---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were times when an apology was…"
description: "\"“There were times when an apology was best, she thought, even when one really had nothing to apologise for. If only people would say sorry sooner rathe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/alexander-mccall-smith-372_apologise_there-were-times-when-an-apology-was-bes_1474371.jpg"
---

#  There were times when an apology was best, she thought…

![“There were times when an apology was best, she thought, even when one really had nothing to apologise for. If only people would say sorry sooner rather than later, Mma Ramotswe believed, much discord and unhappiness could be avoided. But that was not the way people were. So often pride stood in…” quote by Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/alexander-mccall-smith-372_apologise_there-were-times-when-an-apology-was-bes_1474371.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/alexander-mccall-smith-372_apologise_there-were-times-when-an-apology-was-bes_1474371.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/alexander-mccall-smith-372_apologise_there-were-times-when-an-apology-was-bes_1474371.jpg)

> ““There were times when an apology was best, she thought, even when one really had nothing to apologise for. If only people would say sorry sooner rather than later, Mma Ramotswe believed, much discord and unhappiness could be avoided. But that was not the way people were. So often pride stood in the way of apology, and then, when somebody was ready to say sorry, it was already too late.””

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Apologies are often delayed by pride, causing unnecessary conflict; timely forgiveness can prevent discord.

**In simple terms:** Pride delays apologies, causing conflict.

Key Takeaway

Offer apologies promptly to avoid lasting resentment.

Themes

communication pride forgiveness relationships

Mood

empathetic practical

Type

advice inspirational

When to use this quote

- marriage counseling
- team management
- friendship repair
- customer service

Key Concepts

social psychology conflict resolution emotional intelligence

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it appropriate to apologize quickly?
- How can you balance sincerity with timeliness?

A Different Perspective

Some may view immediate apologies as insincere or strategic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

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## Related quotes

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> [When a man holds you round the throat, I don't think he has come to apologise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayrton-senna/when-a-man-holds-you-round-the-throat-i-don-t-think-he-has-come-to/)

[Ayrton Senna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayrton-senna/)

> [“The one thing you should never do to a woman, whether you make love to her or fuck her, is apologise straight after.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianna-hardy/the-one-thing-you-should-never-do-to-a-woman-whether-you-make-love-to/)

[Dianna Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianna-hardy/)

> [What I said Wasn't wise It wasn't even true I apologise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walter-bratton/what-i-said-wasn-t-wise-it-wasn-t-even-true-i-apologise/)

[John Walter Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walter-bratton/)

> [Your apologies don't mean much to me any more. You apologise but you never change. It's a waste of time believing that you ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/your-apologies-don-t-mean-much-to-me-any-more-you-apologise-but-you/)

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> [I tried to push him away with my head. I apologise to everyone. I should not have got involved in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-pardew/i-tried-to-push-him-away-with-my-head-i-apologise-to-everyone-i/)

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[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

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> [I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment that I shouldn't have said. Called him names I shouldn't have called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-said-a-lot-of-things-in-the-heat-of-the-moment-that-i-shouldn-t/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

## More by Alexander McCall Smith

> [“old-fashioned, gentle Scottish physician, unmoved by the considerations of profit and personal gain that could so disfigure medicine. That doctors should consider themselves businessmen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/old-fashioned-gentle-scottish-physician-unmoved-by-the-considerations/)

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> [And that, in a way, was the burden of being a philosopher: one knew what one had to do, but it was so often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/and-that-in-a-way-was-the-burden-of-being-a-philosopher-one-knew-what/)

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