--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An excuse is worse and more pathetic than…" description: "\"An excuse is worse and more pathetic than a lie...For an excuse is a lie guarded.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/anonymous-1_dishonesty_an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-pathetic-tha_2546845.jpg" --- # An excuse is worse and more pathetic than a lie...For an… ![“An excuse is worse and more pathetic than a lie...For an excuse is a lie guarded.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/anonymous-1_dishonesty_an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-pathetic-tha_2546845.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/anonymous-1_dishonesty_an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-pathetic-tha_2546845.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/anonymous-1_dishonesty_an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-pathetic-tha_2546845.jpg) > “An excuse is worse and more pathetic than a lie...For an excuse is a lie guarded.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excuses are lies that protect failure, making them more damaging than outright falsehoods. **In simple terms:** Excuses hide truth and damage credibility. Key Takeaway Choose honesty over protective falsehoods. Themes integrity accountability truth Mood reflective critical Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - workplace - personal relationships - academic settings - political discourse Key Concepts self‑deception defensiveness psychology Questions to Reflect On - When is an excuse acceptable? - How do you confront your own excuses? A Different Perspective Excuses can sometimes be socially necessary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dishonesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dishonesty/) [Excuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excuses/) [Keeping it real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keeping-it-real/) [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) ## Related quotes > [An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie; for an excuse is a lie guarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-terrible-than-a-lie-for-an-excuse-is-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Can you? Can you get out that much red? Vanko, Tugenov, Romanoff...Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-avengers/can-you-can-you-get-out-that-much-red-vanko-tugenov-romanoff-barton/) [The Avengers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-avengers/) > [An excuse is a lie guarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/an-excuse-is-a-lie-guarded/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“For every excuse that you've ever had or came up with of why you can't or couldn't, there's someone who's had that same excuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-vidrine/for-every-excuse-that-you-ve-ever-had-or-came-up-with-of-why-you-can/) [Kyle Vidrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-vidrine/) > [“A child is a best story teller if it is encouraged to do so. Parents shouldn't get confused between a lie and an excuse.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-bhatt/a-child-is-a-best-story-teller-if-it-is-encouraged-to-do-so-parents/) [Anurag Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-bhatt/) > [A lie is an excuse guarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-lie-is-an-excuse-guarded/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [People will always lie on you, when they have no excuse for mishandling you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deondriea-cantrice/people-will-always-lie-on-you-when-they-have-no-excuse-for/) [Deondriea Cantrice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deondriea-cantrice/) > [The trouble with excuses, however, is that they become inevitably difficult to believe after they’ve been used a couple of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/the-trouble-with-excuses-however-is-that-they-become-inevitably/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [“Don't ever accuse anyone of being full of pride, undignified and unprofessional when simply they are wise to move away from dishonest schemers. Dishonesty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/don-t-ever-accuse-anyone-of-being-full-of-pride-undignified-and/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) > [“Honesty whispers, "Don't get pricked by the thorns of lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/honesty-whispers-don-t-get-pricked-by-the-thorns-of-lie/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) > [Our heart is the greatest cheater in the world. It makes thousands of different excuses to staying in touch with the people we love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinku-razoria/our-heart-is-the-greatest-cheater-in-the-world-it-makes-thousands-of/) [Tinku Razoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinku-razoria/) > [Excuses are the best friend of a lie, and leaving information out are its brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-skinner/excuses-are-the-best-friend-of-a-lie-and-leaving-information-out-are/) Jamie Skinner > [That awesome moment when someone is lying and you know the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-awesome-moment-when-someone-is-lying-and-you-know-the-truth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some people don't like telling the truth... And some people can't handle hearing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-don-t-like-telling-the-truth-and-some-people-can-t-handle/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Telling me lies is easier for you than to tell me the truth? Well me not trusting you is easier than getting hurt by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/telling-me-lies-is-easier-for-you-than-to-tell-me-the-truth-well-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Dishonesty quotes > [The greatest gift you can give to those around you is honesty. Sometimes honest words may sting the heart, but dishonesty pierces deep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-to-those-around-you-is-honesty/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply—I was casually sorry, and then I forgot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/dishonesty-in-a-woman-is-a-thing-you-never-blame-deeply-i-was/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Telling me lies is easier for you than to tell me the truth? Well me not trusting you is easier than getting hurt by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/telling-me-lies-is-easier-for-you-than-to-tell-me-the-truth-well-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Cheating is like eating fast food. You do it, you enjoy it, and then you end up feeling like shit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/cheating-is-like-eating-fast-food-you-do-it-you-enjoy-it-and-then-you/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“If you wear a mask for too long, there will come a time when you can not remove it without removing your face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-you-wear-a-mask-for-too-long-there-will-come-a-time-when-you-can/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Don't be afraid of enemies who attack you. Be afraid of the friends who flatter you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/don-t-be-afraid-of-enemies-who-attack-you-be-afraid-of-the-friends/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Excuses are the best friend of a lie, and leaving information out are its brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-skinner/excuses-are-the-best-friend-of-a-lie-and-leaving-information-out-are/) Jamie Skinner > [It is never just disagreement but always intellectual dishonesty that is the apologist's worst enemy. And its apprentice is ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/it-is-never-just-disagreement-but-always-intellectual-dishonesty-that/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Some people don't like telling the truth... And some people can't handle hearing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-don-t-like-telling-the-truth-and-some-people-can-t-handle/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“An insincere individual would feel afraid to admit the truth because he or she wants to avoid facing the consequences with a guilty conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saaif-alam/an-insincere-individual-would-feel-afraid-to-admit-the-truth-because/) [Saaif Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saaif-alam/) > [The removal of religion as history from our schoolbooks betrays the intellectual dishonesty of secular humanist educators and reveals their blind hostility to Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/the-removal-of-religion-as-history-from-our-schoolbooks-betrays-the/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [That awesome moment when someone is lying and you know the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-awesome-moment-when-someone-is-lying-and-you-know-the-truth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is nothing more distressing ... than the hard, scoffing spirit which treats the allegation of dishonesty in a public man as a cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-is-nothing-more-distressing-than-the-hard-scoffing-spirit-which/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“The tombstone over the grave of the conscience always reads: "Human Nature".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/the-tombstone-over-the-grave-of-the-conscience-always-reads-human/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [I so wreak of logic and commonsense that it is obviously very refreshing in this world of otherwise soulless politically correct denial and dishonesty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/i-so-wreak-of-logic-and-commonsense-that-it-is-obviously-very/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) [Browse all 546 Dishonesty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dishonesty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An excuse is worse and more pathetic than a lie...For an excuse is a lie guarded.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-pathetic-than-a-lie-for-an-excuse-is-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dishonesty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-pathetic-than-a-lie-for-an-excuse-is-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/anonymous-1_dishonesty_an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-pathetic-tha_2546845.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/anonymous-1_dishonesty_an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-pathetic-tha_2546845.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/anonymous-1_dishonesty_an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-pathetic-tha_2546845.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An excuse is worse and more pathetic than a lie...For an excuse is a lie guarded.” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An excuse is worse and more...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-pathetic-than-a-lie-for-an-excuse-is-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-excuse-is-worse-and-more-pathetic-than-a-lie-for-an-excuse-is-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```