--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was no going back. Apologies…" description: "\"“There was no going back. Apologies weren't welds; they were just an admission that something had been broken. Often between two people.”\" — Hugh Howey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/hugh-howey-841_apologies_there-was-no-going-back-apologies-weren_1222179.png" --- # There was no going back. Apologies weren't welds; they… ![“There was no going back. Apologies weren't welds; they were just an admission that something had been broken. Often between two people.” quote by Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/hugh-howey-841_apologies_there-was-no-going-back-apologies-weren_1222179.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/hugh-howey-841_apologies_there-was-no-going-back-apologies-weren_1222179.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/hugh-howey-841_apologies_there-was-no-going-back-apologies-weren_1222179.png) > ““There was no going back. Apologies weren't welds; they were just an admission that something had been broken. Often between two people.”” [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## 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 admissions of brokenness, not fixes; they acknowledge damage but require further repair. **In simple terms:** Apologies admit damage, not fix it. Key Takeaway Follow apology with concrete repair. Themes accountability repair communication Mood reflective serious Type advisory relational When to use this quote - team disagreement - personal conflict - customer service Key Concepts conflict resolution relationship repair Questions to Reflect On - How will you repair the broken trust? - What steps follow an apology? A Different Perspective Apologies without action can seem hollow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apologies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologies/) [Apology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apology/) [Broken People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-people/) [Excuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excuses/) ## Related quotes > [“Apologies weren’t welds; they were just an admission that something had been broken. Often between two people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/apologies-weren-t-welds-they-were-just-an-admission-that-something/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-day-of-your-life-is-the-one-on-which-you-decide-your-life-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The other attack going viral on tumblr at the moment is that I write novels about broken people who need saving, and that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-other-attack-going-viral-on-tumblr-at-the-moment-is-that-i-write/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Dear Hunger Games : Screw you for helping cowards pretend you have to be great with a bow to fight evil. You don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/dear-hunger-games-screw-you-for-helping-cowards-pretend-you-have-to/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [Marriage is two broken people having little broken people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/marriage-is-two-broken-people-having-little-broken-people/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“It went on and on; intentionally, unintentionally, it didn't matter. The end was the same: broken people left in pieces, lives fractured, love bludgeoned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-jones/it-went-on-and-on-intentionally-unintentionally-it-didn-t-matter-the/) Wendy Jones > [“I know all about broken things. I came from a broken house, and a broken land full of broken people. I have a broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-thalassa/i-know-all-about-broken-things-i-came-from-a-broken-house-and-a/) [Laura Thalassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-thalassa/) > [Everything good in my life can be traced back to my mother's sobriety. She showed me that broken people can - with the help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/everything-good-in-my-life-can-be-traced-back-to-my-mother-s-sobriety/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [“AUTHOR'S GOODREADS PAGE: I like dysfunction. Broken people who can't fix each other, but fit together because they're missing the same pieces.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lime-craven/author-s-goodreads-page-i-like-dysfunction-broken-people-who-can-t/) Lime Craven > [“I just don’t know if two broken people can be together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calia-read/i-just-don-t-know-if-two-broken-people-can-be-together/) [Calia Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calia-read/) > [“Jesus doesn’t call us to simple. He calls us into complexity. The human soul, psyche, mind, and emotions are complicated. And if he calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-sauls/jesus-doesn-t-call-us-to-simple-he-calls-us-into-complexity-the-human/) [Scott Sauls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-sauls/) > [“There always seemed to be a better way, except when it came to people. Once broken, people couldn't be repaired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sullivan/there-always-seemed-to-be-a-better-way-except-when-it-came-to-people/) [Michael J. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sullivan/) > [My child,you are broken. Unless you know that you are broken yourself,it will be severely laborious to love the broken people around you. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-sanchez/my-child-you-are-broken-unless-you-know-that-you-are-broken-yourself/) [Bo Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-sanchez/) > [“Broken people don't hide from their monsters. Broken people let themselves be eaten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/broken-people-don-t-hide-from-their-monsters-broken-people-let/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“Broken people just need piecing back together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-martin/broken-people-just-need-piecing-back-together/) [Charles Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-martin/) ## More by Hugh Howey > [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“The Loud came before the quiet. That was a Rule of the World, for the bangs and shouts need somewhere to echo, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-loud-came-before-the-quiet-that-was-a-rule-of-the-world-for-the/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“People from IT sent to replace those they’d killed. Juliette’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/people-from-it-sent-to-replace-those-they-d-killed-juliette-s/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a