Everyone experiences regret at some point in life. Most often, I think people regret playing it too safe in life for too long. These regrets could include not putting yourself out there in your personal life or not starting a small business idea. 

Regrets can be painfully annoying because it robs you of the success you could be enjoying. You wonder what life might be like if you had made a different choice. Unfortunately, some regrets can last for a lifetime because as much as you want to make it up for a missed opportunity, you can’t change the past. In this case, I believe reading these quotes about regret can help you finally move on. I believe we can all learn from our mistakes and will eventually get another chance to make things right in the future. 

Quotes about Regret

You can learn important lessons about regret from these quotes.

  • “Regret is a tough but fair teacher. To live without regret is to believe you have nothing to learn, no amends to make, and no opportunity to be braver with your life.” —Brene Brown
  • “The only thing worse than giving up is wishing that you hadn’t.” —Rachel Hollis
  • “Bones mend. Regret stays with you forever.” —Patrich Rothfuss
  • “If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.” —Mercedes Lackey
  • “Regret is an off emotion because it comes only upon reflection. Regret lacks immediacy, and so its power seldom influences events when it could do some good.” —William O’Rouke

Regret Quotes about Love

Man regrets his relationship mistake that made her girlfriend mad.

Have you ever regretted a move you made in your personal life? You might relate to these quotes.

  • “Never regret anything you have done with a sincere affection; nothing is lost that is born of the heart.” —Basil Rathbone
  • “Looking back, I have this to regret… that too often when I loved, I did not say so.” —David Grayson
  • “The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated. And the only thing people regret is that didn’t live boldly enough, that they didn’t invest enough heart, didn’t love enough. Nothing, else really counts at all.” —Ted Hughes
  • “In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.” —Lewis Carroll

Regret Quotes for Him

  • When it’s gone, you’ll know what a gift love was. You’ll suffer like this. So go back and fight to keep it.” —Ian McEwan
  • “I never regret anything. Because every little detail of your life is what made you into who you are in the end.” – Drew Barrymore
  • “Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.” – Sydney J. Harris
  • “I’m living with every step. I can’t live with regret. The past is the past. I’m not worried about it. I can’t change it. I can’t fix it. It is what it is. I’m just living.” – Ryan Sheckler

Regret Quotes for Her

Husband comforting a regretful wife.

These quotes can appear heartbreaking, but they might help you heal.

  • “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
  • “Time was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on. I hope you never have to think about anything as much as I think about you.” —Jonathan Safran Foer
  • “In the end, I’ll regret all the chances I didn’t take with you. I’ll regret all the moments I let slip by. I’ll regret all the times I hid my feelings from you. And in end, my biggest regret was losing you.”- Mahmoud El Hallab
  • “There’s this place in me where your fingerprints still rest, your kisses still linger, and your whispers softly echo. It’s the place where a part of you will forever be a part of me.” – Gretchen Kemp

 Regret Quotes about Life

  • “The only things I regret, and the only things I’ll ever regret are things I didn’t do. In the end, that’s what we mourn. The paths we didn’t take. The people we didn’t touch.” —Scott Spencer
  • “Don’t live your life regretting yesterday. Live your life so tomorrow you won’t regret today.” —Catherine Pulsifer
  • “I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn’t. I just watched. Paralyzed.” —Khaled Hosseini
  • “We cannot always change what has happened to us, but we can change how we react and how we live in the future. Living with no regrets is living successfully.” —Dr. Ellen Taricani

Quotes about Regret after Death

Comforting the grandmother for a loss.

Grief and regret are twins that will haunt you forever if you let them. These quotes will help you overcome regret after death.

  • Don’t allow yourself to become one who, nearing death, regrets what you might have done if only you had taken a few risks. We each have a purpose in life.” —Gillian Stokes
  • “People die all the time. Life is a lot more fragile than we think. So you should treat others in a way that leaves no regrets. Fairly, and if possible, sincerely. It’s too easy not to make the effort, then weep and wring your hands after the person dies.” –Haruki Murakami
  • “No human on his deathbed ever regretted having spent too much time with his children.” —George Stamatis
  • “I would much rather have regrets about not doing what people said, than regretting not doing what my heart led me to and wondering what life had been like if I’d just been myself.” – Brittany Renee

Quotes about Regret with Family

Do you have regrets about family? These quotes are for you.

