Excuse Quotes

“Make improvements, not excuses. Seek respect, not attention.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Do Not Lie to Yourself

We have to be honest about what we want and take risks rather than lie to ourselves and make excuses to stay in our comfort zone.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Maturity is when you stop complaining and making excuses, and start making changes.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“I wanted to tell people, "My depression is acting up today" as an excuse for not seeing them, but I never managed to pull it off.”
― Ned Vizzini, It's Kind of a Funny Story

“We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse.”
― Rudyard Kipling

“You cannot solve a problem in the same frequency in which it was created.”
― Lynn Grabhorn, Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting: The Astonishing Power of Feelings

“We were just looking at maps...”
― Rick Riordan, The Battle of the Labyrinth

“Life is not easy. We all have problems-even tragedies-to deal with, and luck has nothing to do with it. Bad luck is only the superstitious excuse for those who don't have the wit to deal with the problems of life. ”
― Joan Lowery Nixon, In the Face of Danger

“The best writers tend to look the roughest in photos. At least that's the excuse I use for why I look so bad in mine.”
― R.D. Ronald

“The God excuse, the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument.”
― George Carlin

“A pleasant morning. Saw my classmates Gardner, and Wheeler. Wheeler dined, spent the afternoon, and drank Tea with me. Supped at Major Gardiners, and engag'd to keep School at Bristol, provided Worcester People, at their ensuing March meeting, should change this into a moving School, not otherwise. Major Greene this Evening fell into some conversation with me about the Divinity and Satisfaction of Jesus Christ. All the Argument he advanced was, 'that a mere creature, or finite Being, could not make Satisfaction to infinite justice, for any Crimes,' and that 'these things are very mysterious.'
(Thus mystery is made a convenient Cover for absurdity.)

[Diary entry, February 13 1756]”
― John Adams, Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, Volumes 1-4: Diary (1755-1804) and Autobiography

“Once upon a time, the Reindeer took a running leap and jumped over the Northern Lights.

But he jumped too low, and the long fur of his beautiful flowing tail got singed by the rainbow fires of the aurora.

To this day the reindeer has no tail to speak of. But he is too busy pulling the Important Sleigh to notice what is lost. And he certainly doesn’t complain.

What's your excuse?”
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

“It is the natural tendency of the ignorant to believe what is not true. In order to overcome that tendency it is not sufficient to exhibit the true; it is also necessary to expose and denounce the false. To admit that the false has any standing in court, that it ought to be handled gently because millions of morons cherish it and thousands of quacks make their livings propagating it—to admit this, as the more fatuous of the reconcilers of science and religion inevitably do, is to abandon a just cause to its enemies, cravenly and without excuse.”
― H.L. Mencken, American Mercury

“Don't bother explaining—I've heard all the excuses and the trouble is most of them are true.”
― John Brunner, Children of the Thunder

“All other swindlers upon earth are nothing to the self-swindlers, and with such pretences did I cheat myself. Surely a curious thing. That I should innocently take a bad half-crown of somebody else's manufacture, is reasonable enough; but that I should knowingly reckon the spurious coin of my own make, as good money!”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

“It was never my intention to cause you pain. Whether you feel strongly or very little, that does not excuse thoughtless behavior." - Adam”
― Jacquelyn Frank

“It was there, in particular, that I confirmed the truth that love, which we cry up as the source of our pleasures, is nothing more than an excuse for them.”
― Pierre A.F. Choderlos de Laclos, Les Liaisons dangereuses

“Advice is what we ask for when we already knew the answer but wish we didn't.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization

“Excuse tries to justify.”
― Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity

“I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. "We're supposed to be celebrating our two-week anniversary tonight."
"Uh, news for you, honey - two weeks is no anniversary."
"What should I tell him? I don't even want to go."
"Tell him you just got a new bra and it's shy around strangers.”
― Robin Brande, Fat Cat

“Tea is always an excuse for a clandestine agenda.”
― Cassandra Clare, Chain of Gold

“There was no excuse which didn't consist of inexcusable.”
― Kingsley Amis, Lucky Jim

“Someday", you said you'd do it yesterday; Yesterday, you said you'll do it today. Today, if you push it to tomorrow, it's likely tomorrow, you'll shift it to "Someday"! Do it now!”
― Israelmore Ayivor, Daily Drive 365

“How his hatred seethed in search of a justifiable excuse.”
― Norman Mailer, The Fight

“I had told him I was searching for my keys, that's what had taken me so long in the car, and I squeezed him tighter, as if I could crush my little lie.”
― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie

“Had it not been for "Nightline," Morrie would have died without ever seeing me again. I had no good excuse for this, except the one that everyone these days seems to have.
I had become too wrapped up in the siren song of my life. I was busy.”
― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie

“Some of these things I understand, some I do not.
It makes no difference.
The discussions give me an excuse to talk to him, fatherly conversations I cannot have with my father, who would like me to be a lawyer.”
― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie

“And he said...

...laziness will give you an excuse for being lazy.”
― Anthony T. Hincks

“And he said...

...banks will always have poor excuses, but they will always have deep pockets with rich profits.”
― Anthony T. Hincks

“I'm a muckin' gem in the refuse even when the world's ending - what the F is your excuse?”
― Aesop Rock