Sacrifice is at the heart of repentance. Without deeds, your apology is worthless.
— Bryan Davis
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One of the hardest things you may ever have to do in life is to deliver an apology, but reading some apology quotes is a good start.
Many people say a quick “I’m sorry” without really thinking about it, because they want to move on or simply have their own way. However, this waters down the value of an apology, and can mean that a person you truly care about grows to doubt you and your sincerity.
A true and sincere apology offers real regret and remorse for our actions, and carries a promise that we won’t do it again. It means acknowledging our faults, taking responsibility for the things we have done wrong, and opens a dialogue between two people. An apology, when correctly given and sincerely meant, can create deeper and more trusting relationships.
Whether you have something to be sorry for, or are ruminating on an apology from someone else, here are the best quotes about apologies and saying you’re sorry.
Apology Quotes
“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.” – Benjamin Franklin
“An apology is a lovely perfume; it can transform the clumsiest moment into a gracious gift.” – Margaret Lee Runbeck
“The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology.” – Red Auerbach
“Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never got.” – Robert Brault
“Never make a defense or an apology until you are accused.” – King Charles I
“An apology is a good way to have the last word.” – Unknown
“True remorse is never just a regret over consequence; it is a regret over motive.” – Mignon McLaughlin
“My life is an apology for the life of my father.” – Kristin Cashore
“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” – J.R.R.Tolkien
“‘I’m sorry you’re angry’ is NOT an apology.” – Lisa Lutz
“Apologies only account for that which they do not alter.” – Benjamin Disraeli
“You can make up a quarrel, but it will always show where it was patched.” – Edgar Watson Howe
“The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.” – Henry Boye
“Never apologize, mister, it’s a sign of weakness.” – John Wayne
“My husband doesn’t apologize. Even to Me” – Claire Underwood, House of Cards
“Apology is only egotism wrong side out.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
“I am determined to offer an apology with my death.” – Hideki Tojo
“Apologies are great, but they don’t really change anything. You know what does? Action.” – Stella Young
“If an apology is followed by an excuse or a reason, it means they are going to commit same mistake again they just apologized for.” – Amit Kalantri
“Apologizing does not always mean you’re wrong and the other person is right. It just means you value your relationship more than your ego.” – Mark Matthews
“An apology is the superglue of life! It can repair just about anything!” – Lynn Johnston
“Maturity is the ability to reap without apology and not complain when things don’t go well.” – Jim Rohn
“The ability of a person to atone has always been the most remarkable of human features.” – Leon Uris
“Pride and ego makes a mockery of an apology. Humility wins forgiveness without question…so break ‘yo’self’!” – T. F. Hodge
“A stiff apology is a second insult…. The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt.” – G. K. Chesterton
“Accept everything about yourself – I mean everything, You are you and that is the beginning and the end – no apologies, no regrets.” – Henry Kissinger
“Sacrifice is at the heart of repentance. Without deeds, your apology is worthless.” – Bryan Davis
“I understand the concept of being the bigger person but I do not understand why some people apologize to others when they weren’t wrong.” – Unknown
“Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.” – Emily Kimbrough
“Never apologize for showing your feelings. When you do, you are apologizing for the truth.” – Jose N. Harris
“Never forget the nine most important words of any family – I love you. You are beautiful. Please forgive me.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.
“I believe that things should be let go once they are discussed. Apology accepted. End of story.” – Brad Goreski
“It is always so simple, and so complicating, to accept an apology.” – Michael Chabon
“Some people accidentally walk on your feet and apologize, while others walk all over your heart and don’t even realize.” – Unknown
“Friends are God’s apology for relations.” – Hugh Kingsmill
“A hero is someone we can admire without apology.” – Kitty Kelley
“An apology given just to appease one’s conscience is self-serving and better left unspoken!” – Evinda Lepins
“More people should apologize, and more people should accept apologies when sincerely made.” – Greg LeMond
“Right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past.” – Tyron Edwards
“An apology might help, but you can change your life without one.” – Robin Quivers
“The only good thing about punctuality is that it usually gets you an apology.” – Unknown
“An apology for the devil: it must be remembered that we have heard one side of the case. God has written all the books.” – Samuel Butler
“You can always say sorry, But the real apology is when you hear the sadness in their voice and see the look in their eyes. And you realize that they have hurt themselves just as much.” – Kid Cudi
“Delusion and denial does not equal an apology.” – Carole Radziwill
“When anger and bitterness overpower your goodness, you can neither apologize nor forgive.” – Balroop Singh
