Have you ever felt regretful about things that you have done (or failed to do) in the past?
It’s quite alarming to feel bitterness and disappointment every time you remember the things you could have done or the decisions you shouldn’t have made.
You blame yourself for the people and things you lost and beat yourself up over the relationships you have broken.
It is important to remember that whatever you have done in the past has resulted in who you are and what you believe in today. What you couldn’t handle before has helped you learn things you ought to know and made you realize how to become a better, happier person.
In this post, we share with you 51 regret quotes that can help you let go of the pain and sorrow brought by the past. Through these quotes, we hope to help you accept the present moment and the future that is about to come.
But before we proceed, let’s first discuss how these quotes can help you while you heal from the wounds of the past.
Why Read These Regret Quotes?
These quotes are from people who have experienced regret themselves. They resented themselves because of the things they did and the decisions they made in the past. But after some time, they were able to gather the strength they needed to overcome the guilt in their hearts.
Just like them, we believe that you can overcome whatever you are feeling at the moment. It will be difficult to move on and let go, but with the help of these quotes, we have faith that you will be free in no time.
Do not worsen the damage by sabotaging yourself and putting yourself down. Instead, look for ways to accept what has already been done.
Let’s check out our quotes and start the healing process!
51 Regret Quotes About the Mistakes of the Past
- “Don’t waste your time in anger, regrets, worries, and grudges. Life is too short to be unhappy.” – Roy T. Bennett
- “In history as in human life, regret does not bring back a lost moment and a thousand years will not recover something lost in a single hour.” – Stefan Zweig
- “The longer our trail of regrets, the more we tend to value the importance of making wise decisions.” – Bob Santos
- “I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done.” – Lucille Ball
- “One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” – Shannon L. Alder
“One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” – Shannon L. Alder
- “It's better to look ahead and prepare, than to look back and regret.” – Jackie Joyner-Kersee
- “There is nothing I've been through in my life that I regret, or that I would go back and change. I feel like everything that happened – personally and professionally – I went through for a reason, and I learned from those things.” – Sheryl Swoopes
- “I made decisions that I regret, and I took them as learning experiences… I'm human, not perfect, like anybody else.” – Queen Latifah
- “I'm trying to make myself better. But I don't regret anything that I've gone through, because it makes me who I am.” – Nick Carter
- “Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today and you make your tomorrow.” – L. Ron Hubbard
- “A couple of words that somebody said to somebody many years ago is not who they are today. You regret it, you apologize, you make it right, you move on and you live your life according to the values of what you have.” – Diana Taylor
- “We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.” – Steve Maraboli
- “I wouldn't say I regret anything. I would say I just wish I did things better.” – Greg Oden
- “We don't have to be defined by the things we did or didn't do in our past. Some people allow themselves to be controlled by regret. Maybe it's a regret, maybe it's not. It's merely something that happened. Get over it.” – Pittacus Lore
- “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.” – Catherine M. Wallace
- “Never regret anything you have done with a sincere affection; nothing is lost that is born of the heart.” – Basil Rathbone
- “I have not an ounce of regret. Every link is so valuable in forming the chain that is my life. Who I am today is because of those links, and I wouldn't change any of them.” – Alanis Morissette
- “I see it all perfectly; there are two possible situations – one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it – you will regret both.” – Soren Kierkegaard
- “The first law of nature is self-preservation. Cut off that which may harm you. But if it is worth preserving, and is meaningful, nourish it and have no regrets. Ultimately, this is true living and love of self…from within.” – T.F. Hodge
- “The one thing I learned is to just give everything a shot. You don't want to live in regret.” – Chloe Kim
“The one thing I learned is to just give everything a shot. You don't want to live in regret.” – Chloe Kim
- “Regret should be handled swiftly, and you shouldn't hold onto it. People spend their entire lives regretting what they didn't do and what they should've done. Hey, man, you did what you did.” – John Mellencamp
- “Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can't build on it; it's only good for wallowing in.” – Katherine Mansfield
- “I have tons of regrets, but I think that's one of the reasons that push people to create things. Out of their angst, their regret, comes the best from artists, painters and writers.” – Sylvester Stallone
