--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The difference between an explanation and…" description: "\"The difference between an explanation and an excuse lies with the one receiving it\" — L.E. Modesitt Jr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/l-e-modesitt-jr-12954_excuse_the-difference-between-an-explanation-an_3121312.png" --- # The difference between an explanation and an excuse lies… ![“The difference between an explanation and an excuse lies with the one receiving it” quote by L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/l-e-modesitt-jr-12954_excuse_the-difference-between-an-explanation-an_3121312.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/l-e-modesitt-jr-12954_excuse_the-difference-between-an-explanation-an_3121312.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/l-e-modesitt-jr-12954_excuse_the-difference-between-an-explanation-an_3121312.png) > “The difference between an explanation and an excuse lies with the one receiving it” [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An explanation clarifies, while an excuse shifts blame to the listener. **In simple terms:** Explanations inform; excuses deflect. Key Takeaway Seek clarity, not blame. Themes communication responsibility perception Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace feedback Key Concepts accountability interpretation psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you tend to explain or excuse? - How do you respond to others’ excuses? A Different Perspective Excuses can hinder problem solving and accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Beneath the excuse lies your destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-allen/beneath-the-excuse-lies-your-destiny/) [Robert G. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-allen/) > [“The failure to remember is not a lie, although liars will often try to excuse their lies, once discovered, by claiming a memory failure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ekman/the-failure-to-remember-is-not-a-lie-although-liars-will-often-try-to/) [Paul Ekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ekman/) > [I am an alcoholic, as I said. And it is however we call it, a disease. That's an explanation, but not an excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachy-mccourt/i-am-an-alcoholic-as-i-said-and-it-is-however-we-call-it-a-disease/) [Malachy McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachy-mccourt/) > [I suppose the human race is doing the best it can but hells bells thats only an explanation its not an excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/i-suppose-the-human-race-is-doing-the-best-it-can-but-hells-bells/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [“Except in a very few matches, usually with world-class performers, there is a point in every match (and in some cases it's right at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-terry-warner/except-in-a-very-few-matches-usually-with-world-class-performers/) [C. Terry Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-terry-warner/) > [“That was an explanation, not an excuse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/that-was-an-explanation-not-an-excuse/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [“But let the wise be warned against too great readiness at explanation: it multiplies the sources of mistake, lengthening the sum for reckoners sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-let-the-wise-be-warned-against-too-great-readiness-at-explanation/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-goal-of-faithfulness-is-not-that-we-will-do-work-for-god-but-that/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [What most needs explanation is not why some people are criminals, but why most people are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-q-wilson/what-most-needs-explanation-is-not-why-some-people-are-criminals-but/) [James Q. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-q-wilson/) > [ They \[scientists of centuries past\] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-on-god-only-from-the-lonely/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [To prevent discussion of any other explanations of human origins is hardly what I would expect from open-minded educators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/to-prevent-discussion-of-any-other-explanations-of-human-origins-is/) [Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/) > [Before I had kids, I thought you should never lie to a kid. But now I've had them, I realize you almost lie to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/before-i-had-kids-i-thought-you-should-never-lie-to-a-kid-but-now-i/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [Yesterday's truth is today's bullshit. Even yesterday's liberating insight is today's jail of stale explanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-blanton/yesterday-s-truth-is-today-s-bullshit-even-yesterday-s-liberating/) [Brad Blanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-blanton/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) ## More by L.E. Modesitt Jr > [Love of another is merely empty flattery and self-deception for one who cannot accept himself without pretense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/love-of-another-is-merely-empty-flattery-and-self-deception-for-one/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“Don’t ever settle for just survival, son. Survival isn’t life…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/don-t-ever-settle-for-just-survival-son-survival-isn-t-life/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [Without power, knowledge is useless. without knowledge, faith is tyranny. Without understanding, humanity is blind, and without all four, it is doomed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/without-power-knowledge-is-useless-without-knowledge-faith-is-tyranny/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“love no one until you can love yourself, for love of another is merely empty flattery and self-deception for one who cannot accept himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/love-no-one-until-you-can-love-yourself-for-love-of-another-is-merely/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“It’s often hard to consider the future when you are struggling with the present,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/it-s-often-hard-to-consider-the-future-when-you-are-struggling-with/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“technology enabled mercy,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/technology-enabled-mercy/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“Too often, no matter what simpering savants say, there is no real choice. Not if life is to have meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/too-often-no-matter-what-simpering-savants-say-there-is-no-real/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“Up early. Must be important.” Her smile was nice, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/up-early-must-be-important-her-smile-was-nice-too/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“some people learned only from what they experienced personally.