---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: R-E-G-R-E-T. I can spell that word now…"
description: "\"“R-E-G-R-E-T. I can spell that word now. Raw. Endless. Grief. Raining. Eternal. Tears. That’s what regret is.”\" — Karen Marie Moning"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/karen-marie-moning-189_grief_r-e-g-r-e-t-i-can-spell-that-word-now-ra_1797088.png"
---

#  R-E-G-R-E-T. I can spell that word now. Raw. Endless…

![“R-E-G-R-E-T. I can spell that word now. Raw. Endless. Grief. Raining. Eternal. Tears. That’s what regret is.” quote by Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/karen-marie-moning-189_grief_r-e-g-r-e-t-i-can-spell-that-word-now-ra_1797088.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/karen-marie-moning-189_grief_r-e-g-r-e-t-i-can-spell-that-word-now-ra_1797088.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/karen-marie-moning-189_grief_r-e-g-r-e-t-i-can-spell-that-word-now-ra_1797088.png)

> ““R-E-G-R-E-T. I can spell that word now. Raw. Endless. Grief. Raining. Eternal. Tears. That’s what regret is.””

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Regret is described as a cascade of raw emotions—grief, rain, tears—painting it as an overwhelming, endless state.

**In simple terms:** Regret feels endless and painful.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge grief, seek healing.

Themes

regret grief emotional overwhelm

Mood

somber introspective

Type

poetic emotional

When to use this quote

- breakups
- loss
- personal failure

Key Concepts

psychology mental health

Questions to Reflect On

- How can one break the cycle?
- What practices lessen regret?

A Different Perspective

Regret can dominate thoughts if unprocessed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/)

## Related quotes

> [Tears of regret flowing like a river flowing wash dirt liver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siotto-castello/tears-of-regret-flowing-like-a-river-flowing-wash-dirt-liver/)

Siotto Castello

> [Why do what you will regret? Why bring tears upon yourself? Do only what you do not regret, And fill yourself with joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/why-do-what-you-will-regret-why-bring-tears-upon-yourself-do-only/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [“Don’t be sad for me unless you’re prepared to be sad your whole lives. Otherwise forget it. What good’s a couple of hard weeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/don-t-be-sad-for-me-unless-you-re-prepared-to-be-sad-your-whole-lives/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [Broken...Into a million little pieces. Blood splatters the wall. Mixed with tears and regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/broken-into-a-million-little-pieces-blood-splatters-the-wall-mixed/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/the-savior-can-wipe-away-our-tears-of-regret/)

[Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/)

> [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“grief’s drink recipe is two parts tribute to the person you loved and four parts feeling sorry for yourself because you lost them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/grief-s-drink-recipe-is-two-parts-tribute-to-the-person-you-loved-and/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“Grief helps you come to grips with the loss of a loved one. Guilt helps you make better moral decisions or bring you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/grief-helps-you-come-to-grips-with-the-loss-of-a-loved-one-guilt/)

[Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/)

> [“Our study of psychoneurotic disturbances points to a more comprehensive explanation, which includes that of Westermarck. When a wife loses her husband, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/our-study-of-psychoneurotic-disturbances-points-to-a-more/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“Alana, You once told me there'd come a day when I would regret making you marry me. I do regret it now, Alana, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meagan-mckinney/alana-you-once-told-me-there-d-come-a-day-when-i-would-regret-making/)

Meagan McKinney

> [“Further in, looming somewhere underneath his outward expression, lies a hint of regret and sorrow. I can see it. I can feel it. We’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-ericson/further-in-looming-somewhere-underneath-his-outward-expression-lies-a/)

[Renee Ericson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-ericson/)

> [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/)

[Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/)

> [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/)

[Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/)

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. But no matter how deeply you live, it comes to this in the end: one of you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/they-had-lived-they-d-lived-intensely-but-no-matter-how-deeply-you/)

[Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/)

