--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not a persons mistakes which define…" description: "\"It's not a persons mistakes which define them - it's the way they make amends.\" — Freya North" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/freya-north-25713_amends_it-s-not-a-persons-mistakes-which-define_2265311.jpg" --- # It's not a persons mistakes which define them - it's the… ![“It's not a persons mistakes which define them - it's the way they make amends.” quote by Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/freya-north-25713_amends_it-s-not-a-persons-mistakes-which-define_2265311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/freya-north-25713_amends_it-s-not-a-persons-mistakes-which-define_2265311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/freya-north-25713_amends_it-s-not-a-persons-mistakes-which-define_2265311.jpg) > “It's not a persons mistakes which define them - it's the way they make amends.” [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Character is defined not by errors but by how one seeks redemption and makes amends. **In simple terms:** Mistakes don’t define you; making amends does. Key Takeaway Focus on repairing, not on past faults. Themes redemption character growth relationships Mood thoughtful encouraging empathetic Type advice personal development When to use this quote - conflict resolution - relationship repair - self‑improvement - leadership Key Concepts Ethics psychology personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How do you demonstrate genuine change? - What steps ensure amends are meaningful? A Different Perspective Amends may be insufficient without systemic change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amends/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Make Amends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-amends/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Mistakes Define](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes-define-727816/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Persons Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons-mistakes-5228714/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Put that pride/stubbornness aside and reach out to someone n make amends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-that-pride-stubbornness-aside-and-reach-out-to-someone-n-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Although we are physically laid to rest, we meet again and again to make amends. If I hurt someone in this life, I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-arison/although-we-are-physically-laid-to-rest-we-meet-again-and-again-to/) [Shari Arison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-arison/) > [I learned about forgiveness, and I've reached out to others to make amends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/i-learned-about-forgiveness-and-i-ve-reached-out-to-others-to-make/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [I've done some dastardly things but what can I do except make amends and apologize?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-getz/i-ve-done-some-dastardly-things-but-what-can-i-do-except-make-amends/) [Stan Getz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-getz/) > [I'm not letting this happen, I'm not gonna let this end, I care for you more than anything, an so I'm here to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-letting-this-happen-i-m-not-gonna-let-this-end-i-care-for-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [She still cared for me, and the best way I could make amends to her was to be happy. I do have a knack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/she-still-cared-for-me-and-the-best-way-i-could-make-amends-to-her/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [“know you believe you cannot make amends,” he said. “But you are just as important”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/know-you-believe-you-cannot-make-amends-he-said-but-you-are-just-as/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Make amends with someone you had a falling out with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/make-amends-with-someone-you-had-a-falling-out-with/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“To make amends can be viewed two ways: first, that of repairing damage, for if I have damaged my neighbor’s fence, I “make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/to-make-amends-can-be-viewed-two-ways-first-that-of-repairing-damage/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [If I have done wrong to another person, the correct course of action is to apologize and make amends to that person and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-dillahunty/if-i-have-done-wrong-to-another-person-the-correct-course-of-action/) [Matt Dillahunty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-dillahunty/) > [“The past is the past, and he can't make amends, only hope that the gain will outlast the damage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/the-past-is-the-past-and-he-can-t-make-amends-only-hope-that-the-gain/) [Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/) > [“Not to know that no space of regret can make amends for one life's misused oppurtunities!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/not-to-know-that-no-space-of-regret-can-make-amends-for-one-life-s/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I think we are well advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-think-we-are-well-advised-to-keep-on-nodding-terms-with-the-people/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [As long as you live, it is never too late to make amends. Take my advice, child. Don't waste your precious life with regrets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hesse/as-long-as-you-live-it-is-never-too-late-to-make-amends-take-my/) [Karen Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hesse/) > [“If you want to make amends for the life you have led then start now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-j-charlton/if-you-want-to-make-amends-for-the-life-you-have-led-then-start-now/) [Sam J. Charlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-j-charlton/) ## More by Freya North > [how can he love me then not? He went,he ran. And I cannot bring him back. Yet I left the door metaphorically wide open,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/how-can-he-love-me-then-not-he-went-he-ran-and-i-cannot-bring-him/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [“In life, time can't stand still and it's unrealistic to attempt to create a state where it does. There again, time passes all too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/in-life-time-can-t-stand-still-and-it-s-unrealistic-to-attempt-to/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [That's the beauty about love. It's not about give-and-take - it's about feeling safe in one's needs - wanting to be looked after as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/that-s-the-beauty-about-love-it-s-not-about-give-and-take-it-s-about/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [“You do NOT fear your OWN ability to COMMIT. Just think about your unwavering dedication to your career, your notion of sisterhood and friendship.