---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: there is no greater misery than to…"
description: "\"“there is no greater misery than to remember, with bitter regret, a day when you were happy ”\" — Terry Brooks"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/terry-brooks-3252_regret_there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-remem_3007420.png"
---

#  there is no greater misery than to remember, with bitter…

![“there is no greater misery than to remember, with bitter regret, a day when you were happy” quote by Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/terry-brooks-3252_regret_there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-remem_3007420.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/terry-brooks-3252_regret_there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-remem_3007420.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/terry-brooks-3252_regret_there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-remem_3007420.png)

> ““there is no greater misery than to remember, with bitter regret, a day when you were happy ””

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

## About This Quote

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

Regret over lost happiness can be more painful than current sorrow.

**In simple terms:** Remembering past joy can cause deep regret.

Key Takeaway

Cherish present moments.

Themes

regret memory happiness

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

philosophical emotional

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- mental health
- relationships

Key Concepts

psychology emotional pain

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you honor past happiness without lingering regret?
- What practices help you stay present?

A Different Perspective

Regret may be mitigated by acceptance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bitter Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter-regret-4310210/) [Greater Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater-misery-2841521/) [Misery Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery-remember-3107242/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Regret Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret-day-849353/)

## Related quotes

> [If you are pitched into misery, remember that your days on this earth are counted and you might as well make the best of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/if-you-are-pitched-into-misery-remember-that-your-days-on-this-earth/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“I wondered if my head and heart would ever reconcile, or whether I'd just cursed myself to relive this moment for the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/i-wondered-if-my-head-and-heart-would-ever-reconcile-or-whether-i-d/)

[Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/)

> [A moment of prayerful reflection can prevent a lifetime of bitter regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-m-kroll/a-moment-of-prayerful-reflection-can-prevent-a-lifetime-of-bitter/)

[Woodrow M. Kroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-m-kroll/)

> [This can't last. This misery can't last. I must remember that and try to control myself. Nothing lasts really. Neither happiness nor despair. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-johnson/this-can-t-last-this-misery-can-t-last-i-must-remember-that-and-try/)

[Celia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-johnson/)

> [“I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition." -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-washington/i-have-learned-that-the-greater-part-of-our-misery-or-unhappiness-is/)

[Martha Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-washington/)

> [There is no greater misery than false joys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-of-clairvaux/there-is-no-greater-misery-than-false-joys/)

[Bernard of Clairvaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-of-clairvaux/)

> [No sadness is greater than in misery to rehearse memories of joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/no-sadness-is-greater-than-in-misery-to-rehearse-memories-of-joy/)

[Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/)

> [“There is no greater misery than to recall a time when you were happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-recall-a-time-when-you-were-happy/)

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

> [I loathed every day and regret every day I spent in school. I like to be taught to read and write and add and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-loathed-every-day-and-regret-every-day-i-spent-in-school-i-like-to/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [I highly regret this day in advance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mcmann/i-highly-regret-this-day-in-advance/)

[Lisa McMann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mcmann/)

> [It's not that I don't like you. I just don't want to be a part of anything Things that I will regret one day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louaiq8/it-s-not-that-i-don-t-like-you-i-just-don-t-want-to-be-a-part-of/)

[Louaiq8](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louaiq8/)

> [“Live Everyday with No Regrets, So you don't Regret it One day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samer-chidiac/live-everyday-with-no-regrets-so-you-don-t-regret-it-one-day/)

[Samer Chidiac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samer-chidiac/)

> [I never regret the day I met you, because it was the day I loved you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daudi-blilingi/i-never-regret-the-day-i-met-you-because-it-was-the-day-i-loved-you/)

[Daudi Blilingi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daudi-blilingi/)

> [You must regret the day that you left me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letoya-luckett/you-must-regret-the-day-that-you-left-me/)

[Letoya Luckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letoya-luckett/)

> [Every gulp of air that goes out in a cause other than the cause of Allah will turn to sorrow and regret on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/every-gulp-of-air-that-goes-out-in-a-cause-other-than-the-cause-of/)

[Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/)

