--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most people define themselves by the…" description: "\"“Most people define themselves by the excuses they make about why they cannot be who they want to be or do what they truly want to do.”\" — Leigh Hershk..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/leigh-hershkovich-13277_excuses_most-people-define-themselves-by-the-exc_2605040.jpg" --- # Most people define themselves by the excuses they make… ![“Most people define themselves by the excuses they make about why they cannot be who they want to be or do what they truly want to do.” quote by Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/leigh-hershkovich-13277_excuses_most-people-define-themselves-by-the-exc_2605040.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/leigh-hershkovich-13277_excuses_most-people-define-themselves-by-the-exc_2605040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/leigh-hershkovich-13277_excuses_most-people-define-themselves-by-the-exc_2605040.jpg) > ““Most people define themselves by the excuses they make about why they cannot be who they want to be or do what they truly want to do.”” [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excuses become identity shields, preventing people from pursuing true desires. **In simple terms:** Excuses can define us negatively. Key Takeaway Stop making excuses. Themes self-awareness motivation identity Mood determined introspective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career change - creative projects - personal goals - relationship building Key Concepts Psychology behavioral change Questions to Reflect On - What excuse do you use most? - How can you reframe that excuse? A Different Perspective Excuses can be self‑protective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excuses/) ## Related quotes > [“Essentially there are two actions in life: Performance and excuses. Make a decision as to which he will accept from yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-brown/essentially-there-are-two-actions-in-life-performance-and-excuses/) Steven Brown > [Life is what you make of it. Don't make excuses - make it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamillionaire/life-is-what-you-make-of-it-don-t-make-excuses-make-it-happen/) [Chamillionaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamillionaire/) > [“You can make excuses and you can make money, but you cannot make both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/you-can-make-excuses-and-you-can-make-money-but-you-cannot-make-both/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [No excuses you make time for whats important to you...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-excuses-you-make-time-for-whats-important-to-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There's often a deeper truth to be found beneath the excuses we make for ourselves and our lives. Once I stopped looking for tired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stabile/there-s-often-a-deeper-truth-to-be-found-beneath-the-excuses-we-make/) [Scott Stabile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stabile/) > [God's timing is everything and you weren't the right one. But using excuses to not make things work is dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-timing-is-everything-and-you-weren-t-the-right-one-but-using/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The more excuses you make, the less progress you make!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicky-verd/the-more-excuses-you-make-the-less-progress-you-make/) [Nicky Verd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicky-verd/) > [Don't make excuses! Make changes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gaskins/don-t-make-excuses-make-changes/) [Tony Gaskins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gaskins/) > [The excuses we make destroy the results we deserve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/the-excuses-we-make-destroy-the-results-we-deserve/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [Don't make excuses, make good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/don-t-make-excuses-make-good/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [What excuses do you make? Happiness is hard to find. I didn't catch a break. maybe I'm dying inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-excuses-do-you-make-happiness-is-hard-to-find-i-didn-t-catch-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Isn't it interesting how we often fight who we truly are, what we truly want and that which we truly deserve?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carma-spence/isn-t-it-interesting-how-we-often-fight-who-we-truly-are-what-we/) Carma Spence > [“...I'm not sure I can give my entire heart to him that way. And... and I love him enough to want him to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/i-m-not-sure-i-can-give-my-entire-heart-to-him-that-way-and-and-i/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [What would you be like if you were the only person in the world? If you want to be truly happy you must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/what-would-you-be-like-if-you-were-the-only-person-in-the-world-if/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [No matter how much you make the world a part of your life through social media, it's never enough. They all want more, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystle-d-souza/no-matter-how-much-you-make-the-world-a-part-of-your-life-through/) [Krystle D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystle-d-souza/) ## More by Leigh Hershkovich > [“I rather be weird than boring and bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/i-rather-be-weird-than-boring-and-bored/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“Allow yourself to let go, surrender, and breathe in the beautiful world that is waiting for you just outside of your comfort zone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/allow-yourself-to-let-go-surrender-and-breathe-in-the-beautiful-world/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“Don’t give up on yourself. It’s incredibly cliche, but it’s true. The worst is yet to come if you give up on yourself. Hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/don-t-give-up-on-yourself-it-s-incredibly-cliche-but-it-s-true-the/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“Refusing to believe that change can occur at any moment is one of the worst of human failings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/refusing-to-believe-that-change-can-occur-at-any-moment-is-one-of-the/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“I believe that all people allow the act of victimization to take lead in their lives without realizing or trying to stop it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/i-believe-that-all-people-allow-the-act-of-victimization-to-take-lead/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“There was not an inch of solid ground anywhere in the world for me to call my own. I didn't belong anywhere. Had I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/there-was-not-an-inch-of-solid-ground-anywhere-in-the-world-for-me-to/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“Never stop writing. Whether you’re writing a novel, screen play or just keeping a journal, it’s integral that you make writing a daily process.