“Marry, and you will regret it; don’t marry, you will also regret it; marry or don’t marry, you will regret it either way.”. Søren Kierkegaard
Worth noting Kierkegaard never married
Ask HN: What's Your Biggest Regret?
201–210 of 570 posts
Re: Ask HN: What's Your Biggest Regret?
#202I should have given web development in the 90s my complete attention while in high school but thought it was too complicated and too great a challenge. There weren't as many resources to learn from and I didn't have access to mentors. I didn't have any idea what was involved with the work. I regret not trying. I had the interest and the time.
Re: Ask HN: What's Your Biggest Regret?
#203Focused too much on making a living in my teens and 20s instead of college and social life. Never pursued artistic interests seriously because I was just too tired from working and stressing out about bills. Now I’m in my 30s with next to no social life and the realization that I’ve wasted away my time and whatever little talent I have. There’s a “regret” folder sitting in my Google Drive with two half-finished books…
> Focused too much on making a living in my teens and 20s
Worst mistake of my fucking life. Did me no good anyway, as all of peers who had a head on them and took more traditional paths ended up reaching where I was or better within a few years.
Re: Ask HN: What's Your Biggest Regret?
#204I don't really "believe" in regret. At each and every point in my life, I was working with the information I had at my disposal, each information having its own "weight" in my mind. Every mistake I've made has brought some information in my mind that wouldn't have been brought otherwise. Fantasies of "changing the past" are seductive, but ultimately pointless. The only way I could justify having regrets, is reminding…
Let's say you have two advisors constantly giving you advice about what action to take next, and all you ever do is choose between them. Over time you might learn that one of them gives better advice in some situations and the other gives better advice in others. In this weird hypothetical, regret is noticing that you followed the advice of the wrong advisor for the situation, and it turned out especially poorly. Wha…
In that particular example, regret would be justified, as it would be a remainder not to listen to the bad advisor.
However, if, at some point, both advisors decided to leave and never come back, and you started thinking about how one of them always gave you wrong advice, and regretting listening to him, then that regret is pointless.
Re: Ask HN: What's Your Biggest Regret?
#205Nothing. Free will doesn’t exist so I just accept what comes my way and naively trust the universe not to be too much of a d$&#. Hopefully that gets me to the finish line.
Yeah, I'm really having a tough time believing in free will anymore. Sure seems like we're just along for the ride - consciousness without free will, what a combo!
Whether free will exists or not, relative to you it does. You can hit yourself in the leg with a hammer right now, or you can choose not to, and the result will affect the rest of your day. Just because the choice is physically predetermined doesn’t make it any less real to you.
Re: Ask HN: What's Your Biggest Regret?
#206When younger, trying to pass out, run away, reset. Instead should have simply eat better, hydrate, exercise and have sex with girls. Would have made much more constructive decisions and choices...
Re: Ask HN: What's Your Biggest Regret?
#207“Marry, and you will regret it; don’t marry, you will also regret it; marry or don’t marry, you will regret it either way.”. Søren Kierkegaard
I feel this quote badly aged. Nowadays, the choice isn't really binary anymore, there's so much between marrying or not. I never married but had two long, solid relationships so far. Which I'm quite happy with.
I do note that you didn't actually say what your choice was, and whether you regret it.
Re: Ask HN: What's Your Biggest Regret?
#208Earlier quoted context omitted.
Meh, would probably have sold once my $10 investment reached $1000 or $10,000 or so anyways, no way most people would've kept their head cold (and _gambled_) on it going even further.
I sold at $100. Thought it was a massive overpriced bubble and insane that it was worth $100. No regrets.
I sold 8 Ethereum at $50 each, up from $18. Still think it was the right decision though, nobody can predict the future.
Did keep a couple as a hedge fortunately.
Re: Ask HN: What's Your Biggest Regret?
#209I stayed at my first job for 11 years. I should have stayed 3-4 max
Re: Ask HN: What's Your Biggest Regret?
#210To anyone full of regret, I'd just like to give a quote by Marcus Aurelius (a Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher) Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly. Life likely hasn't been perfect for almost anyone, but would you rather die right now (with likely unfinished desires, wishes and more regrets) or would you try to make the best use of what you have? (It may b…
Is quoting a stoic on HN the same as playing 'Stairway to Heaven' in a guitar shop? I do love this quote of course (and all things Aurelius).
...I had no idea it was common here on HN, though I'm not surprised. It was just something that's helped me a fair bit and I hope(d) it could help others too.