Towards the end of her life, Edith Piaf was singing: “No, no regrets. No, I will have no regrets…” Like her, many have raised the fact of always looking forward and of knowing how to detach from the past as a life philosophy. Butis it really a good idea?

In this fascinating book, both simple and knowledgeable, Daniel Pink reinstates regrets. Indeed, they are universal. They are part of our natural range of emotions and feelings. Like every negative emotion, they hold a function. If we regret to have let a conflict go sour or to not have had the courage to take a risk that could have been rewarding, it is likely that confronting this regret, and learning its lessons, will help us make better choices later. More so, our strongest and most persistent regrets are rich in learnings. It is sometimes difficult to determine what our fundamental values are — beyond an obvious catalogue of nice principles to which everyone can only adhere. Listening to our regrets reveals what we attach a great importance to. An invitation to a promising introspection effort.

To read: The Power of Regret, Daniel H. Pink, Penguin Publishing Group, 2022.