It is oft heard sentence from teachers and bosses- Do not give excuses. The term excuse is a reason or explanation given to justify a fault or offence. The important limb here is not the reason or the explanation but the intention being to justify the fault or offence or to lessen the blame attached to the commission of such an offence or fault.
The letter E of the life lessons taught at the knees of our parents and teachers is never to take shelter under an excuse but be courageous to admit, apologize and ascertain the reason so as to remedy the same in future. The term excuse has the taint of being self piteous and self righteous even in wrongdoings.
This being a lockdown period when the life saviours are being placed on high pedestals, none would dispute the dedication of Florence Nightingale the iconic nurse. If her dedication is not in dispute and her success is sought to be replicated then her words are here to follow:
The famed author Rudyard Kipling, therefore, said,
" We have forty million reasons for failure but not a single excuse"
Henry Ward Beecher challenged one's ego and sense of responsibility by stating
" Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone else expects of you. Never excuse yourself."
Criss Jami brings to our memories the fable of crying wolf wolf while saying,
" Like crying wolf,
if you keep looking for sympathy as a justification for your actions,
you will be left standing alone when you really need help"
Benjamin Franklin put down a person who seeks shelter under excuses in this manner
" He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else"
The futility in making excuses was driven in by the words of John Wooden Wooden in these words
" Never make excuses.
Your friends do not need them and your foes won't believe them"
Steve Maraboli warned us sternly in these wise words,
" We may place blame, give reasons,
and even have excuses but in the end,
it is an act of cowardice to not follow your dreams"
Benjamin Franklin again told us that an apology should not be substituted or diluted with an excuse
" Never ruin an apology with an excuse"
To caution us that this does not mean that everything has to be found a way in accordance with others' emotions, Yadin Kaufmann enlightens us
" Loneliness is no excuse for compromise.
Be comfortable with yourself
before you choose to be
with someone else just to avoid being alone."
The legal maxim "Ignorance of law is no excuse" also makes it amply clear that while we would like to wallow in the self imposed world of self sympathy and self righteousness, in the words of Edward Murrow
" Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts"
Thus, the life lesson E for excuse in quotes makes it clear that this is one word that needs to be exterminated from the vocabulary and psyche of a person to attain peace and success.
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