--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started with the firm conviction that…" description: "\"I started with the firm conviction that when I came to the end, I wanted to be regretting the things that I had done, not the things I hadn't.\" — Micha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/michael-caine-1152_conviction_i-started-with-the-firm-conviction-that_652053.jpg" --- # I started with the firm conviction that when I came to the… ![“I started with the firm conviction that when I came to the end, I wanted to be regretting the things that I had done, not the things I hadn't.” quote by Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/michael-caine-1152_conviction_i-started-with-the-firm-conviction-that_652053.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/michael-caine-1152_conviction_i-started-with-the-firm-conviction-that_652053.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/michael-caine-1152_conviction_i-started-with-the-firm-conviction-that_652053.jpg) > “I started with the firm conviction that when I came to the end, I wanted to be regretting the things that I had done, not the things I hadn't.” [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He wants to end life without regrets, focusing on actions taken rather than missed opportunities. **In simple terms:** Aim to live fully, avoid regrets. Key Takeaway Take bold actions, seize chances. Themes legacy regret action Mood determined hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - relationships - travel - creative projects Key Concepts existentialism personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What would you do differently if you could? - How do you define a regret‑free life? A Different Perspective Regret can still occur despite effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Conviction Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction-came-5212197/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Firm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firm/) [Firm Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firm-conviction-2726859/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Regretting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regretting/) [Regretting Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regretting-things-887399/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanted Regretting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-regretting-5212196/) ## Related quotes > [I never regret anything. I always said that when I'm old, I want to be sitting there regretting the things that I did and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-never-regret-anything-i-always-said-that-when-i-m-old-i-want-to-be/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I hate myself for doing the things I do, I hate that I wake up regretting the things I have done, I hate feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley/i-hate-myself-for-doing-the-things-i-do-i-hate-that-i-wake-up/) [Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley/) > [Like everybody, I've stayed up at night regretting things - Why did I do that, say that - but at the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-patton/like-everybody-i-ve-stayed-up-at-night-regretting-things-why-did-i-do/) [Paula Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-patton/) > [Sometimes you regret the things you do, but they're over and done. Regretting the things you didn't do is tougher because they're still out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elin-hilderbrand/sometimes-you-regret-the-things-you-do-but-they-re-over-and-done/) [Elin Hilderbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elin-hilderbrand/) > [Maybe I'd stop regretting things if I stopped making the same mistake over and over again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-i-d-stop-regretting-things-if-i-stopped-making-the-same-mistake/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I really have to stop regretting things and start looking towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-really-have-to-stop-regretting-things-and-start-looking-towards-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you spend your whole life regretting things in the past, you'll never get to enjoy the things in your present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-spend-your-whole-life-regretting-things-in-the-past-you-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't go around regretting things that don't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil-thomson/i-don-t-go-around-regretting-things-that-don-t-happen/) [Virgil Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil-thomson/) > [“It's not the things that we did impulsively, without thought, without consideration of consequences that we end up regretting. It's the things we didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-gadziala/it-s-not-the-things-that-we-did-impulsively-without-thought-without/) [Jessica Gadziala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-gadziala/) > [If you spend your life regretting things in the past, before you know it... you will have wasted your life on regret .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-spend-your-life-regretting-things-in-the-past-before-you-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The only thing worse than regretting the things you've done is regretting the things you didn't do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-leahy/the-only-thing-worse-than-regretting-the-things-you-ve-done-is/) [Samantha Leahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-leahy/) > [There's no point regretting things. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. Life's too short to worry about things I've said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-williams/there-s-no-point-regretting-things-if-you-can-t-do-the-time-don-t-do/) [Robbie Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-williams/) > [It's my firm conviction that when Uncle Sam calls, by God we go, and we do the best that we can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-lee-ermey/it-s-my-firm-conviction-that-when-uncle-sam-calls-by-god-we-go-and-we/) [R. Lee Ermey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-lee-ermey/) > [“I have come to have the firm conviction that vanity is the basis of everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/i-have-come-to-have-the-firm-conviction-that-vanity-is-the-basis-of/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“The devil may in the details, but I've a firm conviction many angels reside there as well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-a-chrisman/the-devil-may-in-the-details-but-i-ve-a-firm-conviction-many-angels/) [Sarah A. Chrisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-a-chrisman/) ## More by Michael Caine > [That to me is what my idea of film acting should be. There shouldn't be any acting. You should just be watching a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/that-to-me-is-what-my-idea-of-film-acting-should-be-there-shouldn-t/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [Theater acting is an operation with a scalpel, movie acting is an operation with a laser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/theater-acting-is-an-operation-with-a-scalpel-movie-acting-is-an/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [If you're a leading actor you don't work with another actor. You work with a lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/if-you-re-a-leading-actor-you-don-t-work-with-another-actor-you-work/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [“Be a duck, remain calm on the surface and paddle like hell