I Did It Quotes 🔅 🔅 🔅 Best Wishes to You

Our latest collection of regret quotes that will help you move forward.

We hear the thought often that people are more disappointed with the things they did not do, than the things they did not do well when they reflect upon their lives. I think nothing could be truer.

While we may not be successful at everything we try, while we may fail miserably, at least we will never have to ask ourselves the question, “What if??” When we look back on our lives what will we remember?

Will we remember the times we stumbled, but picked ourselves back up, or will we fixate on the things that we failed out, and never tried again.

There is a great deal to be learned from failure, and there is nothing to learn from avoiding doing something completely, except that we did not have the courage to try.

Some people learned this lesson and learned it with grace. Let me share some of what they discovered.

Below you'll find our collection of inspirational, wise, and encouraging regret quotes, regret sayings, and regret proverbs, collected from a variety of sources over the years.

Regret Quotes And The Things We Didn’t Do

1. Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it.— Eliza Tabor

2. “If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.”– Henry David Thoreau

4. “The principles of living greatly include the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and trial with humility.”― Thomas S. Monson

5. “There’s always failure. And there’s always disappointment. And there’s always loss. But the secret is learning from the loss, and realizing that none of those holes are vacuums.”― Michael J. Fox

6. “Disenchantment, whether it is a minor disappointment or a major shock, is the signal that things are moving into transition in our lives.”― William Throsby Bridges

7. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
― Jackson Brown Jr., P.S. I Love You

Regret Quotes And How To Move Forward

8. “When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.”
― Paulo Coelho, Brida

9. “It was one of those times you feel a sense of loss, even though you didn't have something in the first place. I guess that's what disappointment is- a sense of loss for something you never had.”
― Deb Caletti, The Nature of Jade

10. “If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.”
― Henry David Thoreau, I to Myself: An Annotated Selection from the Journal of Henry D. Thoreau

11. “Disappointment is a sort of bankruptcy – the bankruptcy of a soul that expends too much in hope and expectation.”
― Eric Hoffer

― Margaret Atwood, Negotiating with the Dead

13. “Joy is sometimes a blessing, but it is often a conquest. Our magic moment helps us to change and sends us off in search of our dreams. Yes, we are going to suffer, we will have difficult times, and we will experience many disappointments — but all of this is transitory it leaves no permanent mark. And one day we will look back with pride and faith at the journey we have taken.”
―Paulo Coelho, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

14. “You really didn't see the sadness or the longing unless you already knew it was there. But that was the trick, wasn't it? Everyone had their disappointment and their baggage; only, some people carried it in their inside pockets and not on their backs.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves

15. “The strength of a love is always misjudged if we evaluate it by its immediate cause and not the stress that went before it, the dark and hollow space full of disappointment and loneliness that precedes all the great events in the heart's history.”
― Stefan Zweig, The Burning Secret and other stories

Other regret quotes and sayings

16. “Don’t waste your time in anger, regrets, worries, and grudges. Life is too short to be unhappy.” – Roy T. Bennett

17. “It's better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.” – Jackie Joyner-Kersee

18. “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

19. “If I'm sincere today, what does it matter if I regret it tomorrow?” – José Saramago

20. “One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” – Shannon L. Alder

21. “There was a long hard time when I kept far from me the remembrance of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth.” – Charles Dickens

22. “Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.” – Arthur Miller

23. “If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.” – Mercedes Lackey

24. “The mistakes I've made are dead to me. But I can't take back the things I never did.” – Jonathan Safran Foer

25. “You might be looking for reasons but there are no reasons.” – Nina LaCour

Which regret quote was your favorite? Why?

The reason that we are so much more disappointed with the things we never did than the things that we did poorly, is that at least we can answer the question for ourselves, this is how this would have gone. This is what would have happened had I tried to accomplish this, good or bad.

Inspirational achievement quotes about success and greatness

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.”

“Trust because you are willing to accept the risk, not because it's safe or certain.”