heap of words designed to hinder communication rather than facilitate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-heap-of-words-designed-to-hinder-communication-rather-than/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“That leaves Bravo Company, the expendables who know what they’re doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-leaves-bravo-company-the-expendables-who-know-what-they-re-doing/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Sleep was a vehicle for passing the time, for avoiding the present. It was a trolley for the depressed, the impatient, and the dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/sleep-was-a-vehicle-for-passing-the-time-for-avoiding-the-present-it/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Overhead, tangles of wires knotted together in a grand display of unplanned infrastructure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/overhead-tangles-of-wires-knotted-together-in-a-grand-display-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Montana wants to scream, but the thing she is angry at is in the past. The past can’t hear her. This is the thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/montana-wants-to-scream-but-the-thing-she-is-angry-at-is-in-the-past/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I guess what I'm sayin' is, if you want to give Jules a job, be very careful.” “Why be careful?” Marnes asked. Marck gazed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-guess-what-i-m-sayin-is-if-you-want-to-give-jules-a-job-be-very/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [One of the many things that surprised me about 'Wool' is how many of its fans don't consider themselves science fiction readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/one-of-the-many-things-that-surprised-me-about-wool-is-how-many-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“We have allowed a dangerous forest to grow as we try to guard against individual trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/we-have-allowed-a-dangerous-forest-to-grow-as-we-try-to-guard-against/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“You’re . . . a rock,” I tell the rock. “The fuck I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/you-re-a-rock-i-tell-the-rock-the-fuck-i-am/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I hated Sundays as a kid. From the moment I woke up, I could feel Monday looming,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-hated-sundays-as-a-kid-from-the-moment-i-woke-up-i-could-feel/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) [Explore all 351 Hugh Howey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## More Apologies quotes > [Apologies are not pass/fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/apologies-are-not-pass-fail/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [“A lady need never apologize. ~ Joseph de Bonaparte (Brother of Napoleon)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pataki/a-lady-need-never-apologize-joseph-de-bonaparte-brother-of-napoleon/) Allison Pataki > [“Make no apologies for surviving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hailey-edwards/make-no-apologies-for-surviving/) [Hailey Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hailey-edwards/) > [“If other people owe you an apology, and your words of apology to them are proper and heartfelt, you still may not hear from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/if-other-people-owe-you-an-apology-and-your-words-of-apology-to-them/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [“No. I made that choice. I let all that anger and pain get twisted up in my thoughts for you.” He leaned in. “It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/no-i-made-that-choice-i-let-all-that-anger-and-pain-get-twisted-up-in/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [Sorry is like a band-aid. Just because you use it, doesn't mean it's going to heal the wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sorry-is-like-a-band-aid-just-because-you-use-it-doesn-t-mean-it-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you realize youve made a mistake, make amends immediately. Its easier to eat crow while its still warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-realize-youve-made-a-mistake-make-amends-immediately-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My apologies. I meant no offense." Except that his tone told her he didn't mean a word he'd just spoken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-oram/my-apologies-i-meant-no-offense-except-that-his-tone-told-her-he-didn/) [Jean Oram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-oram/) > [“Time made apologies and absolution unnecessary. Time didn't really heal, it just made bad memories distant so that the brain couldn't recapture the lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amulya-malladi/time-made-apologies-and-absolution-unnecessary-time-didn-t-really/) [Amulya Malladi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amulya-malladi/) > [But my apology was a thousand apologies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/but-my-apology-was-a-thousand-apologies/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [“You gotta go and get angry at all of my honesty You know I try but I don't do too well with apologies I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bieber/you-gotta-go-and-get-angry-at-all-of-my-honesty-you-know-i-try-but-i/) [Justin Bieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bieber/) > [I'm disappointed in myself. I promised myself I'd stay strong, but I couldn't. Tonight marks the first time I cut. Tonight is the start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie/i-m-disappointed-in-myself-i-promised-myself-i-d-stay-strong-but-i/) [Leslie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie/) > [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/) Unkown > [What goes around comes around,when and how nobody knows and with double intensity-be it good or bad! so do good to others.Apologize for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reema-chandnani/what-goes-around-comes-around-when-and-how-nobody-knows-and-with/) [Reema Chandnani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reema-chandnani/) > [When I think that my actions hurt your feelings I feel terrible and I want you to know how sorry I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/superman/when-i-think-that-my-actions-hurt-your-feelings-i-feel-terrible-and-i/) Superman [Browse all 319 Apologies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There was no going back. Apologies weren't welds; they were just an admission that something had been broken. 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