When we grow old, there can only be one regret—not to have given enough of ourselves.

About Eleonora Duse

Eleonora Giulia Amalia Duse ( DEW-zay, Italian: [eleoˈnɔːra ˈduːze]; 3 October 1858 – 21 April 1924), often known simply as Duse, was an Italian actress, rated by many as the greatest of her time. She performed in many countries, notably in the plays of Gabriele D'Annunzio and Henrik Ibsen. Duse...

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I don't believe you'd betray me with her. I don't believe you'd cheat on me. But I'm afraid, and I'm sick in my heart that you might look at her, then at me. And regret.

—J.D. Robb in Innocent in Death

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Love doesn't come along too often. Believe me, I know. When it does, only the foolish let it fade.

—H.M. Ward in Demon Kissed

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People's reaction to me is sometimes "Uch, I just don't like her. I hate how she thinks she is so great." But it's not that I think I'm so great. I just don't hate myself. I do idiotic things all the time and I say crazy stuff I regret, but I don't let everything traumatize me. And the scary thing I have noticed is that some people really feel uncomfortable around women who don't hate themselves. So that's why you need to be a little bit brave.

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Crying is all right in its own way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do.

—C. S. Lewis

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There was something so heavy about the burden of history, of the past. I wasn't sure I had it in me to keep looking back.

—Sarah Dessen in Just Listen

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History

1 Jan 2016 Added
26 Oct 2026 Wording changed

Previous wording

When we grow old, there can only be one regret — not to have given enough of ourselves.