"I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done"
About this Quote
Regret is usually packaged as a moral hangover, but Lucille Ball flips it into a creative fuel: better to live with the bruises of action than the slow ache of self-censorship. Coming from a comedian who built a career on risk, the line isn’t inspirational poster fluff; it’s a pragmatic survival strategy for anyone whose livelihood depends on making bold choices in public and letting them land however they land.
The intent is permission-giving. Ball frames mistakes as evidence of participation, not personal failure. That matters because her comedy was physically and socially exposed: pratfalls, big faces, unapologetic neediness, women’s ambition played at full volume. In mid-century America, a woman leading a show, running a production company, and insisting on creative control was already an act that could go wrong in a hundred ways. The quote quietly argues that safety is its own trap: if you don’t move, you can’t be mocked, but you also can’t build anything.
The subtext is about power. “Things I haven’t done” aren’t neutral omissions; they’re often choices made on your behalf by fear, gatekeepers, or the imagined audience in your head. Ball’s comic persona made failure visible and survivable, turning embarrassment into entertainment. That’s why the line works: it demotes regret from a verdict to a cost of doing business. For a culture that rewards polish and punishes female overreach, Ball’s message is bracingly transactional: take the risk, pay the price, keep going.
The intent is permission-giving. Ball frames mistakes as evidence of participation, not personal failure. That matters because her comedy was physically and socially exposed: pratfalls, big faces, unapologetic neediness, women’s ambition played at full volume. In mid-century America, a woman leading a show, running a production company, and insisting on creative control was already an act that could go wrong in a hundred ways. The quote quietly argues that safety is its own trap: if you don’t move, you can’t be mocked, but you also can’t build anything.
The subtext is about power. “Things I haven’t done” aren’t neutral omissions; they’re often choices made on your behalf by fear, gatekeepers, or the imagined audience in your head. Ball’s comic persona made failure visible and survivable, turning embarrassment into entertainment. That’s why the line works: it demotes regret from a verdict to a cost of doing business. For a culture that rewards polish and punishes female overreach, Ball’s message is bracingly transactional: take the risk, pay the price, keep going.
Quote Details
| Topic | Motivational |
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