  • “Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don’t listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won’t tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them, all of it has always been big stuff.” –Catherin Wallace
  • “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having one more test, not winning one more race, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with your family.” —Barbara Bush

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  • “Many times, the decisions we make affect and hurt our closest friends and family the most. I have a lot of regrets in that regard. But God has forgiven me, which I am very thankful for. It has enabled me to forgive myself and move forward one day at a time.” —Lex Luger
  • “Your children make it impossible to regret your past. They’re its finest fruits. Sometimes the only ones.” —Anna Quindlen

Regret about Mistakes Quotes

As long as you learn about mistakes, you can grow.

  • “Never regret anything from your past because one day, you’ll look back and thank it for hurting you so much that you decided to become a stronger human being.” —Faith Star
  • “Stop fretting about past decisions. They have provided valuable wisdom. Go forward without fear or regret.” —Paul Martens
  • “There is no need to lament on the bygone failures, instead concentrate on things that you can change and let other things take their own course.” —Robert Gallagher
  • “Many people choose to dwell on their failures. This leads to unnecessary worrying, regret, shame, and stress. Instead of dwelling on the past, you can reflect on your experiences and use negative situations as a learning experience.” —Morris Pratt

Regret Slogans

Feel free to use these slogans to remind people not to do something they would regret.

    • Don’t Miss A Chance
    • Re-greet Every Challenge
    • If You’ll Regret, Regret Nothing
    • Cheeks Are Wet When There’s Regret
    • “Too Bad” Is Too Sad
    • Rise Above Regrets
    • There’s No Rue When You Pursue
    • Be Braver Or You’ll Regret Later
    • Regret Is Sorrow’s Bestfriend
    • Never Doubt So You Don’t Miss Out
    • Regrets Are Not Easy To Forget
    • Failure Fulfills A Life With No Regret
    • Regret Boggles The Mind Of The Weak
    • Keep Failing Till You Find Blessing
    • Find Meaning In Mistakes
    • Days Will Pass So Make Things Last
    • Regret Devours The Mind Of Cowards
    • Keep Doing What Could’ve Been Done 
    • Not Trying Is Not Fulfilling
    • Speak Your Mind, Leave No Regret Behind

How can you avoid regret in life? 

Be bold to try!

The best way to avoid regret in life is to do what you want, no matter how uncomfortable and scary the situation is. Now, this is easier said than done but there are some tips you can follow to make it possible. Here are some of them:

  • Know What You Want –  it’s easier to miss an opportunity when you’re not attached to it. That’s why you can only regret it when you realize that grabbing it at the moment will impact your life in the best way possible. Be clear and determined about what you want in life. See its worth beyond your fear and doubts; it will give you the courage to pursue it no matter how impossible it may seem. 
  • Be Comfortable With Failure –  Failure will always be a part of any journey. No matter how you strive to make everything perfect, you will still encounter a problem that would tempt you to give up if you can’t handle it. That’s okay. Failing is okay. Mistakes only matter if you accept them and use them as a lesson to do better next time. That should be the spirit! Fail until you succeed.

What are some of the most common regrets in life?

Drinking coffee while contemplating regrets in life. AKA: Brooding.

We all have something to regret in life. Some of them happen a lot, and we already share such struggles as human beings. Bronnie Ware, the author of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, listed the five most common regrets that she often heard from her dying patients when she worked as an Australian palliative carer.

  • “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” When you start valuing other people’s thoughts of you more than your own, you start to change yourself to please them. Forgetting who you truly are is never worth the sacrifice. At the end of the day, only you can make your life meaningful.
  • “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.” There’s nothing wrong with having dreams, but when you get too ambitious that you no longer let yourself rest and spend time with other people, you start losing more than what you can gain with your efforts. It’s important to have a work-life balance. Establish your boundaries between your career and social life so you wouldn’t have to miss your loved ones while chasing your dreams.
  • “I wish I had the courage to express myself.” some words may be better left unsaid, but when you choose to bottle everything, you’ll end up being misunderstood often. Rejection and criticism are discouraging, but when you rise above them, you’ll be able to embrace yourself more and live your life how you want. 

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  • “I wish I stayed in touch with my friends.” life is less lonely because you have amazing friends to make memories with through thick and thin. It’s sad how you lose them after disconnecting from them after a long time of silence. Keep them close no matter how apart you grow from each other. Find a way to fit each other into your schedule and strengthen your bond through the years.
  • “I wish I had let myself be happier.” People often mistake happiness with seeking validation from others. When you define your life in their thoughts, you will never find genuine joy because they don’t always wish for you to have that. Instead, love yourself. Listen to your heart’s desires when it matters and don’t let other people take your freedom away from you.

You only live once. Spend time with your family, chase your dream, and do whatever makes you happy. It may seem like you have a lot of time in your hands, but you only have as many tomorrows as fate allows you to live to make your existence meaningful.