027Japanese proverb ことわざ
後悔先に立たず
こうかいさきにたたずKōkai saki ni tatazu
“Regret never comes first.”
Word for wordRegret does not stand in front.
The meaning
We only regret afterwards. Since regret always arrives too late, the only place to act with it is before: by reflecting at the moment of choosing.
At the origin
A traditional proverb about decisions and their consequences.
The characters
In practice
Before a binding choice, imagine the possible regret: it speaks more honestly than desire.
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 112 一寸先は闇 One inch ahead lies darkness.
- 082 我、事において後悔せず In my deeds, I know no regret.
- 009 思い立ったが吉日 The best day to begin is the day you think of it.
- 171 火のない所に煙は立たぬ No smoke rises where there is no fire.
- 294 智に働けば角が立つ。情に棹させば流される。意地を通せば窮屈だ。 Act on reason, and you grow sharp-cornered. Pole along feeling, and you are swept away. Force your will, and you are cramped. Decidedly, the human world is hard to live in.