It seemed like a good idea...

Regret.

Someone recently told me that they don't regret anything they've ever done, and the choices they make are a reflection of that. I also know this person is a salesman. So if he wasn't lying to me, he was lying to himself.

We've all said it at some point: "It seemed like a good idea at the time." The tattoo of the Chinese word for General's Chicken. The purchase of a pet rock. The restaurant you recommended to friends that got them all sick. Prohibition. War. Whatever. Everyone screws up. Everyone has regrets.

Thinking before acting helps. Training yourself to act "correctly" reflexively helps, too. But ultimately, our judgement will fall short.

Character - the measure we apply to ourselves - does not weigh exclusively on our correct actions, but also how we respond when we make mistakes. Despite our shortcomings as humans, regret fuels our drive to make ourselves better, even if it's an emotion we prefer uninvoked.