To apologise is to say sorry

• Apologise:  To tell someone that you are sorry for having done something that has caused problems or unhappiness for them.  Cambridge Dictionary
• Apologise:  Express regret for something that one has done wrong. Oxford Dictionary
• Guilt,  Regret,  Forgiveness

.

Apologies heal relationships

• An apology is the superglue of life. It can repair just about anything.  Lynn Johnston
• Healing,  Principles of healthy relationships

.

Apologies and forgiveness are the glue in family relationships

• In some families, please is described as the magic word. In our house, however, it was sorry. Margaret Laurence
• Never forget the nine most important words of any family – I love you. You are beautiful.  Please forgive me. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
• Forgiveness,  Family

.

An apology can bring precious gifts

• Apology is a lovely perfume; it can transform the clumsiest moment into a gracious gift. Margaret Lee Runbeck
• Apologies have more power than most of us realize to restore strained relationships, free us from vengeful impulses, and create possibilities for growth. John Kador
• Life is a gift

.

Apologizing is a sign of strength, not weakness

• It takes a strong person to say sorry, and an ever-stronger person to forgive.
• Apologizing isn’t a sign of being weak. It’s a sign of being the bigger person and admitting your faults.
• Apology for any level of wrongdoing is always a sign of wisdom and strength.  Edmond Mbiaka
• It takes a great deal of character strength to apologize quickly out of one’s heart rather than out of pity. A person must possess himself and have a deep sense of security in fundamental principles and values in order to genuinely apologize. Stephan Covey
• Strength,  Weakness

.

Apologizing is a sign you deem the relationship more important than being right

• A relationship becomes easier when you realize that you don’t have to be the one at fault to be the one who’s sorry. Robert Brault
• Apologizing does not always mean that you are wrong and the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego.
• Apology is the practice of extending ourselves because we value the relationship more than we value the need to be right. John Kador
• Apology calls for a willingness to sacrifice on behalf of the wronged party and the inherent value of the relationship, not for what it brings to you but for what you can bring to it. John Kador
• Let go of the need to be right

.

Make your apology sincere, heartfelt and meaningful

• We must remember that an apology isn’t an apology unless it’s meaningful.
• 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. K. Chesterton
• The most important thing is to be sincere. Look the person in the eye.  Don’t give a half- hearted apology and say something like “I am sorry you got upset when I…”   A half-assed apology is worse than none at all.   Chris Jordan
• When you say, “I’m sorry,” look the person in the eye. Jackson Brown Jr.
• A good apology has three parts: 1. I’m sorry, 2. It’s my fault, 3. What can I do to make it right?
• Heart

.

Don’t ruin your apology with an excuse

• Never ruin an apology with an excuse. Benjamin Franklin
• An excuse has no place within an apology. Evette Carter
• Resist the urge to use the word “but.” You will want to.  You will want to explain your actions or your words, whatever it is that has caused the other person pain; don’t do it.  The word “but” negates all the words that came before it.  Chris Jordan
• Blaming,  Excuses

.

Sincere apology comes from true remorse

• True remorse is never just a regret over consequences; it is a regret over motive. Mignon McLaughlin
• A sincere apology is analogous to authentic repentance. Alan Woods
• Guilt

.

Make things right if possible

• Offer reparations.  Make it right if possible. Show the person in a meaningful way that you are truly sorry.    Chris Jordan
• Right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past.  Tryon Edwards
• Right action

.

If someone apologises sincerely, the best thing you can do is accept it

• When I accept an apology, it means that the part in me that honours our relationship honours the part in you that honors our relationship.  John Kador

.

Some things never need an apology

• I can make no apologies for following my heart. Gavin Rossdale
• Never apologize for showing your feelings. When you do, you are apologizing for the truth. José N. Harris

.

On a lighter note

• An apology for the devil: it must be remembered that we have heard only one side of the case; God has written all the books.  Samuel Butler
• An apology is a good way to have the last word.
• Apologize: To lay the foundation for a future offence. Ambrose Bierce
• Apologize: To repeat an insult with variations.  Anonymous
• Apology: Politeness too late.
• Chocolate is God’s apology for broccoli.  Richard Paul Evans
• Chocolate says, “I’m sorry” so much better than words. Rachel Vincent
• Dear future generations: Please accept our apologies. We were rolling drunk on petroleum. Kurt Vonnegut
• Don’t walk away! I’m trying to apologize you dumb noodleloaf!  Calvin & Hobbes
• Foreword: An author’s apology.
• Friends are God’s apology for relations.  Hugh Kingsmill
• Give a civil servant a good cause and he’ll wreck it with cliches, bad punctuation, double negatives and convoluted apology. Alan Clark
• He was like a kamikaze pilot who keeps apologizing for the attack.  Mary McGrory
• I never apologize. I’m sorry but that’s the way I am.   Homer Simpson
• I’m sorry and “I apologize” mean the same thing… except when you’re at a funeral.
• If God doesn’t destroy Hollywood Boulevard he owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.  Jay Leno
• If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologize.  Muhammad Ali
• It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them.  G. Wodehouse
• It is much easier to apologize than to ask permission.
• It takes a real talent to be able to apologize in a manner that makes the offended person feel guilty.
• It’s not a relationship until you argue about whose turn it is to apologize.
• Modern technology owes ecology an apology.
• My birth certificate was a letter of apology that my dad got from the condom company.
• Never mess up an apology with an excuse.  Proverb
• Now I keep reading that I’m over the hill sexually; I don’t even remember having a sexual peak when I was 19; I just remember apologizing a lot.  Jeff Stilson
• Saying …I’m sorry’ is the same as saying  …I apologize’   except at a funeral.   Demetri Martin
• The capacity for friendship is God’s way of apologizing for our families. Jay McInerney
• The five most essential words for a healthy, vital relationship “I apologize” and “You are right.”
• The only good thing about punctuality is that it usually gets you an apology.
• When you realize you’ve made a mistake, make amends immediately. It’s easier to eat crow while it’s still warm. Dan Heist
• You shoot me in a dream you better wake up and apologize.  Harvey Keitel
• Your birth certificate is an apology letter from the condom factory.

.