A Top-Level Life Philosophy: No Regrets After Making Your Move
In “The Biography of Su Dongpo,” Lin Yutang wrote:
Su Shi was exceptionally intelligent, mastering history, literature, calligraphy, painting, and poetry with unparalleled skill.
His only shortcoming was his poor chess playing ability.
When exiled to Hainan, he often played chess with his son Su Guo, repeatedly suffering crushing defeats.
Even so, Su Shi never took back his moves, laughing and saying: “Victory brings joy, but defeat is equally delightful.”
Indeed, everyone should adopt this mindset of making moves without regret in this world.
While winning at chess is certainly worth celebrating, losing should also be accepted with grace.
Seeking not perfection in all things, but freedom from regret—this is the highest level of life philosophy.
01 Never Regret Your Choices
In 2007, Jiang Wen poured his heart and soul into crafting the film “The Sun Also Rises” to reexamine history, only to see it fail miserably at the box office.
His reputation plummeted along with it.
Later, on the variety show “Thirteen Invitations,” Xu Zhiyuan asked him: “Do you regret the box office failure of ‘The Sun Also Rises’?”
Jiang Wen calmly replied: “Regret what? I knew it wouldn’t make money when I was filming it. But some things you have to make—not for the audience, but to answer to the scale of justice in your own heart.”
People living in this world should take responsibility for their choices in the same way. Once you’ve made a decision, don’t regret it.
Whether the outcome is good or bad, as long as you can accept it, everything will be the best arrangement.
Stand-up comedian Zhao Xiaohui was originally a workshop quality inspector earning about 5,000 yuan per month.
While this salary wasn’t particularly high, it was stable.
However, she harbored a deep passion for stand-up comedy. To step onto that stage, she made a major decision in 2019:
She quit her job to pursue stand-up comedy full-time.
Her colleagues thought she was crazy—who would abandon a stable job for such “frivolous” pursuits?
But Zhao Xiaohui was resolute: “Even if I fail, I have to try. Otherwise, I’ll spend my whole life wondering ‘what if.’”
However, after quitting, reality proved far more brutal than Zhao Xiaohui had imagined:
Her material received lukewarm responses for a long time, and with no fame, her performances offered virtually no compensation.
During that period, even survival became a problem.
Fellow comedians even mocked her: “What kind of stand-up can a factory girl do?”
But Zhao Xiaohui neither regretted nor gave up. She persisted with pure passion and participated in “Rock & Roast.”
Eventually, through this show, she successfully transformed from a “factory girl” into a stand-up comedian. Commercial performance invitations poured in, and she even appeared on CCTV programs.
I’ve always loved this saying:
“The path is chosen by yourself. There’s no winning or losing, only whether it’s worth it. From any experience, you either gain something or learn something.”
You must understand that life is like a vast wilderness, not a fixed track.
Whatever kind of person you want to become, whatever kind of life you want to live, boldly make your choices and walk forward without regret.
In this world, some people spend their entire lives striving for cars and houses, while others travel the world on a shoestring to see all the scenery they desire.
Everyone has their own choices.
What we need to do is remain true to our choices, preferring failure over regret.
After all, on life’s journey, no road is walked in vain—every step counts.
02 Don’t Cling to What’s Lost
Psychology recognizes a famous phenomenon called “loss aversion.”
This means that when a person loses something or someone they care about, their psyche experiences strong resistance.
This aversion to loss drives the person to recover what’s lost at any cost.
Even when such recovery efforts require enormous sacrifices.
However, life inherently involves gain and loss, gathering and parting.
If we constantly dwell on what we’ve lost, it not only serves no purpose but also plunges us into an abyss of suffering.
In 2006, while the “Harry Potter” series remained unfinished, J.K. Rowling was organizing manuscripts at her Edinburgh home when she accidentally spilled coffee on the first draft of “The Deathly Hallows.”
In an instant, dozens of handwritten pages were completely damaged and illegible.
Her assistant panicked and tried to salvage them with a hair dryer, but Rowling calmly closed the notebook and said:
“No need. If these plot points are worth remembering, I’ll rewrite them. If they’re not worth it, then they shouldn’t have existed in the first place.”
She then tore out the damaged pages and started writing anew.
Ultimately, “The Deathly Hallows” became the most tightly structured book in the series, with the most perfectly resolved plot threads.
Years later, she reflected on this incident in an interview: “Sometimes, loss actually helps you see more clearly what’s truly important.”
So don’t fear loss—what you lose never truly belonged to you.
Don’t fear harm—what can hurt you is part of your tribulation.
Among three thousand worldly splendors, seeing through them reveals mere clouds; among countless troubles, understanding brings clear skies.
Life is a long journey. What we gained or lost in the past are merely experiences.
If we want to live well now, the best approach is to have no regrets about the past.
When you lose something, don’t repeatedly reminisce about it. When you part ways with certain people, don’t constantly recall them.
Accept what should be accepted and bear the consequences of your choices—this is the wisdom required for navigating life.
03 Embrace All Experiences
Recently, while reading about Yi Zhongtian’s life experiences, I discovered he made three major choices.
The first was at age eighteen.
Influenced by a Soviet novel, he enthusiastically volunteered to develop the remote northwestern frontier.
Conditions there were extremely harsh, and his companions complained constantly, regretting their decision to come.
Yet he lived in that difficult environment for over ten years, even finding joy in persistent reading during his spare time.
After the national examination system was restored in 1978, Yi Zhongtian made his second life choice: preparing for graduate school.
After three months of intensive study, he successfully gained admission to Wuhan University’s graduate program and later remained there as faculty.
His humorous and engaging lectures were so popular that students would bring their own stools or even stand to attend his classes.
But the more popular his classes became, the more his colleagues resented him. Eventually, under peer pressure, he quietly resigned from his professorship.
In 2005, Yi Zhongtian made his third life choice: becoming a host on CCTV’s “Lecture Room.”
His accessible yet humorous explanatory style earned him widespread public acclaim.
Simultaneously, various criticisms flooded in.
Amid overwhelming criticism, Yi Zhongtian gradually disappeared from public view and fell silent.
Later, when asked whether he regretted any of these life choices at crucial junctures, he responded:
“I don’t regret choosing to go to such a harsh place at eighteen! Because that was my own decision.
When I follow my heart’s strongest impulse, regardless of the outcome or how much suffering I might endure, I have no complaints or regrets. Choice means responsibility!”
The life we experience follows the same pattern—every moment is filled with choices.
When filling out college applications, your choice determines which university you attend.
After graduation, your choice determines which city you develop your career in.
After starting work, you must choose your career direction, life partner…
Everything you’re experiencing now results from countless choices you’ve made in the past.
These results are neither inherently good nor bad, right nor wrong.
As long as they align with your inner expectations, the path you’ve chosen is the correct answer.
You need only accept the bumps along the road and embrace all imperfections. Then every step you take forward will leave no regrets.
Go master Wu Qingyuan said in his later years: The highest realm of Go is harmony—forgetting about winning and losing.
Only by no longer obsessing over the gain or loss of each stone can you see the overall layout of life’s game.
The meaning of making moves without regret lies in: allowing failure and regret to exist, allowing everything to unfold naturally.
After all, life cannot be perfect at every step. But giving your all in the present moment and having no regrets afterward—this is the greatest respect you can show to life.