Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Gian Carlo Menotti? John Greenleaf Whittier? Adelaide Anne Procter? Norman Cousins? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: Looking back on one’s life sometimes produces a surge of regret for lost opportunities. Here are two versions of a statement expressing this feeling:
(1) Hell begins the day God grants you the vision to see all that you could have done, should have done, and would have done, but did not do.
(2) Hell begins on the day when God grants us a clear vision of all that we might have achieved . . . of all that we might have done which we did not do.
This notion has been attributed to the major German literary figure Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, but I have never seen a solid citation, and I am skeptical. Would you please explore this topic?
Reply from Quote Investigator: QI has found no evidence that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe crafted this saying.
The earliest match located by QI appeared in “The Saturday Review of Literature” which printed remarks delivered by Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti at New York City’s Town Hall in March 1950. Menotti spoke about his conception of Hell. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1
Hell begins on the day when God grants us a clear vision of all that we might have achieved, of all the gifts which we have wasted, of all that we might have done which we did not do.
The poet shall forever scream the poems which he never wrote; the painter will be forever obsessed by visions of the pictures which he did not paint . . .
Menotti summarized his viewpoint with the following line:
For me the conception of hell lies in two words: TOO LATE.
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.
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