--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What good is regret? It brings back…" description: "\"What good is regret? It brings back nothing. What we have lost is irretrievable.\" — Khaled Hosseini" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/khaled-hosseini-251_lost_what-good-is-regret-it-brings-back-nothi_2704360.png" --- # What good is regret? It brings back nothing. What we have… ![“What good is regret? It brings back nothing. What we have lost is irretrievable.” quote by Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/khaled-hosseini-251_lost_what-good-is-regret-it-brings-back-nothi_2704360.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/khaled-hosseini-251_lost_what-good-is-regret-it-brings-back-nothi_2704360.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/khaled-hosseini-251_lost_what-good-is-regret-it-brings-back-nothi_2704360.png) > “What good is regret? It brings back nothing. What we have lost is irretrievable.” [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) ## 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 futile because it cannot restore what is lost; acceptance is wiser. **In simple terms:** Regret cannot bring back what’s gone. Key Takeaway Accept loss, move forward. Themes acceptance loss wisdom Mood thoughtful somber Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - grieving - decision making - personal growth - conflict resolution Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What lessons can you extract from past losses? - How does acceptance differ from denial? A Different Perspective Regret can motivate learning; dismissing it entirely may hinder reflection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-regret-2757754/) [Irretrievable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irretrievable-2757757/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Lost Irretrievable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-irretrievable-2757756/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Regret Brings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret-brings-2757755/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes the thought of regret brings up things that you forgot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-surette/sometimes-the-thought-of-regret-brings-up-things-that-you-forgot/) [Jade Surette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-surette/) > [“Sometimes, laughing like a lunatic can be the best solution. Or crying loudly into a pillow. But don't regret anything. Always tell yourself "I.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-estrada/sometimes-laughing-like-a-lunatic-can-be-the-best-solution-or-crying/) [Victoria Estrada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-estrada/) > [“It does little good to regret a choice. So often people say, “If only I had known,” implying they would’ve acted differently in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-ritz/it-does-little-good-to-regret-a-choice-so-often-people-say-if-only-i/) [K. Ritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-ritz/) > [Curiosity began my journey, which led to regret, which brings me always to wonder and dedication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-cokinos/curiosity-began-my-journey-which-led-to-regret-which-brings-me-always/) [Christopher Cokinos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-cokinos/) > [The last moments slipped by, one by one, irretrievable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/the-last-moments-slipped-by-one-by-one-irretrievable/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [Fret not over the irretrievable, but ever act as if thy life were just begun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/fret-not-over-the-irretrievable-but-ever-act-as-if-thy-life-were-just/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Two things remain irretrievable: time and a first impression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/two-things-remain-irretrievable-time-and-a-first-impression/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [“But “if it’s destroyed in the course of the normal policy and litigation is filed the next day, that’s great, you know, because we’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-mclean/but-if-it-s-destroyed-in-the-course-of-the-normal-policy-and/) [Bethany McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-mclean/) > [“I think that everything he did, feeding the poor, giving money to friends in need, it was all a way of redeeming himself. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-think-that-everything-he-did-feeding-the-poor-giving-money-to/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Educate yourself, learn about what refugees face when they don't have homes, after they have lost everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/educate-yourself-learn-about-what-refugees-face-when-they-don-t-have/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Better to have loved and lost than to live with regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-pun/better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-to-live-with-regret/) [Big Pun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-pun/) > [This, in my judgment, is the highest philosophy: First, do not regret having lost yesterday; second, do not fear that you will lose tomorrow;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/this-in-my-judgment-is-the-highest-philosophy-first-do-not-regret/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [To dwell in the here and now does not mean you never think about the past or responsibly plan for the future. The idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-dwell-in-the-here-and-now-does-not-mean-you-never-think-about-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never fight on the wrong side; you might win but the burden of guilt is more than a loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-salan/never-fight-on-the-wrong-side-you-might-win-but-the-burden-of-guilt/) [Lilian Salan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-salan/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Khaled Hosseini > [“Winter was every kid’s favorite season in Kabul, at least those whose fathers could afford to buy a good iron stove. The reason was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/winter-was-every-kid-s-favorite-season-in-kabul-at-least-those-whose/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Their fights didn’t so much end as dissipate, like a drop of ink in a bowl of water, with a residual taint that lingered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/their-fights-didn-t-so-much-end-as-dissipate-like-a-drop-of-ink-in-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“I think that everything he did, feeding the poor, giving money to friends in need, it was all a way of redeeming himself. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-think-that-everything-he-did-feeding-the-poor-giving-money-to/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“it always falls on the sober to pay for the sins of the drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/it-always-falls-on-the-sober-to-pay-for-the-sins-of-the-drunk/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Mariam knew that life for the most part had been unkind to her. But as she walked the final twenty paces, she could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/mariam-knew-that-life-for-the-most-part-had-been-unkind-to-her-but-as/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“I pray. I pray that my sins have not caught up with me the way I'd always feared they would.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-pray-i-pray-that-my-sins-have-not-caught-up-with-me-the-way-i-d/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“shoes: that putting them on a bed invited death into the family, that a quarrel would follow if one put on the left shoe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/shoes-that-putting-them-on-a-bed-invited-death-into-the-family-that-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I have a theory about marriage, Monsieur Boustouler. And it's that nearly always you will know within two weeks if it's going to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-have-a-theory-about-marriage-monsieur-boustouler-and-it-s-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [The short of it is, as an aspiring writer, there is nothing as damaging to your credibility as saying that you don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/the-short-of-it-is-as-an-aspiring-writer-there-is-nothing-as-damaging/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving Afghan women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/throughout-the-last-century-there-were-multiple-attempts-at-giving/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [At that moment, she cannot think of a more reckless, irrational thing than choosing to become a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/at-that-moment-she-cannot-think-of-a-more-reckless-irrational-thing/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“He says this is war. There is no shame in war. Tell him he's wrong. War doesn't negate decency. It demands it, even more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/he-says-this-is-war-there-is-no-shame-in-war-tell-him-he-s-wrong-war/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [For many people in the west, Afghanistan is synonymous with the Soviet war and the Taliban. I wanted to remind people that Afghans had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/for-many-people-in-the-west-afghanistan-is-synonymous-with-the-soviet/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Educate yourself, learn about what refugees face when they don't have homes, after they have lost everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/educate-yourself-learn-about-what-refugees-face-when-they-don-t-have/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Rahim Khan laughed. “Children aren’t coloring books. You don’t get to fill them with your favorite colors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/rahim-khan-laughed-children-aren-t-coloring-books-you-don-t-get-to/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) [Explore all 697 Khaled Hosseini quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) ## More Lost quotes > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [“A sense of desolation settled within me: a cold, slimy stone lodged under my lungs. 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They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) [Browse all 13,631 Lost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What good is regret? It brings back nothing. 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