘Proudest moment of my life—to be given opp to do it’ . . . ‘main thought was getting the flag up—so it would fly and everyone could see that flag flying’ . . . Capt. Ron Christmas, 27, 2001 S.W. 36th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FLA CO for 2/5 Hotel . . . ‘street fighting is dirtiest close in. Biggest problem is control—keeping all platoons in line—communication also problem . . . platoons have done extremely well . . . flag. ‘inspiration thing I have ever seen in my lifetime—because it was a hard thing. That feeling of patriotism . . . all you could hear are cheers . . . really brings out America Spirit.’” Hours later, Christmas was paid a visit by two officers, both majors, one army and the other marine. They had been sent by Colonel Hughes from the compound. They said the American flag would have to come down. The South Vietnamese flag was the appropriate one. The men around Christmas were still loading up the wounded and dead. “I don’t think my men are going to like that,” he said. “That doesn’t make any difference,” said one. “You are violating protocol.” “Well, I’ll tell you what,” said Christmas. “If you want to take the flag down, you guys go take it down. But I cannot be responsible for all of my men.” Kaczmarek, who was sitting close enough to overhear the exchange, chose that moment to reposition his rifle. The majors left. The flag remained. Christmas had a gunny sergeant haul it down at sunset, and the next morning a bright yellow South Vietnamese flag flew in its place. But watching Old Glory run up that afternoon was a sight none of the marines who witnessed it would ever regret, or forget.
”
”
Mark Bowden (Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam)
“
I've got the kids in my room," she explained, while Jubal strove to keep up with her, "so that Honey Bun can watch them."
Jubal was mildly startled to see, a moment later, what Patricia meant by that. The boa was arranged on one of twin double beds in squared-off loops that formed a nest - a twin nest, as one bight of the snake had been pulled across to bisect the square, making two crib-sized pockets, each padded with a baby blanket and each containing a baby.
The ophidian nursemaid raised her head inquiringly as they came in. Patty stroked it and said, "It's all right, dear. Father Jubal wants to see them. Pet her a little, and let her grok you, so that she will know you next time."
First Jubal coochey-cooed at his favorite girl friend when she gurgled at him and kicked, then petted the snake. He decided that it was the handsomest specimen of Bojdae he had ever seen, as well as the biggest - longer, he estimated, than any other boa constrictor in captivity. Its cross bars were sharply marked and the brighter colors of the tail quite showy. He envied Patty her blue-ribbon pet and regretted that he would not have more time in which to get friendly with it.
The snake rubbed her head against his hand like a cat. Patty picked up Abby and said, "Just as I thought. Honey Bun, why didn't you tell me?"- then explained, as she started to change diapers, "She tells me at once if one of them gets tangled up, or needs help, or anything, since she can't do much for them herself - no hands - except nudge them back if they try to crawl out and might fall. But she just can't seem to grok that a wet baby ought to be changed - Honey Bun doesn't see anything wrong about that. And neither does Abby."
"I know. We call her 'Old Faithful.' Who's the other cutie pie?"
"Huh? That's Fatima Michele, I thought you knew."
"Are they here? I thought they were in Beirut!"
"Why, I believe they did come from some one of those foreign parts. I don't know just where. Maybe Maryam told me but it wouldn't mean anything to me; I've never been anywhere. Not that it matters; I grok all places are alike - just people. There, do you want to hold Abigail Zenobia while I check Fatima?"
Jubal did so and assured her that she was the most beautiful girl in the world, then shortly thereafter assured Fatima of the same thing. He was completely sincere each time and the girls believed him - Jubal had said the same thing on countless occasions starting in the Harding administration, had always meant it and had always been believed. It was a Higher Truth, not bound by mundane logic.
Regretfully he left them, after again petting Honey Bun and telling her the same thing, and just as sincerely.
”
”
Robert A. Heinlein (Stranger in a Strange Land)
“
He started down the staircase, but stopped a few steps down. He turned to me and said, "I must tell you again, I don't want you to come down here. I don't want to see you get hurt."
"A trapdoor has been discovered. It begs to be explored. Not going down those stairs will be the biggest regret of my life.