“Good things come to people who wait, but better things come to those who go out and get them.”

“If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got.”

The best achievement quotes for work and life

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.” – Proverb

“Successful entrepreneurs are givers and not takers of positive energy.”

“Whenever you see a successful person you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them.” – Vaibhav Shah

“Opportunities don't happen, you create them.” – Chris Grosser

“Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” – Albert Einstein

“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“If you don't value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents – start charging for it.” – Kim Garst

“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” – David Brinkley

Famous achievement quotes and sayings to inspire you

“If you're going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill

“The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do.”

“Don't raise your voice, improve your argument.”

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”

“When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.” – Lolly Daskal

“No masterpiece was ever created by a lazy artist.”

Powerful quotes about achievement, success, and love

“Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.”

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”

“What's the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable.”

“Nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.”

“Knowledge is being aware of what you can do. Wisdom is knowing when not to do it.”

“Your problem isn't the problem. Your reaction is the problem.”

“You can do anything, but not everything.”

Achievement quotes to help you reach your highest potential

“There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.” – Ray Goforth

“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson

“All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.” – Michael John Bobak

“You may only succeed if you desire succeeding; you may only fail if you do not mind failing.” – Philippos

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain

Remarkable achievement quotes and sayings to help you reach your goals

“Achievement is not about ‘doing something.’ Rather, it’s about ‘being someone.”― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“Realize, rise and act – make mistakes, fall hard, then rise again and try again.”― Abhijit Naskar

“It is little keys that open up big doors.” – On small steps leading to great achievements”― Lamine Pearlheart

“Mistakes are the foundation of achievement.”― Steven Magee

“When a person is connected to its true essence, there is nothing more rewarding than continuously developing it; there is no money that can buy the pleasure of putting into practice the talents each person has.”― Claudia Acevedo

“There can be no real achievement without any struggle!”― Avijeet Das

“To succeed, you must never give on yourself.”― Lailah Gifty Akita

“Getting something done is an accomplishment; getting something done right is an achievement.”―

“If you keep working at it, if you keep moving forward, you will achieve what you want.”― Leigh Shulman

“To achieve something that you have never achieved before, you must become someone that you have never been before.”― Les Brown

“If you go out without a plan, you will return home without any achievement.”― Awolumate Samuel

“You have a choice, you can be someone who makes it happen or someone who lets it happen.”― Bobby Darnell

“If talent is the floor and character the ceiling, then work-ethic is the altitude of personal achievement.”― Orrin Woodward

“Accept no limitations and you'll have no limitations.”
― Clyde Lee Dennis

“Greatness is never achieved in the realm of dreams but in the realm of reality and the only way to achieving that greatness is to convert your time into added value to yourself and then to others.”― Sunday Adelaja

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

Other motivational achievement quotes

“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.” – Paulo Coelho

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry S. Truman

“Don't mistake activity with achievement.” – John Wooden

“To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” – Anatole France

“Achievement has no color.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Patience is not a virtue. It is an achievement.” – Vera Nazarian

“You are the greatest achievement of your own life.” – Sarah Rees Brennan

“Every achievement is a servitude. It compels us to a higher achievement.” – Albert Camus

“Great achievement requires personal force, determined spirit and self-confidence.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

We hope you enjoyed these awesome achievement quotes!

It’s not easy to believe in your dreams. But with perseverance, time, and the right people beside you, nothing’s impossible. Not to folks who believe.

Master quote curator and editor on a mission to • […] –> The first installment

inspire.