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/you-do-not-fear-your-own-ability-to-commit-just-think-about-your/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [“I hope it's that she simply doesn't figure large enough in his life to be worth mentioning, Vita thought. And then she thought, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/i-hope-it-s-that-she-simply-doesn-t-figure-large-enough-in-his-life/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [Am I falling in love? She thought, is it safe to do so with this man? She thought, I don't need to answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/am-i-falling-in-love-she-thought-is-it-safe-to-do-so-with-this-man/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [“It wasn't about opening her mind, it was about closing down the racket of thoughts and opening up her body. She was tingling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/it-wasn-t-about-opening-her-mind-it-was-about-closing-down-the-racket/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [“For the first time in her life, she read voraciously. Anything that was on Joe's bookshelves she considered to have a worthy seal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/for-the-first-time-in-her-life-she-read-voraciously-anything-that-was/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [She liked him. She liked the feeling of liking him. She felt light and smiley and too full of excitement to think of anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/she-liked-him-she-liked-the-feeling-of-liking-him-she-felt-light-and/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [“It's chemical, fancying him is purely chemical. It's intoxicating - the frisson, the attraction - it's intoxicating because it's purely chemical. But you'll just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/it-s-chemical-fancying-him-is-purely-chemical-it-s-intoxicating-the/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [“Currently she was midway through a bittersweet David Nicholls novel that any other time might well have made her self-indulgently reflective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/currently-she-was-midway-through-a-bittersweet-david-nicholls-novel/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [Tell me that you refuse to allow me to be so stupid. Tell me that you will not tolerate this relationship being over just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/tell-me-that-you-refuse-to-allow-me-to-be-so-stupid-tell-me-that-you/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [It's just the world seems a very spacious place without him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/it-s-just-the-world-seems-a-very-spacious-place-without-him/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [I was clinging to all that had been and, in an ideal world, all that we had hoped for. He, he wanted out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/i-was-clinging-to-all-that-had-been-and-in-an-ideal-world-all-that-we/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [“I am a terrible judge of character' "I don't think so. You just need to take note of FACTS from the outset, not feelings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/i-am-a-terrible-judge-of-character-i-don-t-think-so-you-just-need-to/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) [Explore all 22 Freya North quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) ## More Amends quotes > [I am making amends and seeking forgiveness. My only hope is that some good can come out of my situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-blair/i-am-making-amends-and-seeking-forgiveness-my-only-hope-is-that-some/) [Jayson Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-blair/) > [Put that pride/stubbornness aside and reach out to someone n make amends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-that-pride-stubbornness-aside-and-reach-out-to-someone-n-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We make stupid mistakes when we're young; we do our best to make amends for them as we get older. We survive by learning;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-steele/we-make-stupid-mistakes-when-we-re-young-we-do-our-best-to-make/) [Allen Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-steele/) > [ Sadly, \[Pablo Escobar\] ended up throwing away the one opportunity he had. I naively thought, as a son and as many other Colombians, that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-pablo-escobar/sadly-pablo-escobar-ended-up-throwing-away-the-one-opportunity-he-had/) [Juan Pablo Escobar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-pablo-escobar/) > [Forgiveness does not mean that we have to continue to relate to those who have done us harm. In some cases the best practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/forgiveness-does-not-mean-that-we-have-to-continue-to-relate-to-those/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [If you did something in 1975 that you deeply regret and that you now can recognize as having been profoundly irresponsible, for example, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/if-you-did-something-in-1975-that-you-deeply-regret-and-that-you-now/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Karma means that all actions have consequences. Grace means that in a moment of atonement -taking responsibility, making amends, asking for forgiveness - all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/karma-means-that-all-actions-have-consequences-grace-means-that-in-a/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“The difference between humility and humiliation is willingness. Ultimately, it's not for them. It's for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-hart/the-difference-between-humility-and-humiliation-is-willingness/) [Rob Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-hart/) > [Like the Puritans, live in terms of the settled judgement that the joy of heaven will make amends of any losses and crosses, strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-beeke/like-the-puritans-live-in-terms-of-the-settled-judgement-that-the-joy/) [Joel Beeke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-beeke/) > [As long as you live, it is never too late to make amends. Take my advice, child. Don't waste your precious life with regrets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hesse/as-long-as-you-live-it-is-never-too-late-to-make-amends-take-my/) [Karen Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hesse/) > [Making amends with some people just for the sake of it is a sign of maturity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/making-amends-with-some-people-just-for-the-sake-of-it-is-a-sign-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think we are well advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-think-we-are-well-advised-to-keep-on-nodding-terms-with-the-people/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Not to know that no space of regret can make amends for one life's misused oppurtunities!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/not-to-know-that-no-space-of-regret-can-make-amends-for-one-life-s/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Let a man do what he will by a single woman, the world is encouragingly apt to think Marriage a sufficient amends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/let-a-man-do-what-he-will-by-a-single-woman-the-world-is/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [“The past is the past, and he can't make amends, only hope that the gain will outlast the damage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/the-past-is-the-past-and-he-can-t-make-amends-only-hope-that-the-gain/) [Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/) [Browse all 90 Amends quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amends/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not a persons mistakes which define them - it's the way they make amends.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Freya North" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/it-s-not-a-persons-mistakes-which-define-them-it-s-the-way-they-make/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Amends" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/it-s-not-a-persons-mistakes-which-define-them-it-s-the-way-they-make/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/freya-north-25713_amends_it-s-not-a-persons-mistakes-which-define_2265311.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/freya-north-25713_amends_it-s-not-a-persons-mistakes-which-define_2265311.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/freya-north-25713_amends_it-s-not-a-persons-mistakes-which-define_2265311.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's not a persons mistakes which define them - it's the way they make amends.” — Freya North", "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": "Freya North", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's not a persons mistakes which...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/it-s-not-a-persons-mistakes-which-define-them-it-s-the-way-they-make/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/it-s-not-a-persons-mistakes-which-define-them-it-s-the-way-they-make/#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 } } ] } ```