”
”
August Westman (Dance Into the Dark (Living in the Shadows))
“
His biggest regret: being too late
”
”
M.J. Abraham
“
One of the biggest regrets of life, I think, is a sense of having gone on the trip but missed the adventure.
”
”
Gary A. Haugen
“
Do you need to start changing the channel? Are you reliving every hurt, disappointment, and bad break? As long as you’re replaying the negative, you will never fully heal. It’s like a scab that’s starting to get better, but it will only get worse if you pick at it.
Emotional wounds are the same way. If you’re always reliving your hurts and watching them on the movie screen of your mind--talking about them, and telling your friends--that’s just reopening the wound.
You have to change the channel. When you look back over your life, can you find one good thing that has happened? Can you remember one time where you know it was the hand of God, promoting you, protecting you, and healing you? Switch over to that channel. Get your mind going in a new direction.
A reporter asked me not long ago what my biggest failure has been, my biggest regret. I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I don’t remember what my biggest failure was. I don’t dwell on that. I’m not watching that channel.
We all make mistakes. We all do things we wish we had done differently. You can lean from your mistakes, but you’re not supposed to keep them in the forefront of your mind. You’re supposed to remember the things you did right: The times you succeeded. The times you overcame the temptation. The times you were kind to strangers.
Some people are not happy because they remember every mistake they’ve made since 1927. They’ve got a running list. Do yourself a big favor and change the channel. Quit dwelling on how you don’t measure up and how you just should have been more disciplined, should have stayed in school, or should have spent more time with your children.
You may have fallen down, but focus on the fact that you got back up. You’re here today. You may have made a poor choice, but dwell on your good choices. You may have some weaknesses, but remember your strengths. Quit focusing on what’s wrong with you and start focusing on what’s right with you. You won’t ever become all you were created to be if you’re against yourself. You have to retrain your mind. Be disciplined about what you dwell on.
”
”
Joel Osteen (You Can You Will: 8 Undeniable Qualities of a Winner)
“
All I want is a chance to start this over with you. We did it backwards, and that's on me. I get it. But damn it, let me try again, because if you don't, it'll be the biggest regret of my life.
”
”
Kristen Proby (Easy Melody (Boudreaux, #3))
“
However, the biggest disappointment was Klay getting pulled over by a cop for a busted car light. The officer smelled marijuana in the vicinity and eventually found some in his car. The aforementioned event led to Klay’s arrest as well as a suspension for a game against the Bruins near the end of the season. Klay’s costly mistake ended up ruining the Cougars’ chance to make it to the NCAA tournament. His father was extremely disappointed in him since he had always taught him to stay away from such things not only in school, but as well as in his professional life. Mychal thought he had made a big enough impact to prevent his son from making foolish choices. Klay quickly regretted the situation and learned from his mistake. The team did qualify for the NIT, which was an exciting opportunity in itself.
”
”
Clayton Geoffreys (Klay Thompson: The Incredible Story of One of Basketball's Sharpest Shooters (Basketball Biography Books))
“
He was both her hero and enemy. She was his best student and biggest regret.
”
”
R E Mullins
“
As we walk into the store, he confides that his biggest regret is that Melina never got to have sex, that he ruined all that by getting her spayed.
”
”
David Sedaris (Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002))
“
I decided that missing out on a chance with you would be one of the biggest regrets of my life.
”
”
Jen L. Grey (Ruined Mate (Shadow City: Demon Wolf #1))
“
Not getting another chance to explore everything we should have had is my biggest fear of all. This time, I don’t want to miss a thing.
”
”
K.K. Allen (Weight of Regret (Camp Bexley, #1))
“
The biggest regrets are opportunities you missed not because of your lack of insight, but because of your lack of courage.