March 10, 2022 6:00 AM EST

Timo

May 8, 2022 at 5:09 AMGreat points.Achieving one’s goals is a complex matter, and you were correct to break this down into several points.Often, for me and others, it’s a combination of factors and the edges can get blurred. The one thing in common is that self-motivation and urgency will override these barriers. Therefore, I try to focus on these

solutions.Thanks for sharing.“It always seems

impossible until it's done.” – Nelson Mandela“To believe a thing impossible is to make it

so.” – French Proverb“Never tell a young person that anything cannot be done. God may have been waiting centuries for someone ignorant enough of the impossible to do

that very thing.” – G. M. Trevelyan“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become

inevitable.” – Christopher Reeve“Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before

breakfast.” – Lewis Carroll“It is either

easy or impossible.” – Salvador Dali“To the timid and hesitating everything is impossible because

it seems so.” – Sir Walter Scott“We have more power than will; and it is often by way of excuse to ourselves that we fancy things are impossible.” – Francois Duc De

la Rochefoucauld“Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is

done.” – Robert A. Heinlein“The word impossible is not in

my dictionary.” – Napoleon Bonaparte“Impossible only means that you haven’t found the

solution yet.” “No one gets very far unless he accomplishes the impossible at least

once a day.” – Elbert Hubbard“Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it impossible for

anyone to accomplish.” – Marcus Aurelius“What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we

are.” – Anthony Robbins“The impossible often has a kind of integrity which the merely improbable

lacks.” – Douglas Adams“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of

them as impossible.” – Vince Lombardi“The only place where your dream becomes impossible is in your own

thinking.” – Robert Schuller“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the

impossible.” “In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt

the absurd.” – Miguel de Cervantes“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of

failure.” – Paulo Coelho“Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And when they fail, their failure should be a challenge

to others.” – Amelia Earhart“Believe and act as if it were impossible to

fail.” – Charles F. Kettering“Every noble work is at first

impossible.” – Thomas Carlyle“There is nothing impossible to him

who will try.” – Alexander the Great“It’s kind of fun to do

the impossible.” – Walt Disney

About Joel Runyon• These are great, Joel. My favorite is by far the last one by

Disney. 🙂I love that you continue to challenge people to do what they have believed to

be impossible. Keep it up!• I have about 3 favorite ones here, but that's one of 'em. Thanks David! Keep doing the Impossible at HD. Better see you speak at SXSW

this spring 🙂comes close.

easy or impossible.” – Salvador DaliThat's ridiculous ! The Apollo moon landings weren't easy. Defeating Nazism wasn't easy. Finding a cure • […] of traffic [just wrote the most trafficked article ever on the

[…]
• […] Gratitude, impossible, Inner Strength, living at 6:00 pm by Sarah I read
a quote on a blog by
Joel Runyon. His blog is all about doing
the “impossible.” It's a really

great […]• […] can read inspirational quotes until your

vision gets blurry. You can read and re-read about writing a better story

with your […]• […] I Do The Impossible It's kind of

fun to do the impossible – Walt […]

• […] of your reality. Do something you've always wanted
to – and ignore the price tag on it. Get inspired. Conquer fear. Write an ebook. (Make sure it doesn't suck.) Stomp on a

white picket fence just […]advice to bring action to a dull day! 🙂

• Very inspirational quotes! thanks for sharing

• This is easily my favorite one:

“We have more power than will; and it is often by way of excuse to ourselves that we fancy things are impossible.”

The word “can't” is all in our heads. I don't think of things as impossible on a full term scale. At this point in time, it is not possible for me to do one unassisted pull-up, but at some point in the future, I will be able to do one 🙂

• it's often an excuse, an easy way out. It's a lot easier to say it's flat-out impossible than to admit it's just impossible for you, right now.

That's why I like Marcus Aurelius's quote 🙂 . When's the deadline for the pull-up?

• I LOVE THE MIGUEL DE CERVANTES QUOTE!!! Nikola Tesla was “insane” for proposing impossible inventions like “the radio”. Those that thought the world was round and not flat were “insane” and “blasphemous”!!!!!!!

• Tesla was a nut! He was also pretty frickin' brilliant! I've read about him on the web, but I need to sit down with his biographer and give it a proper reading. For now, I'm off to attempt the absurd.

• Tesla was a genius of extraordinary proportions; and such an enigma. His life story is fascinating.