“A person can apologize endlessly, and even if you forgive them, sometimes you can’t forget the pain they’ve caused you.” – Nishan Panwar
“Never apologize for having high standards. People who really want to be in your life will rise up to meet them.” – Suman Rai
“One who is truly confident is able to apologize.” – Olivia Tsoutsoplides
“Any good apology has 3 parts: 1)I’m sorry 2)It’s my fault 3)What can I do to make it right? Most people forget the third part.” – Unknown
“It isn’t always to apologize for your mistakes but doing so shows a person with a strong sense of self.” – Byron Pulsifer
“The art of a sincere and heartfelt apology is one of the greatest skills you will ever learn.” – Jeanette LeBlanc
“A genuine apology is like an eleventh-hour rain on a dusty crop. Grossly overdue, but miraculously just in time.” – Jacqueline A. Bussie
“Apologies require vulnerability.” – Jennifer Thomas
“Nothing wrong with apologizing, but saying I’m sorry does nothing when you continue to make the same mistakes.” – Unknown
“It will never do to plead sin as an excuse for sin, or to attempt to justify sinful acts by pleading that we have an evil heart. This instead of being a valid apology, is the very ground of our condemnation.” – Archibald Alexander
“I wish for you the wisdom to realize that forgiveness has nothing to do with an apology.” – Steve Maraboli
“Apology doesn’t mean that you were wrong, or other person was right. It means that your relationship is valuable than your ego.” – Ain Eineziz
“Life is one long apology.” – Marilyn L. Rice
“An apology can be a wonderful thing so long as it is infrequent and from the heart. However, beware of the person who justifies bad behavior with apologies. For them it is a means to an end, and quite often at your expense.” – Gary Hopkins
“A sincere and warmly-expressed apology can produce the same effects as morphine on a suffering soul.” – Richelle E. Goodrich
“Apologies aren’t meant to change the past, they are meant to change the future.” – Kevin Hancock
“An apology is saying the right thing after doing the wrong thing.” – Vikrant Parsai
“For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” – Unknown
“Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.” – Bruce Lee
I’m Sorry Quotes
“Saying sorry to someone is hard… but putting your pride down for someone is the hardest.” – Cristina Orante
“In some families, please is described as the magic word. In our house, however, it was sorry.” – Margaret Laurence
“‘I’m sorry.’ The two most inadequate words in the English language.” – Beth Revis
“Would ‘sorry’ have made any difference? Does it ever? It’s just a word. One word against a thousand actions.” – Sarah Ockler
“I’m sorry, if you were right, I’d agree with you.” – Robin Williams
“Saying ‘I’m sorry’ is saying ‘I love you’ with a wounded heart in one hand and your smothered pride in the other.” – Richelle E. Goodrich
“It is incredible how many hurts can be healed by the two words, ‘I’m sorry.'” – Matshona Dhliwayo
“Flowers say you’re sorry. A date says you’ve learnt your lesson. A diamond says both the above. All three and you’re making her suspicious.” – Saleem Sharma
“I love you and I always will and I am sorry. What a useless word.” – Ernest Hemingway
“By the time most people say ‘I’m sorry’ it is already too late.” – Ken Poirot
“It’s not that ‘sorry’ doesn’t mean anything; it just doesn’t mean anything when some people say it… Don’t be one of those people.” – Steve Maraboli
“I don’t like it, and I’m sorry I ever had anything to do with it.” – Erwin Schrodinger
“I’m not very good at saying sorry, but I apologize.” – Chris Kurtz
“Be the hero of hearts; learn to say I’m sorry.” – Richelle E. Goodrich
“Saying sorry to someone is hard… but putting your pride down for someone is the hardest.” – Christina Orante
“He who is sorry for having sinned is almost innocent.” – Seneca
“Chocolate says “I’m sorry” so much better than words.” – Rachel Vincent
“Smart people always say sorry, while the stupid ones just wait for the smart one to say sorry.” – Unknown
“I have learned that sometimes “sorry” is not enough. Sometimes you actually have to change.” – Claire London
“But you know all about that, being sorry and having no words to say something when you know you should but you just can’t.” – Heather Gudenkauf
“Apologize quickly when you wrong someone, because ‘I’m sorry’ has no value in the grave.” – Lakesha Ruise
“True friends stab you in the front.” – Oscar Wilde
“Play fair. Don’t hit people. Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.” – Robert Fulghum
We hope you’ve enjoyed these quotes about apologies and the power of saying sorry. Whatever it is you might be needing to apologize for, or however reluctant you are so accept that someone is sorry, use this as the jumping off point to move on. You’ll feel better, lighter, and freer, if you let guilt and resentment go.
Quincy is KIM's lead editor and content writer, and has invested in online properties since 2009. Quincy holds an MBA from the University of Dundee and an MSc from the University of Edinburgh, and lives in San Antonio with his wife Natalie and his dog Oban. When not working on KIM, he enjoys traveling, poker, and anything related to crypto.
The word “Sorry” is just a word for me that doesn’t take back the words i have said but i promise never gonna happen another time
apologies are inflection
I may have hurt you so badly, but find a place in your heart to forgive me.
sorry is just a word,acts are the ones to determine if really its an appology
wise people say “sorry” without wasting their energy to move on with positivity.