”
”
Fuat Balta Lecturer
“
Here is what I recommend: As soon as possible, once you have finished reading this little book, set aside a full day. It might be a Saturday or a Sunday, or some other day you have off from work. Plan to spend six to eight consecutive hours alone, except for bathroom breaks and lunch. Go to a library. Leave your cell phone and computer in the car because you don’t want to be disturbed. Take a pen or half a dozen pencils and a legal pad, find a secluded spot, and get comfortable. Write at the top of the first page, “I am now 101 years old, I am on my death bed, and I’m looking back. If I’d stayed on the course I was on when I was (the age you are now), would I have any regrets? Instead, having learned how to work Actual Magic, I have lived an incredibly successful and fulfilling life. What about it was most important to me? What were my biggest accomplishments? What else stands out?” Write down everything, and I mean everything, that comes to mind. Do not self edit; take your time. Taking time and having time to take is important because your mind works differently when you feel rushed because of a looming deadline. It’s virtually impossible to go deep with a clock ticking in your head. That’s why it’s important for it to be totally relaxed because you have all day. Sit back and let go. Take a deep breath and hold it to the count of four. Then let it out slowly through your mouth. There’s nothing else to do or to think about but the life ahead of you and what you want it to become. Once you reach a point where you cannot think of anything else to write down, go back, look over what you have written and arrange the items in descending order with the most important one first. Having completed that task, go to the next blank sheet and put the number-one most important thing at the top. Then write down what is keeping you from achieving that goal. Is it something buried in your unconscious mind?
”
”
Stephen Hawley Martin (Actual Magic: How to Unleash the Power of Your Mind)
“
Charles stopped. Spun around. “You ever hear of a woman named Norma Leah McCorvey?” he asked. Daniel leaned back on the wall so his bad leg wouldn’t drain his batteries. “Didn’t she pass away? She lived two halls over, right? The woman with—” “No, no. That was Norma Robinson. Yeah, she passed away in ’32. Norma McCorvey lived, oh, over a hundred years ago. She was more famously known as Jane Roe.” Daniel knew that name. “Roe v. Wade,” he said. “That’s right. One of the biggest decisions before your wife came along . . .” The nurse-bot studied his shoes again. “And people remember her for that—for the decision. They remember her as Roe, not as McCorvey.” “I don’t follow,” Daniel told Charles. He eyed his wife’s door and fought the urge to be rude. “Well, most people don’t know, but years later—Norma regretted her part in history. Wished she’d never done it. Converted to one of the major religions of her day and fought against the progress she’d fostered. I just . . .” He looked back up. “I’ll always remember you and your wife for the right reasons, is all.” He turned to his cart without another word and started down the hall.
”
”
Hugh Howey (Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories)
“
Regrets, piled in heaps all around her. The biggest one standing tall before her, an unreachable ice giant.
”
”
Uzma Jalaluddin (Much Ado about Nada)
“
You made the last few months the happiest of my life, Darcy Vega. I’m sorry for being an asshole when we first met – biggest regret of my life.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (Shadow Princess (Zodiac Academy, #4))
“
Your website needs to be designed properly. Don't let the TV commercials and spam convince you to de-prioritize it's importance. It needs to be designed to represent your brand and create trust, and it needs to be developed to be fast, responsive, and be scalable. You will regret making a quick cheap decision when it comes to your most important web property.
”
”
Leland Dieno (Face The Book With Your Small Business: A step by step guide to establishing your small business on the biggest social media network in existance..)
“
Have I just made the biggest mistake of my life? Forsaking everything I'd known--home, family, friends, and the security of being a part of a community regardless of how dysfunctional? I didn't care about losing the privilege of being a soldier in God's End-Time Army, but I did wonder if they might be right about Hell. I wondered if freedom was really worth all this uncertainty and the what-ifs.
”
”
Daniella Mestyanek Young (Uncultured: A Memoir)
“
Due to a total lack of effort, he had created no opportunities to improve or change. Failure was not about whether he would have been successful or not in whatever he tried. Just having a go would have been a success in itself. Anthony’s biggest failure lay in becoming a complete product of his environment, lacking any desire to challenge himself and potentially improve his life. It was such a waste of a good, intelligent person and of the natural gifts he had been born with.
”
”
Bronnie Ware (Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing)
“
My biggest fear is dying with regrets.
”
”
Jane Fonda
“
The things that I did when I grow up and the standards I hold and followed in the society. Kept me safe and I was labeled as a good person, but those things costs me joy, happiness and pleasures of life. I had to fight nature and my feelings everyday. Today I am branded and trusted with titles that cost me my time and life. I still try to maintain the standards but I don't have life of my own or experience any pleasures of life.
I had achieved what I wanted and what other people wanted for me, but I had lost what it is important in this life. To live and experience life. All the good decisions I made then are now my biggest regrets, root of my depression and downfall.
