People around the world share their biggest regrets—and it’s a beautiful thing

No matter how you live your life, you’re going to have regrets…because you’re human. But sometimes, those regrets can plague you for the rest of your life, making you feel like you’ve done something terribly, terribly wrong.

In her amazing photo series, Romanian photographer Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi showed that if you have a massive regret, you are not alone.

Dragoi asked strangers about their biggest regret and the responses she got ran the gamut from heart-crushingly heavy to straight-up whimsical. All told, they serve as a reminder of what we hold on to and why it’s OK to let some things go and forgive ourselves.

Dragoi explains it this way: “This question has given to me the chance to have a profound connection between me and the interlocutor, thus managing to get into their soul and bring out a grinding they have [had] for years,” Dragoi explained to MyModernMet. “I think that frequently when you share your thought with somebody, even if it is [a] strange person, you release the black stain which is on the soul and you can feel free.”

And she has a point: when looking at this photo series, the relief of being able to share is almost palpable. Check it out and see for yourself:

“What I did last night.”

“Not listening.”

“When I stole my sister’s money!”

“I regret I do not have more time to play.”

“Because I focused more on ‘knowing’ rather than on ‘feeling.’”

“Our biggest regret is that we did not move here many years ago. WE LOVE IT HERE.”

“I regret I could not help my child more.”

“I miss my lovely country…with each of my breath. <3Bangladesh.”

“Not being with my father when he died 15 years ago.”

“I regret that I am old.”

“Because I do not have enough courage.”

“No regrets!!”

Photos via