Here's a few nuggets from Arthur C. Clarke:

“Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases: It's completely impossible. It's possible, but it's not worth doing. I said it was a good idea all along.”

Clarke's three laws:

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is probably wrong.

2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

• Haven't heard of Arthur C. Clarke before…I'll have to look him up. So much reading to do!

• Nicola Tesla is “the man who invented the 20th century”. More specifically, he invented the 3-phase electric motor. This motor is the one that industry uses to do all the “heavy lifting” in manufacturing. Without the 3-phase electric motor, the 20th century would *not* be the one • “It is either

child isn't easy. The list is

endless. Some quotes are just silly.• Impossibly incredible post, Joel.Hard to pick

a favorite but,“It is either easy or impossible.” – Salvador Daliis a definite contender.Thanks

• I love the 3rd! Two others come to mind:

“Do one thing every day that scares you” (unknown)“I guess I'm not really good at reality” (Ferriss, The Four Hour Workweek)Love it Joel! Thanks for the inspiration!!• Thank you Josh!“Do one thing everyday that scares

you” – I like that a lot 🙂• I like it also. It's terrifyingly good enough to know they were impossible.” This bodes well for me. 🙂

• One of my favourite Chinese proverbs:

“The person who says it cannot be done, should not interrupt the person who is doing it”

• “The word impossible is not in my dictionary.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

How cocky was he? But that's the kind of mentality we should all have.

• “The man who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the one doing it.” – Chinese proverb

• Great quotes! I got a few more:

Christopher Morley (1890-1957):
“There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.”

Anais Nin (1903-1977):
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.”

Indira Gandhi (1917-1984):
“There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.”

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963):
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
“We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes.”

• These are great, Joel! Thank you so much for sharing with everyone.

I'm really liking the GM Trevelyan quote. How often does this occur…the dreams & exuberance of youth squelched out by the limitations of adults??!? What else is possible?! How can adults set aside their limitations to allow the dreams of youth to occur?! WOW!

So grateful for your sharing!
Sarah

• very inspirational all of them 🙂 I always say IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING 😉

• Here is my favorite quote on the topic, “The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.” -Chinese Proverb

• I've got one more, my favorite poem by Shel Silverstein

Listen to the musn'ts child,
Listen to the don'ts,
Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts,
Listen to the neverhaves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child,
Anything can be.

• Shel Silverstein is awesome. What collection does this happen to for cancer isn't easy. Comforting a dying

that you recognize.• Wooo! Very nice, man. My fav:“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.”If I was

smart I would read that every day. Simply thinking positive can go such a long way.• Print it out. Make it your wallpaper. Read it everyday. What's stopping you
🙂• I really like the Alexander the

Great quote – “There is nothing impossible to him who will try”. So true. If you don't try you'll never know and it will always seem impossible and out of reach. I also like this quote by Doug Larson:

“Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart quote… “If you believe in the impossible, the incredible can come true”

• Thanks Adrian – any idea who that's from?

• nothing is impossible its just time which take place to make that possible……

• “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't–you're probably right.” – Henry Ford

• Hey Joel,

I normally thought that many things were impossible until I got to see them happening.

I think that's why I love to watch amazing things happen and now I normally think “I believe it can be possible”.

The right mindset changes everything.

Sergio

• Very inspirational Joel! I am starting a website and this was very encouraging for me.

Todd

• I like this quote by Fridtjof Hansen:
“The difficult is what takes a little time; the impossible is what takes a little longer.” He was a Norwegian (born 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a record northern latitude of 86°14′ during his North Pole expedition of 1893–96.

• I especially like a commercial (yes… ;)) about “impossible”. This is from Adidas.

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they have been given, rather than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It is an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It is a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

• Great collection and very inpiring! I immediately felt that I missed Arthur C. Cark's quote about the limits of the possible, because I went along with that one for quite some time. But for me it was more like: I really wonder, where the limit is. And when I made a guess and went there — it was not.