”
”
D.J. Kyos
“
Dreams and aspirations are what make us human and separate us from animals. Animals live life doing the same things every day without any aim or meaning. Their life is a meaningless repetition. Sadly, most people do the exact same thing. In the rat race to make a living, they forget how to live. But the great thing about humans is that we have the power of conscious choice, in other words we can make a choice to do things differently should we really want to. It is likely that we only have one shot at life, why live with regret? Go after what you want to do, with no expectation of external results. At least this way even if you fail, you will never end up with one of the biggest life regrets of them all – The regret of failing because you never tried.
”
”
Anubhav Srivastava (UnLearn: A Practical Guide to Business and Life (What They Don't Want You to Know Book 1))
“
At least you got to be a part of avenging her. That’s one of my biggest regrets in life.” I brushed out invisible wrinkles from my pants. “That I would have been old enough to help punish those responsible.” He shook his head. “It’s best you weren’t there. Maybe you would have ended up like Gabe and rejected the family life.” “It didn’t stop you.” “Yeah, but killing Rocco Leone still seeps into my dreams. I was young. Too young. I insisted I was ready, but that shit haunted me for a long time even though I felt justified in what I did. He set up the hit that took our mother, but ending his life changed me. I’m glad you didn’t have to go through that. That’s why I made sure you weren’t made until you were older. Until you could handle the consequences.
”
”
Jill Ramsower (Absolute Silence (The Five Families, #5))
“
The biggest prison in the world is a heart burdened with painful memories.
”
”
Shahid Hussain Raja
“
was grateful I wasn’t transferred to an inpatient facility post-release. Since it was a first time offense with no history of mental disorder and no suicide note or indication of premeditation, I was allowed to go home. And I know I won’t ever do something like that again—as low and scary as things might get, I do want to be alive. That night will forever be a stain on my memory. It will always be my biggest regret.
”
”
Jennifer Hartmann (Still Beating)
“
Tell me what you’re hiding, what you’re harboring, what you don’t want the world to
know about yourself for fear that it will be cast into light.
Tell me about the times you couldn’t save yourself. Give me your broken parts, your fractured pieces, everything that’s weighed too heavily on the floor of your heart for you to ever reach down and reassemble. Tell me
where you went the first time that you lost yourself. Tell me the ways in which you never came back. Give me a map with coordinates that lead into the deepest, most twisted corner of your soul where all of your unconquered demons still lurk. Let me see them. Let me reach out and touch them with my own trembling fingers, because I still can’t bear to face my own.
Give me your shortcomings. Tell me the story of the first person you never became and all the ways in which you let him die. Tell me which regrets tear on your heartstrings and which unfulfilled dreams still take up residence under your skin. Show me the mountains you never conquered, the roads you never traversed, the battles you surrendered before ever setting foot upon enemy soil. Show me the things you never
measured up to because there’s no war more wounding than the one we never waged and there’s no road more daunting than the one that we never walked down.
Give me your struggles and impurities. Tell me about the worst thing you have ever done. Tell me about the regret that slithered under your skin and beat through your bloodstream like an unwelcome disease after you made the biggest mistake of your life. Tell me how it ripped straight into to your soul and took you over. Talk to me about the times you couldn’t look at yourself in the mirror or fall asleep at night because the
malevolence and madness of your own mind kept you reeling. Give me your vices and misjudgments because I can match each one with my own. Tell me all the ways in which you’re scarred by your own capacity
for darkness.
Let me fall in love with your human parts – the battles you can’t fight, the wounds you can’t heal, all the ways in which you are not enough for yourself. Give me your joys and your pain in equal measure because you
are the most brilliant and terrible mixture of both.
I don’t want your good intentions and your well wishes. I want the whole of you, the depth of you, the breadth of all you are and the light that shines in between your broken parts. Let me fall in love with what you’re
missing, what you’ve lost and what you’re still holding onto, through and despite all of it.
Show me the things you haven’t lost along the way.
And I will show you your own greatest strengths.
”
”
Heidi Priebe (This Is Me Letting You Go)
“
It's always the ones you never wanted in the first place who become the biggest regret and embarrassment. Bothering you nonstop just to end up being a piece of shit.