## More by Karen Marie Moning

> [“I can either be a victim—or a winner. Fuck victimhood. I don’t wear it well; it clashes with my wardrobe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-can-either-be-a-victim-or-a-winner-fuck-victimhood-i-don-t-wear-it/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Some things are sacred. Until you act like they're not. Then you lose them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/some-things-are-sacred-until-you-act-like-they-re-not-then-you-lose/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Who would ever understand me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/who-would-ever-understand-me/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Sometimes, Ms. Lane," he said, "one must break with one's past to embrace one's future. It is never an easy thing to do. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/sometimes-ms-lane-he-said-one-must-break-with-one-s-past-to-embrace/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“I think I’m under control, that I’ve stripped away all weaknesses. That committing to my mission has made me impervious. I’m wrong. The thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-think-i-m-under-control-that-i-ve-stripped-away-all-weaknesses-that/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Desire makes life happen. Makes it matter. Makes everything worth it. Desire is life. Hunger to see the next sunrise or sunset, to touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/desire-makes-life-happen-makes-it-matter-makes-everything-worth-it/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“Finally, someone had seen him. And what had he done? Let her get away. Undermined by his disgusting human anatomy. It had just been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/finally-someone-had-seen-him-and-what-had-he-done-let-her-get-away/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“Our sex is fierce. We will both be bruised. "I want it to always be like this," I tell him. "Try holding onto that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/our-sex-is-fierce-we-will-both-be-bruised-i-want-it-to-always-be-like/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Keep hoping to see the light in her eyes. Even knowing it'll mean she's saying good-bye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/keep-hoping-to-see-the-light-in-her-eyes-even-knowing-it-ll-mean-she/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Strength wasn‘t about being able to do everything alone. Strength was knowing when to ask for help and not being too proud to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/strength-wasn-t-about-being-able-to-do-everything-alone-strength-was/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“He swapped the fistful of my shirt for one in my hair, and ground his mouth against mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/he-swapped-the-fistful-of-my-shirt-for-one-in-my-hair-and-ground-his/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [He’s so beautiful,” she said wistfully. “He’s like an angel.” “Yep,” I agreed flatly. “The one that fell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/he-s-so-beautiful-she-said-wistfully-he-s-like-an-angel-yep-i-agreed/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [And when he did that, my hands curled into fists because I thought about touching his face like maybe I could catch joy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/and-when-he-did-that-my-hands-curled-into-fists-because-i-thought/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“Flattered as I am that you count me among the beautiful people, Barrons, allow me to point out that I’m still alive. I encountered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/flattered-as-i-am-that-you-count-me-among-the-beautiful-people/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

[Explore all 940 Karen Marie Moning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

## More Grief quotes

> [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. But no matter how deeply you live, it comes to this in the end: one of you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/they-had-lived-they-d-lived-intensely-but-no-matter-how-deeply-you/)

[Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/)

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/)

[Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/)

> [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/)

[Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/)

> [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“When we learn to attribute meaning to the events in our lives, we connect with our Higher Purpose, Higher Wisdom, or Source; we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-learn-to-attribute-meaning-to-the-events-in-our-lives-we/)

[Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/)

> [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/)

[Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/)

> [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/)

[Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/)

> [Suppressed grief suffocates, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/suppressed-grief-suffocates-it-rages-within-the-breast-and-is-forced/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [That Woman is in love with her own grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/that-woman-is-in-love-with-her-own-grief/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [“You've been my beacon of light in my storm of grief, and I don't know if I could live without you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ashley/you-ve-been-my-beacon-of-light-in-my-storm-of-grief-and-i-don-t-know/)

[Katie Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ashley/)

> [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

[Browse all 8,012 Grief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“R-E-G-R-E-T. I can spell that word now. Raw. Endless. Grief. Raining. Eternal. Tears. That’s what regret is.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Karen Marie Moning"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/r-e-g-r-e-t-i-can-spell-that-word-now-raw-endless-grief-raining/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Grief"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/r-e-g-r-e-t-i-can-spell-that-word-now-raw-endless-grief-raining/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/karen-marie-moning-189_grief_r-e-g-r-e-t-i-can-spell-that-word-now-ra_1797088.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/karen-marie-moning-189_grief_r-e-g-r-e-t-i-can-spell-that-word-now-ra_1797088.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/karen-marie-moning-189_grief_r-e-g-r-e-t-i-can-spell-that-word-now-ra_1797088.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“R-E-G-R-E-T. I can spell that word now. Raw. Endless. Grief. Raining. Eternal. Tears. That’s what regret is.” — Karen Marie Moning",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Karen Marie Moning",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“R-E-G-R-E-T. I can spell that word...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/r-e-g-r-e-t-i-can-spell-that-word-now-raw-endless-grief-raining/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/r-e-g-r-e-t-i-can-spell-that-word-now-raw-endless-grief-raining/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```