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/some-people-learned-only-from-what-they-experienced-personally/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [Hatred is a form of faith, distilled by passion to remove all rationality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/hatred-is-a-form-of-faith-distilled-by-passion-to-remove-all/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“one of the ways to be successful in war is to make your enemies make all the gallant but useless sacrifices…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/one-of-the-ways-to-be-successful-in-war-is-to-make-your-enemies-make/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“...there being a god, that god must be worshiped. Worship means raising the god above the individual, and liturgies often make the point that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/there-being-a-god-that-god-must-be-worshiped-worship-means-raising/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“Was there really something to the obsolete idea of a national character? Some countries just changed tyrants, without changing anything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/was-there-really-something-to-the-obsolete-idea-of-a-national/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“power corrupts, even when you try not to be corrupted?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/power-corrupts-even-when-you-try-not-to-be-corrupted/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [“We all feel better when we can defend ourselves. When we can tell ourselves and everyone else that we did what was necessary and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/we-all-feel-better-when-we-can-defend-ourselves-when-we-can-tell/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) [Explore all 51 L.E. Modesitt Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) ## More Excuse quotes > [The greatest act of courage is to be and to ownall of who you are—without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/the-greatest-act-of-courage-is-to-be-and-to-ownall-of-who-you-are/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [International friendly games are not worth the lives of the silk worms who perish to make the pennants. They do not even have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-baker/international-friendly-games-are-not-worth-the-lives-of-the-silk/) [Danny Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-baker/) > [Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-payson-terhune/win-without-boasting-lose-without-excuse/) [Albert Payson Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-payson-terhune/) > [And the commitment that I've been giving to the Australian people is that there'll be no surprises and no excuses under a Coalition government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/and-the-commitment-that-i-ve-been-giving-to-the-australian-people-is/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [Dont leave without a reason, and then try to come back with an excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-leave-without-a-reason-and-then-try-to-come-back-with-an-excuse/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Using, as an excuse, others' failure of common sense is in itself a failure of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/using-as-an-excuse-others-failure-of-common-sense-is-in-itself-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [I resolutely believe that respect for diversity is a fundamental pillar in the eradication of racism, xenophobia and intolerance. There is no excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/i-resolutely-believe-that-respect-for-diversity-is-a-fundamental/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [I'm not the guy who will sit in a room with somebody who's using a bunch of big words and just act like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/i-m-not-the-guy-who-will-sit-in-a-room-with-somebody-who-s-using-a/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [Worst Break Up Excuse; 'You deserve so much better.' Translation: They've already moved on whether you like it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/worst-break-up-excuse-you-deserve-so-much-better-translation-they-ve/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [Live with No Excuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyanendra/live-with-no-excuse/) [Gyanendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyanendra/) Browse all 2,435 Excuse quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The difference between an explanation and an excuse lies with the one receiving it", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "L.E. Modesitt Jr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/the-difference-between-an-explanation-and-an-excuse-lies-with-the-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Excuse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/the-difference-between-an-explanation-and-an-excuse-lies-with-the-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/l-e-modesitt-jr-12954_excuse_the-difference-between-an-explanation-an_3121312.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/l-e-modesitt-jr-12954_excuse_the-difference-between-an-explanation-an_3121312.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/l-e-modesitt-jr-12954_excuse_the-difference-between-an-explanation-an_3121312.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The difference between an explanation and an excuse lies with the one receiving it” — L.E. Modesitt Jr", "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": "L.E. Modesitt Jr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The difference between an explanation and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/the-difference-between-an-explanation-and-an-excuse-lies-with-the-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/the-difference-between-an-explanation-and-an-excuse-lies-with-the-one/#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 } } ] } ```