## More by Terry Brooks

> [“a kaleidoscopic, fragmented rush of images that exploded out of memory. They careened into her like an avalanche and swept her away,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/a-kaleidoscopic-fragmented-rush-of-images-that-exploded-out-of-memory/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [Might have, could have, may have, should have—the haves and have nots reduced to pointless possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/might-have-could-have-may-have-should-have-the-haves-and-have-nots/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [“You spend so much time wondering who you are, don't you think? You flounder about, searching for your identity, when most of the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/you-spend-so-much-time-wondering-who-you-are-don-t-you-think-you/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [“Writers need their writing; they need their imaginary worlds in order to find piece in, or make sense of, the real world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/writers-need-their-writing-they-need-their-imaginary-worlds-in-order/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [THE NAME OF THE WIND marks the debut of a writer we would all do well to watch. Patrick Rothfuss has real talent, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/the-name-of-the-wind-marks-the-debut-of-a-writer-we-would-all-do-well/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [If anything in your life is more important than writing - anything at all - you should walk away now while you still can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/if-anything-in-your-life-is-more-important-than-writing-anything-at/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [We are constantly being put to the test by trying circumstances and difficult people and problems not necessarily of our own making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/we-are-constantly-being-put-to-the-test-by-trying-circumstances-and/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [The Golden Compass is one of the best fantasy / adventure stories that I have read. This is a book no one should miss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/the-golden-compass-is-one-of-the-best-fantasy-adventure-stories-that/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [I am incomplete without my work. I am so closely bound to it, so much identified by it, that without it I think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/i-am-incomplete-without-my-work-i-am-so-closely-bound-to-it-so-much/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [We must nurture and love, if life is to have any real meaning. But First we must find a way to survive against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/we-must-nurture-and-love-if-life-is-to-have-any-real-meaning-but/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [When she cried, he would say, "there is nothing wrong with crying. Your feelings tell you who are. They tell what is important. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/when-she-cried-he-would-say-there-is-nothing-wrong-with-crying-your/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [Fiction writing is a twenty-four-hou r-a-day occupation. You never leave your work behind. It is always with you, and to some extent, you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/fiction-writing-is-a-twenty-four-hou-r-a-day-occupation-you-never/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [It's better to die in pursuit of your dreams than to live a life without hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/it-s-better-to-die-in-pursuit-of-your-dreams-than-to-live-a-life/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [If you do not hear music in your words, you have put too much thought into your writing and not enough heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/if-you-do-not-hear-music-in-your-words-you-have-put-too-much-thought/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [If I have the means, I have the responsibility to employ them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/if-i-have-the-means-i-have-the-responsibility-to-employ-them/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

[Explore all 133 Terry Brooks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

## More Regret quotes

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [I don't regret burning bridges. I regret that some people weren't on those bridges when I burned them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-regret-burning-bridges-i-regret-that-some-people-weren-t-on/)

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

> [“As parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/)

[Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/)

> [I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mero/i-have-no-regrets-in-my-life-i-think-that-everything-happens-to-you/)

[Rita Mero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mero/)

> [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/when-the-lord-jesus-christ-became-my-surety-he-went-to-calvary-s/)

[Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/)

> [“Even in the miserable guilt we feel over our beastlike insensitivity, the glory of God shines. If God were not gloriously desirable, why would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/even-in-the-miserable-guilt-we-feel-over-our-beastlike-insensitivity/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [“For those filled with regret, perhaps the most needful exercise of proactivity is to realize that past mistakes are also out there in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/for-those-filled-with-regret-perhaps-the-most-needful-exercise-of/)

[Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/)

> [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/)

[Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [Having no regrets is very unrealistic. Everyone has that awkward or embarrassing moment they wish they could take back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayden-hayes/having-no-regrets-is-very-unrealistic-everyone-has-that-awkward-or/)

[Jayden Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayden-hayes/)

> [I always had a sort of niggling regret that we didn't come do stuff in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fielding/i-always-had-a-sort-of-niggling-regret-that-we-didn-t-come-do-stuff/)

[Noel Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-fielding/)

> [I am not perfect by any means and ill be the first to admit I make plenty of mistakes but I wont make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-not-perfect-by-any-means-and-ill-be-the-first-to-admit-i-make/)

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

> [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

[Browse all 9,960 Regret quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“there is no greater misery than to remember, with bitter regret, a day when you were happy ”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Terry Brooks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-remember-with-bitter-regret-a-day/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Regret"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-remember-with-bitter-regret-a-day/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/terry-brooks-3252_regret_there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-remem_3007420.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/terry-brooks-3252_regret_there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-remem_3007420.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/terry-brooks-3252_regret_there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-remem_3007420.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“there is no greater misery than to remember, with bitter regret, a day when you were happy” — Terry Brooks",
                "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": "Terry Brooks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“there is no greater misery than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-remember-with-bitter-regret-a-day/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/there-is-no-greater-misery-than-to-remember-with-bitter-regret-a-day/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