underneath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/be-a-duck-remain-calm-on-the-surface-and-paddle-like-hell-underneath/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I try to make everyone around me feel comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-try-to-make-everyone-around-me-feel-comfortable/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [You can see all sorts of things in film acting if you know where to look and what to look for. One thing I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/you-can-see-all-sorts-of-things-in-film-acting-if-you-know-where-to/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I was a repertory actor, which meant that I did a play every week. I was a different character every week; for a year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-was-a-repertory-actor-which-meant-that-i-did-a-play-every-week-i/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [You start pretending to have fun, you might have a little by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/you-start-pretending-to-have-fun-you-might-have-a-little-by-accident/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [If you held a pistol at my head, I couldn't tell you who they're going to vote for Best Actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/if-you-held-a-pistol-at-my-head-i-couldn-t-tell-you-who-they-re-going/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I wear a baseball cap all the time, which I would never normally wear, and I walk very fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-wear-a-baseball-cap-all-the-time-which-i-would-never-normally-wear/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I've always loved reprehensible people because they're so much more interesting to play on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-ve-always-loved-reprehensible-people-because-they-re-so-much-more/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I want to stick around with the big boys. I don't want to be in the old folks home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-want-to-stick-around-with-the-big-boys-i-don-t-want-to-be-in-the/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I've been on movies where I literally couldn't hear what the other actor was saying. It's very awkward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-ve-been-on-movies-where-i-literally-couldn-t-hear-what-the-other/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [My father was a fish market porter. So I grew up on fish, because he used to steal one a day, I grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/my-father-was-a-fish-market-porter-so-i-grew-up-on-fish-because-he/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [The trouble with women? Elbows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/the-trouble-with-women-elbows/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) [Explore all 282 Michael Caine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) ## More Conviction quotes > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) > [I've been around in public life for a long time. I think people know what I stand for. They know that I have strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/i-ve-been-around-in-public-life-for-a-long-time-i-think-people-know/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [“Desert are you, deluge are you, in a crowd of fakes, only truth is you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/desert-are-you-deluge-are-you-in-a-crowd-of-fakes-only-truth-is-you/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/for-a-successful-revolution-it-is-not-enough-that-there-is-discontent/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > ['Peace on earth, good will toward men' - democracy must cling to that message. For it is my deep conviction that democracy cannot live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/peace-on-earth-good-will-toward-men-democracy-must-cling-to-that/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [ Beneath everything else, North and West, there ran a profound, unvoiced, almost subconscious conviction that the \[American\] nation was going to go on growing-in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-catton/beneath-everything-else-north-and-west-there-ran-a-profound-unvoiced/) [Bruce Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-catton/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [When you fight to give your family bread, that's not passion anymore: that's conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoel-romero/when-you-fight-to-give-your-family-bread-that-s-not-passion-anymore/) [Yoel Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoel-romero/) > [If you know the differences between an oak and a poplar, a spruce and a pine, down to the needles... you are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/if-you-know-the-differences-between-an-oak-and-a-poplar-a-spruce-and/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [We need the conviction to be able to think for ourselves and to take action outof our own sense of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/we-need-the-conviction-to-be-able-to-think-for-ourselves-and-to-take/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [The law of England has established trial by judge and jury in the conviction that it is the mode best calculated to ascertain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-law-of-england-has-established-trial-by-judge-and-jury-in-the/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [If you are going to flip something, you must have the courage of your convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/if-you-are-going-to-flip-something-you-must-have-the-courage-of-your/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [We embark unhesitatingly on the path, in a direction that is absolutely right and urgent, supported by everyone, in the knowledge that this path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehudi-menuhin/we-embark-unhesitatingly-on-the-path-in-a-direction-that-is/) [Yehudi Menuhin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehudi-menuhin/) [Browse all 2,157 Conviction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I started with the firm conviction that when I came to the end, I wanted to be regretting the things that I had done, not the things I hadn't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Caine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-started-with-the-firm-conviction-that-when-i-came-to-the-end-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conviction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-started-with-the-firm-conviction-that-when-i-came-to-the-end-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/michael-caine-1152_conviction_i-started-with-the-firm-conviction-that_652053.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/michael-caine-1152_conviction_i-started-with-the-firm-conviction-that_652053.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/michael-caine-1152_conviction_i-started-with-the-firm-conviction-that_652053.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I started with the firm conviction that when I came to the end, I wanted to be regretting the things that I…” — Michael Caine", "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": "Michael Caine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I started with the firm conviction...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-started-with-the-firm-conviction-that-when-i-came-to-the-end-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-started-with-the-firm-conviction-that-when-i-came-to-the-end-i/#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 } } ] } ```