”
”
Camille Danciu (On Behalf of all Women)
“
I had a huge problem. She could be my worst nightmare and my biggest regret.
”
”
Chelle Bliss (Unlawful Desire (ALFA Investigations, #2))
“
Why did you jilt Sophie?” He fired the question with no warning, hoping to catch the younger man off guard, and he did. “Young men do stupid things. Letting go of Sophie has always been my biggest mistake.” “What a pity that some mistakes are fatal and can never be forgiven.” A confident gleam lit Marten’s eyes. “Have you talked to Sophie about that? Because Sophie is the most loving, forgiving woman I’ve ever met. She and I are friends again. She knows I regret what happened and forgave me long ago.
”
”
Elizabeth Camden (Until the Dawn)
“
My biggest regret is having regrets.
”
”
Unarine Ramaru
“
Not being able to forgive yourself for your boneheaded, arrogant, and selfish actions is one of the biggest inhibitors to living the life God most wants you to live.
”
”
Stephen F. Arterburn (Regret-Free Living: Hope for Past Mistakes and Freedom From Unhealthy Patterns)
“
I tried to forget that night,” I whispered before I could stop myself. “I tried to forget you, but somehow you embedded yourself so deeply into my soul in just one night, that forgetting you—forgetting that night—was impossible. I don’t need a lifetime with you to know that no one and nothing will ever compare to what’s between us. But it’s too late for anything involving us even if it’s just us getting through this, because that night and you are now some of my biggest regrets.” He
”
”
Molly McAdams (I See You)
“
Andy Dunn, the founder and CEO of Bonobos, wrote an amazing article about the risk of not taking risks. He argues that the biggest risk is the risk not taken. If you haven’t read the article, you should,[78] but here’s my favorite part, where Andy brilliantly explains why the secret to living without regrets is to take every risk you ever consider: Very little is obvious in the research on human decision-making and happiness. Very few things are proven. One thing that is proven is this: the only regrets octogenarians have are for the risks not taken. Here’s why: If the risk taken does pan out, it is good. But if it doesn’t—and here’s the key thing—we find a way to justify the risk taken as learning. Learning is not an empty justification. This is a cliché—but learning is what life is all about. If we look at this backwards, we see that personal growth comes from learning, and learning comes from risk-taking, which is exactly why risk-taking is core to the Connection Algorithm.
”
”
Jesse Tevelow (The Connection Algorithm: Take Risks, Defy the Status Quo, and Live Your Passions)
“
Reflecting on this experience in 1773, Diderot wrote, “A sensitive man, such as myself, overwhelmed by the argument leveled against him, becomes confused and can only think clearly again [when he reaches] the bottom of the stairs.”2 And so he coined the phrase l’esprit d’escalier—the spirit of the stairs, or staircase wit. In Yiddish it’s trepverter. Germans call it treppenwitz. It’s been called elevator wit, which has a sentimental resonance for me. My personal favorite is afterwit. But the idea is the same—it’s the incisive remark you come up with too late. It’s the hindered comeback. The orphaned retort. And it carries with it a sense of regret, disappointment, humiliation. We all want a do-over. But we’ll never get one. Apparently
”
”
Amy Cuddy (Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges)
“
That was his biggest regret. He loved playing for a
living, loved hearing his songs on the radio, loved being on a stage and the road, but some days, he wouldn’t have minded going home every night to a sweet wife and a couple babies and fried chicken on the table. That was what Lindsey had taken from him. He’d fallen hard. He’d seen what his momma must’ve felt for his daddy, he’d felt his world crack right down the middle when the girl who had
become his everything ripped his heart out of his chest.
”
”
Jamie Farrell (Matched (Misfit Brides, #2))
“
I had also sacrificed my relationship with God, and that was the biggest sacrifice of all and the one for which I felt the deepest regret. When
”
”
Cherie Esteves (Journey Out of Fat, Dumb, and Ugly: Making the Journey to Self-Acceptance and Inner Peace)
“
I felt stuck in a Sisyphean loop, writing the same press release over and over. Even more, I was tired of promoting other people's creations instead of creating something myself. I imagined myself on my deathbed, and I could hear my biggest regret: I never even tried to be a writer.
”
”
Helene Wecker