The Top Five Regrets of the Dying
by Bronnie Ware
Mentioned 3 times across 3 shows · first heard Feb 2026 on Hidden Brain.
The general take
Shankar Vedantam calls Bronnie Ware "my hero" for her work as a palliative care nurse and for writing this book based on her firsthand observations of dying patients' regrets. He presents it as a meaningful compilation of patterns Ware noticed in what people at the end of their lives tended to regret, speaking respectfully about her insights.
About
Revised edition of the best-selling memoir that has been read by over a million people worldwide with translations in 29 languages. After too many years of unfulfilling work, Bronnie Ware began searching for a job with heart. Despite having no formal qualifications or previous experience in the field, she found herself working in palliative care. During the time she spent tending to those who were dying, Bronnie's life was transformed. Later, she wrote an Internet blog post, outlining the most common regrets that the people she had cared for had expressed. The post gained so much momentum that it was viewed by more than three million readers worldwide in its first year. At the request of many, Bronnie subsequently wrote a book, T he Top Five Regrets of the Dying , to share her story. Bronnie has had a colourful and diverse life.
Who said what
John R. Miles👍 Recommends
…book by bronnie ware documenting common regrets of dying patients
“And I wanted to, I'm not sure if you've ever heard of a researcher from Cornell named Tom Gilovich. But Tom studies the regrets of people in their third trimester. And probably someone that you should look into because he has interviewed thousands of people. And what he has found is very similar to what Bronnie Ware, who wrote The Five Regrets of the Dying, found as well, is that people regret not ever becoming the third phase that you talk about, becoming me, becoming their best self.”
Passion Struck with John R. Miles — Why You Need to Say It Now Rather Than Regret It Later | Walter Green - EP 773at 1:04:12
Shaan Puri👍 Recommends
…exploring the regrets people have at end of life and how they relate to career choices
“Let me ask you something first. Have you read this book? I read this, I think, five years ago. I told you about it when I read it. It's called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. So she was a nurse. She was a nurse. This was her occupation. And she saw thousands of people die. And she wrote this book called The Top Five Regrets for Dying—of the Dying, where she put together a list of the five things that were most common amongst the people she worked with.”
My First Million — How to find your thingat 25:15
Shankar Vedantam👍 Recommends
…exploring what people regret most at the end of their lives
“There was a book by the hospice care nurse, Bronnie Ware, titled The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. What were these regrets, Leslie? Yes. So Bronnie Ware, my hero, she has spent, as a palliative care nurse, she spent time, a lot of time with people at the very end of their lives. So she gets to know them a lot. And she wrote a book where she collated her observations on what people tended to regret.”
Hidden Brain — Keeping Secretsat 43:50
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