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/never-stop-writing-whether-you-re-writing-a-novel-screen-play-or-just/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“Do not try to understand. What I feel for you cannot be limited to words. I know that you have moved on with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/do-not-try-to-understand-what-i-feel-for-you-cannot-be-limited-to/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“The thing about life, is that you never know where you stand. It's almost impossible to place yourself in a position of superiority- not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/the-thing-about-life-is-that-you-never-know-where-you-stand-it-s/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“Instead of channeling passion through my fingertips, I summoned the courage to channel it through my eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/instead-of-channeling-passion-through-my-fingertips-i-summoned-the/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“I want to release my soul from its prison cell, to silence the guards who tell me that I am not capable of living.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/i-want-to-release-my-soul-from-its-prison-cell-to-silence-the-guards/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“If I close my eyes, plug my ears, and hold my tongue, all of this will cease to exist. I can pretend it never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/if-i-close-my-eyes-plug-my-ears-and-hold-my-tongue-all-of-this-will/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“Enjoy life, even in the most chaotic, hectic moments. Take time to breathe. Take time to consider what is important versus what is rubbish.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/enjoy-life-even-in-the-most-chaotic-hectic-moments-take-time-to/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“Time is self absorbed, takes what it wants and doesn't return the favor. It is greedy, its pockets full of the lives of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/time-is-self-absorbed-takes-what-it-wants-and-doesn-t-return-the/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) > [“In the rush of life, it is quite easy to forget what’s important. As cliche as this is, it’s easy to take life for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/in-the-rush-of-life-it-is-quite-easy-to-forget-what-s-important-as/) [Leigh Hershkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) [Explore all 51 Leigh Hershkovich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/) ## More Excuses quotes > [You will find that the more successful the individual, the less inclined he is to make excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-schwartz/you-will-find-that-the-more-successful-the-individual-the-less/) [David Joseph Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-schwartz/) > [I wasn't a bad kid. My dad left when I was young, so I didn't have much discipline, not that I'm making excuses. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-dyer/i-wasn-t-a-bad-kid-my-dad-left-when-i-was-young-so-i-didn-t-have-much/) [Danny Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-dyer/) > [Sometimes you don't need to hear their excuses or what they have to say for themselves because their actions already spoke the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany/sometimes-you-don-t-need-to-hear-their-excuses-or-what-they-have-to/) [Brittany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany/) > [Most people don't reach their goals because reaching their goals requires them to do things that they don't want to do. You might not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/most-people-don-t-reach-their-goals-because-reaching-their-goals/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Existence of emotions also are nothing without excuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/existence-of-emotions-also-are-nothing-without-excuses/) Mak\_786 > [The only thing stopping you from getting it done is your excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/the-only-thing-stopping-you-from-getting-it-done-is-your-excuses/) [SONYA PARKER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I'm not a sympathetic guy when I see people throwing their lives away and using their life's obstacles as excuses to fail. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabo-swinney/i-m-not-a-sympathetic-guy-when-i-see-people-throwing-their-lives-away/) [Dabo Swinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabo-swinney/) > [It is impossible to need excuses when the focus of your life shifts from 'What's in it for me?' to 'How can I serve?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-is-impossible-to-need-excuses-when-the-focus-of-your-life-shifts/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Excuses cost a dime and that's why the poor could afford a lot of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/excuses-cost-a-dime-and-that-s-why-the-poor-could-afford-a-lot-of-it/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/excuses-are-the-nails-used-to-build-a-house-of-failure/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [I will never attempt to even begin to make excuses for what I did in football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-storey/i-will-never-attempt-to-even-begin-to-make-excuses-for-what-i-did-in/) [Peter Storey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-storey/) > [“If they want to be in your life, they'll find a way to be in your life. Otherwise they'll find excuses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/if-they-want-to-be-in-your-life-they-ll-find-a-way-to-be-in-your-life/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [“Your explanation is good, but your herring doesn't fry, as we say in Ramaldah," he exploded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ashling/your-explanation-is-good-but-your-herring-doesn-t-fry-as-we-say-in/) [Andrew Ashling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ashling/) > [“To recklessly excuse a failure is to believe that I’ve effectively erased it from the story of my life, when I’ve actually imprinted it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-recklessly-excuse-a-failure-is-to-believe-that-i-ve-effectively/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“I’ve got to stop this. Stop worrying about the why. Stop forcing what was happening into the realm of impossible. Stop hiding behind excuses.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deatri-king-bey/i-ve-got-to-stop-this-stop-worrying-about-the-why-stop-forcing-what/) [Deatri King-Bey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deatri-king-bey/) [Browse all 1,069 Excuses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excuses/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Most people define themselves by the excuses they make about why they cannot be who they want to be or do what they truly want to do.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leigh Hershkovich" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/most-people-define-themselves-by-the-excuses-they-make-about-why-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Excuses" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/most-people-define-themselves-by-the-excuses-they-make-about-why-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/leigh-hershkovich-13277_excuses_most-people-define-themselves-by-the-exc_2605040.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/leigh-hershkovich-13277_excuses_most-people-define-themselves-by-the-exc_2605040.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/leigh-hershkovich-13277_excuses_most-people-define-themselves-by-the-exc_2605040.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most people define themselves by the excuses they make about why they cannot be who they want to be or do…” — Leigh Hershkovich", "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": "Leigh Hershkovich", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hershkovich/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Most people define themselves by the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/most-people-define-themselves-by-the-excuses-they-make-about-why-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hershkovich/most-people-define-themselves-by-the-excuses-they-make-about-why-they/#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 } } ] } ```