- “The past could always be annihilated. Regret, denial, or forgetfulness could do that. But the future was inevitable.” – Oscar Wilde
- “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
- “My dad used to say that living with regrets was like driving a car that only moved in reverse.” – Jodi Picoult
- “Take the stupidest thing you've ever done. At least it's done. It's over. It's gone. We can all learn from our mistakes and heal and move on. But it's harder to learn or heal or move on from something that hasn't happened; something we don't know and is therefore indefinable; something which could very easily have been the best thing in our lives, if only we'd taken the plunge, if only we'd held our breath and stood up and done it, if only we'd said yes.” – Danny Wallace
- “If you are afraid to take a chance, take one anyway. What you don't do can create the same regrets as the mistakes you make.” – Iyanla Vanzant
- “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
- “Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh.” – Henry David Thoreau
- “The only thing I regret about my past is the length of it. If I had to live my life again I'd make all the same mistakes – only sooner.” – Tallulah Bankhead
- “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
- “Regret doesn't remind us that we did badly. It reminds us that we know we can do better.” – Kathryn Schulz
- “I don't dwell in the past; I don't wallow in old events and emotions. I don't waste time on regret. No use going over and over the details of what already happened.” – Yanni
- “I don't do regrets. Regrets are pointless. It's too late for regrets. You've already done it, haven't you? You've lived your life. No point wishing you could change it.” – Lemmy Kilmister
“I don't do regrets. Regrets are pointless. It's too late for regrets. You've already done it, haven't you? You've lived your life. No point wishing you could change it.” – Lemmy Kilmister
- “Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience.” – Victoria Holt
- “To admit regret is to understand that we are fallible – that there are powers beyond us. To admit regret is to lose control not only of a difficult past but of the very story we tell about our present. To admit sincere and abiding regret is one of our greatest but unspoken contemporary sins.” – David Whyte
- “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
- “We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.” – Lucy Maud Montgomery
- “I don't regret things, because I learn from mistakes. If needs be, I always make amends.” – Marc Warren
- “No amount of guilt can change the past and no amount of worrying can change the future.” – Umar ibn Al-Khattab
- “People always ask me, ‘What is it that you regret?' And I say, ‘nothing, because I could not buy what I've learned.' And I apply those things to my life I learn. And hopefully, hopefully it helps me to be a better human in the future and make better choices.” – Katy Perry
- “I don't talk about my past; people ask me about it. I've done things I'm ashamed of, but one thing I can honestly say is that things I've done that I regret, I've never done twice. I work really hard at that.” – Art Alexakis
- “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
- “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
- “Regrets are not inherited. Regrets are those elements of life that seek to undermine our enthusiasm and our willingness to assume a life filled with new discoveries and the attainment of goals. Let not your regrets be your undoing but instead your vehicle to learn from what did not work.” – Byron Pulsifer
- “I never regret anything. Because every little detail of your life is what made you into who you are in the end.” – Drew Barrymore
- “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
- “You can never regret anything you do in life. You kind of have to learn the lesson from whatever the experience is and take it with you on your journey forward.” – Aubrey O'Day
- “When we grow old, there can only be one regret – not to have given enough of ourselves.” – Eleonora Duse
- “Your heart and your instincts are far more reliable than your brain. When you follow your heart, you can be sure you won't regret it later. Even if you calculate your every move, it's not like life ever goes according to plan.” – Nithya Menen
Final Thoughts on Regret Quotes
Ultimately, it is all right to have regrets.
After all, life is not about making the right decisions all the time. Otherwise, everything would be stagnant, boring, and unmoving. Making wrong decisions and committing mistakes are all part of the process of personal growth.
What’s most important is that, after feeling these regrets, you’re able to forgive yourself and find a way to get back on your feet. With all the lessons that your past experiences have taught you, you’re able to become the person you should be at the present moment and in the bright future.
And if you want more eye-opening quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 91 Quotes About Perseverance Through Hard Times
- 67 Self-Reflection Quotes to Help You Grow as a Person
- 107 Quotes About Overcoming Adversity and Challenges in Your Life
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success.
