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Failure & regret

What disappointment has stayed with you longest?

367 answers answered between 1995 and 2026 one of 25 in The Q&A

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

This exact question recurs in The Guardian's institutional Q&A pool.

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On the record

Public figures who have answered a question like this elsewhere. Quoted from the source shown, not written for FLAPSS.

Read by field Everyone Science and medicine 2 Arts and letters 309 Politics and public life 26 Business and finance 10 Sport 19
Read by age Any age Before thirty 16 In their thirties 58 In their forties 82 In their fifties 81 In their sixties 73 Seventy and beyond 55
Order Earliest first Most recent Surprise me
Ed Harris American actor and director
The distribution of Copying Beethoven in the US.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 August 2007 source ↗
Paul O'Grady British comedian, actor and television presenter
Too many of my friends, family and peers dying.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 16 May 2009 source ↗
Viggo Mortensen American actor
That Barack Obama seems to be more concerned with becoming re-elected than with doing his very best to fulfil the promise of his candidacy.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 2 January 2010 source ↗
Tim Robbins American actor
Not pitching a perfect game in baseball to win the World Series.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 9 October 2010 source ↗
Donna Tartt American novelist and writer
I was very disappointed when I realised I was never going to be an Olympic gymnast, but that was a long time ago.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 26 October 2013 source ↗

1 answer from members

Not being able to start my own company

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