Regret Quotes | Sayings on Overcoming the Burden of Regret

Regret is a powerful emotion, one that often holds us back from living fully. Whether it’s something we did or didn’t do, regrets can weigh heavily on our hearts. But learning to move past regrets, seeing them as lessons rather than burdens, is key to living a life without looking back in sorrow. In this collection of regret quotes, you’ll find reflections that remind us that life is too short for regrets, and each decision shapes who we are. Embrace the lessons learned and keep moving forward.

Quotes on Living Without Regret

Living without regret doesn’t mean you won’t make mistakes, but rather that you accept those mistakes as part of your journey. These quotes inspire us to let go of the past and focus on living in the present without regret.

• Never regret anything because at one time it was exactly what you wanted.
• Never regret a day in your life, “Good day gives you joy while bad day gives you experience”.
• Never give up on something you really want. It’s difficult to wait, but more difficult to regret.
• I don’t regret the things I’ve done, I regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance.
• Never have regrets because at one point everything you did in life was exactly what you wanted.
• Don’t look back with regret, look forward with hope.
• Never regret anything that has happened in your life, it cannot be changed, undone, or forgotten.
• Forgive but don’t forget. Live with no regrets.
• I wish my book of life was written in pencil … There are a few pages I would like to erase.
• Look forward with hope and not backwards with regret.
• Making a big life change is scary. But do you know what’s even scarier? Regrets.
• Fear is temporary, regret is forever.
• Regret is what we feel when we do something for ourselves that hurts the people who love us. – ASH-16
• Pain is only temporary but regret can last forever.
• Life is too short to worry about stupid things. Have fun. Fall in love. Regret nothing and don’t let people bring you down.
• Risk everything, fear nothing, have no regrets.
• We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. – Jim Rohn
• Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience. – Victoria Holt
• Nothing lasts forever, so live it up, laugh it off, avoid the nonsense, and never regret.
• No regrets, just lessons learned.
• The only people who fear death are those with regrets.

Regret and Reflection Quotes

We all have moments we wish we could do over. These quotes remind us that reflection on the past is natural, but regret should not consume us. Use reflection to grow, not to dwell.

• The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret.
• Never regret, always forget, but never forget to learn from your regrets.
• Don’t fear tomorrow or regret the past, live in the now and never look back.
• Any regrets are to be called a lesson learned.
• We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons. – Jim Rohn
• I have often regretted my speech but never my silence.
• It’s easier to deal with regretting something you did, rather than to regret not doing something.
• The only things in life worth regretting are the risks you didn’t take.
• Better suffer the pain of discipline, than to suffer the pain of regret.
• Everything happens for a reason, so live your life and don’t regret it.
• Wise decisions make no place for regrets.
• Sometimes I wish life was like Facebook, where you can go back and delete everything you have said and done!
• Don’t regret the bad times, they have shown you that you are strong enough to overcome them and appreciate the good times.
• It’s nice to look back on your life and see things as lessons, and not regrets. – Rihanna
• I may regret the way we ended, but I will never regret what we had.
• Don’t regret what you did, only regret what you didn’t do.
• The worst regret we have in life is not for the wrong things we did, but for the thousands of right things we did for the wrong people.
• I don’t regret my past, I just regret the time I wasted with the wrong people.
• He who spends time regretting the past loses the present and risks the future.
• At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets. – Steve Maraboli
• Don’t live life with regrets; make every minute count because everything happens for a reason.

Moving Forward Without Regret Quotes

Moving past regret is crucial for personal growth and happiness. These quotes emphasize the importance of embracing the future and leaving the past behind, learning from it but not being held down by it.

• No amount of regretting can change the past, and no amount of worrying can change the future. – Roy Bennett
• Say what you feel, do what you think, give what you’ve got, but never regret.
• Everything happens for a reason! Therefore, I have no regrets.
• Our biggest asset is time. Yet, we waste it on regrets. Here’s to living a life worth each moment.
• I don’t regret any of the decisions I’ve made in my life because with every choice I make, I learn something new. – Siva Kaneswaren
• Remorse. Never yield to remorse, but at once tell yourself: remorse would simply mean adding to the first act of stupidity a second. – Friedrich Nietzsche
• Don’t regret any of your past because at the time it felt right and made you smile.
• Never regret something that once made you smile.
• Better a little caution than a great regret.
• The most painful thing to experience is not defeat but regret.
• If you’ve lived a life without regrets, you never lived.
• Don’t regret anything you enjoyed at the time!
• Today’s doubts are sure to become tomorrow’s regrets.
• That moment of regret for sending a text when you don’t get a reply and feeling like a fool.
• In life, you will say many things you regret, but you will regret many things that you didn’t say.
• Nothing can kill your soul more than the feeling of regret.
• A regret is a mistake learned.
• We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. – Trevor Noah
• If you aren’t in the moment, you are either looking forward to uncertainty or back to pain and regret. – Jim Carrey
• Nothing haunts us like the things we don’t say. – Mitch Albom

Quotes on Regret as a Teacher

Regret can teach us valuable lessons, helping us grow and make better choices in the future. These quotes highlight how regret can be a powerful motivator for self-improvement and personal development.

• Life comes only once, so live it without regrets.
• Action is cheaper than regret. – Shane Parrish
• If you only do what’s comfortable, you’ll never achieve what you want. Avoiding pain leads to regret. The pain of regret lasts forever. – Shane Parrish
• Never regret a word you say because you meant every word. Just the result wasn’t what you expected.
• Never be afraid to do the right thing, you’ll regret it if you don’t. Believe me.
• My only regret is not having more regrets.
• You might want to decide fast. We live in a dangerous world. If you see a chance to be happy, you have to fight for it, so later you have no regrets. – Ilona Andrews
• Life is too short to have regrets, hatred, or to look at yourself for hours in the mirror. Life isn’t perfect, so don’t expect it to be.
• Shoulda, coulda, woulda. It’s so easy in the past tense. – Sarah Dessen
• Why regret that I lived miserably yesterday? Rather, why not commit and resolve to live happily today. – RVM
• Nothing in my life is regretted, just a lesson learned.
• Live it up, drink it down. Take chances because I don’t regret the things I’ve done, I regret what I didn’t do when I had the chance.
• No machine of torture could ever equal the relentless and ceaseless pain of regret. It consumes the soul and deprives it of its sanity.
• What cannot be repaired, need not be regretted.
• The regret of my life is that I have not said ‘I love you’ often enough. – Yoko Ono
• Days pass and feelings fade. I’m wondering if you regret the decision you made.
• When I look into your eyes, there’s nothing there to see, nothing but my own mistakes staring back at me.
• One day I will become great and she’s gonna regret it.
• I regret that it takes a life to learn how to live. – Jonathan Safran Foer
• Sure, you wish you did some things differently. But there is no sense in becoming burdened with regret over things you have no power to change. – Rihanna

Regret is an inevitable part of life, but how we handle it defines who we become. Instead of letting regret consume you, use it as a tool for growth. These quotes remind us to live boldly, make the most of every moment, and accept our choices—whether they lead to joy or regret—as part of the journey. So live without fear, embrace mistakes, and remember: every moment is a lesson, not a loss.