But anyway, I like this place and very likely come back. 🙂

• How about “Impossible is just an opinion.” by Paulo Coelho

• “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't; you are right.” – Henry Ford

• “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda (Former manager of the LA Dodgers)

Read some of your impossible quotes and though of be in?• It's in Where
the Sidewalk Ends. It is one

of the few poems I've also managed to carry around in my head (aka memorize)• Brilliant set of quotes there. They've given me some important motivation

to keep on going when I need to, as has your blog.
Keep on going and keep being awesome. Cheers

• The Lewis Caroll quote is one of my ultimate favorites. I really like how much emphasis

they put on it in the new Alice in Wonderland movie.• These are all

great, I really like Paulo Coelho's. Just thought I'd add on with my favorite what you've always got

A distraction is only a distraction if you pay attention to it

The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything

Fear is something you learn. You are not born with it

Remember, no-one can make you feel inferior without your consent” Eleanor Roosevelt

We cannot discover new oceans until we have the courage
to lose sight of the shore “Muriel Chen”

Success is often achieved by those who don't know that
failure is inevitable “Coco Chanel”
Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world “Arthur Schopenhauer”

• Thank you so much for this 🙂 and also for “Do the impossible” pdf……. I am making 2014 calender out of it…… My 2022 is going to be awesome!!

• So my neighbour has this 2000 Mustang that I really badly want but problem is he's selling it for 6,200$
And I'm 15 yrs old and the type of jobs I can get are minimal,
My parents say it's impossible for me to get the mustang at my age. So idk what to do I need some motivation,

• When we want to know about the horoscope for love and marriage it is simply
to know about the relationship of two opposite sex people.

Stop making excuses, and take responsibility for your actions.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundaysare suitable days for them.

• Hi David, Thanks for sharing! These quotes are really amazing. They have power to inspire & motivate anyone. Keep sharing such wonderful quotes.

• Good Day:

Joel Runyon has it spot on , you may at any given time or place be challenged as I was during my military service as follows:

David you are completely in charge;
But you better be right !

Impossible, only happens when we ourselves extricate the possibility of providing personally the solution to the bigger picture.

David Murph Henderson

• Nothing is impossible, but to convince someone who is always right that they are wrong this one. Your encouraging words

Trackbacks

are great.– Graham Page• How about this one: “The person who

says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.” not sure who said it but i like it.• i loved this site and i

liked the napoleon bonaparte's quote:the word impossible is not in my dictionary• Impossible is not

a word. It's just a reason for someone not to try – Kutless

• I love this site … here is a few inspirational quotes that I live by …If you do what you have

always done, you will get of 25 impossible quotes […]

• […] what’s literally impossible? You tell me. “It always seems impossible until its done.” – Nelson […]

• […] The impossible isn’t. Impossible is just a word most people use to describe things they're scared to bring into existence. It's an artificial barrier we put up to keep us from living an amazing life and doing what we really want to do. Once we get past that word, we realize that, like Walt Disney said, “It's kind of fun to do the impossible.” […]

• […] take some sort of pride in slogging through mundane work and treat it as a battle scar. I love the great impossible quotes about getting stuff done and not letting excuses get in your way – they're needed and […]

• […] 25 Quotes To Inspire You To Do The Impossible […]

• […] It's cool to think about all the idea connections going on in crafting or ceramics or personal finance or living in a tiny house or doing impossible things. […]

• […] was a no-brainer and I commissioned him to do a piece based on one of my most popular posts ever—25 Impossible Quotes—a year-and-a-half-old post that gets crazy amounts of Stumble Upon and social media […]

• […] just read 25 Quotes To Inspire You To Do The Impossible on triathlete, traveller and spear-thrower Joel Runyon's Blog of Impossible Things, with […]

• […] You can do it! […]

• […] “It always seems impossible until its done.” – Nelson Mandela […]

• […] 25 inspiring quotes to challenge the impossible […]