---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Knowing he had done wrong, prepared to…"
description: "\"“Knowing he had done wrong, prepared to make amends, settle his business. Determined to return to Brokeland, open the doors wide to the angel of retail..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/michael-chabon-627_business_knowing-he-had-done-wrong-prepared-to-ma_2547770.jpg"
---

#  Knowing he had done wrong, prepared to make amends, settle…

![“Knowing he had done wrong, prepared to make amends, settle his business. Determined to return to Brokeland, open the doors wide to the angel of retail death, and run the place into the ground all by himself, if that was what it took-but to fail calmly, to fail with style, to fail above all with…” quote by Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/michael-chabon-627_business_knowing-he-had-done-wrong-prepared-to-ma_2547770.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/michael-chabon-627_business_knowing-he-had-done-wrong-prepared-to-ma_2547770.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/michael-chabon-627_business_knowing-he-had-done-wrong-prepared-to-ma_2547770.jpg)

> ““Knowing he had done wrong, prepared to make amends, settle his business. Determined to return to Brokeland, open the doors wide to the angel of retail death, and run the place into the ground all by himself, if that was what it took-but to fail calmly, to fail with style, to fail above all with that true dignity, unknown to his wife or his partner, which lay in never tripping out, never showing offense or hurt to those who had offended or hurt you.””

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A man resolves to accept his mistakes, face consequences, and fail with dignity without burdening loved ones.

**In simple terms:** Accept mistakes, fail gracefully, protect loved ones.

Key Takeaway

Own errors, maintain dignity, protect others.

Themes

responsibility integrity dignity failure self‑sacrifice

Mood

reflective somber

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- business closure
- personal crisis
- relationship strain
- public failure

Key Concepts

ethical accountability personal honor emotional restraint

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you fail without harming those you care about?
- What does dignity mean when facing inevitable loss?

A Different Perspective

Maintaining dignity may require confronting pain rather than hiding it.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Calmly Fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calmly-fail-1492555/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fail Calmly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fail-calmly-1492554/) [Make Amends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-amends/) [Return Brokeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return-brokeland-1492553/) [Settle Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settle-business-1492556/)

## Related quotes

> [Let us settle down to the serious business of getting drunk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poul-anderson/let-us-settle-down-to-the-serious-business-of-getting-drunk/)

[Poul Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poul-anderson/)

> [“Sarah, honey, I cannot undo what was done. None of it. But I can promise you that your life with me will not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-levine/sarah-honey-i-cannot-undo-what-was-done-none-of-it-but-i-can-promise/)

[Elaine Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-levine/)

> [“I commit to deeply listening to your needs and feelings until I fully understand them and appreciate what you need to feel, hear and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-van-der-leek/i-commit-to-deeply-listening-to-your-needs-and-feelings-until-i-fully/)

[Nick van der Leek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-van-der-leek/)

> [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/)

> [In a relationship, one must carry the ability to adjust for the other to learn how to respect. Plus, both must be willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-relationship-one-must-carry-the-ability-to-adjust-for-the-other/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“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/)

> [“And sometimes when the story ends Only the teller's left to make amends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-bledsoe/and-sometimes-when-the-story-ends-only-the-teller-s-left-to-make/)

[Alex Bledsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-bledsoe/)

> [You see it every week, when a player makes a mistake, his first action is to try and put it right, and nine times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-parker/you-see-it-every-week-when-a-player-makes-a-mistake-his-first-action/)

[Scott Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-parker/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [I know I'm more forgiving than most African Americans when it comes to second chances for White people who not only commit a racial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/i-know-i-m-more-forgiving-than-most-african-americans-when-it-comes/)

[Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/)

> [Caught in a racial uproar, people make all sorts of promises to make amends. Whatever they do tends to be heavy on symbolism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/caught-in-a-racial-uproar-people-make-all-sorts-of-promises-to-make/)

[Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/)

## More by Michael Chabon

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“Anyway, it's a pretty good story," I said. "You have to admit." "Yeah?" He crumpled up the Kleenex, having dispatched the solitary tear. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/anyway-it-s-a-pretty-good-story-i-said-you-have-to-admit-yeah-he/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [There were so many Pittsburgh poets in my hallway that if, at that instant, a meteorite had come smashing through my roof, there would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/there-were-so-many-pittsburgh-poets-in-my-hallway-that-if-at-that/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“Badass.'" My grandfather sampled the flavor of the word. It did not seem to revolt him, but it was nothing he needed ever to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/badass-my-grandfather-sampled-the-flavor-of-the-word-it-did-not-seem/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [See you in the funny papers," he said. Jaunty, he reminded himself; always jaunty. In my panache is their hope for salvation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/see-you-in-the-funny-papers-he-said-jaunty-he-reminded-himself-always/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“I didn't want to be left alone with Timothy, not because I was afraid of him but because I was afraid that somebody would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/i-didn-t-want-to-be-left-alone-with-timothy-not-because-i-was-afraid/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“He had already seized this particular day once, but he was prepared, if need be, to go ahead and seize the motherfucker all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/he-had-already-seized-this-particular-day-once-but-he-was-prepared-if/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“We figure he must have let him out. The perpetrator, I mean. He's blind and we figure he just wandered off and maybe got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/we-figure-he-must-have-let-him-out-the-perpetrator-i-mean-he-s-blind/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“Then I reminded myself that I was always willing to listen to arguments in favor of avoiding an unpleasant chore, and I shook my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/then-i-reminded-myself-that-i-was-always-willing-to-listen-to/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“Love great first lines and paragraphs. From The Yiddish Policemen's Union: Nine months Landsman's been flopping at the Hotel Zamenhof without any of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/love-great-first-lines-and-paragraphs-from-the-yiddish-policemen-s/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“Life blew in gusts from the hole in the side of the elephant with a rank smell and a comic flatulence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/life-blew-in-gusts-from-the-hole-in-the-side-of-the-elephant-with-a/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Not only would I never want to belong to any club that would have me for a member--if elected I would wear street shoes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/not-only-would-i-never-want-to-belong-to-any-club-that-would-have-me/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [That's the best thing about writing, when you're in that zone, you're porous, ready to absorb the solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/that-s-the-best-thing-about-writing-when-you-re-in-that-zone-you-re/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Most science fiction seemed to be written for people who already liked science fiction; I wanted to write stories for anyone, anywhere, living at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/most-science-fiction-seemed-to-be-written-for-people-who-already/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [ “For as long as I could remember, I'd been making vague and confident assurances that any day I would finish the thing \[my book\].… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/for-as-long-as-i-could-remember-i-d-been-making-vague-and-confident/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

[Explore all 436 Michael Chabon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Knowing he had done wrong, prepared to make amends, settle his business. Determined to return to Brokeland, open the doors wide to the angel of retail death, and run the place into the ground all by himself, if that was what it took-but to fail calmly, to fail with style, to fail above all with that true dignity, unknown to his wife or his partner, which lay in never tripping out, never showing offense or hurt to those who had offended or hurt you.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Chabon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/knowing-he-had-done-wrong-prepared-to-make-amends-settle-his-business/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/knowing-he-had-done-wrong-prepared-to-make-amends-settle-his-business/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/michael-chabon-627_business_knowing-he-had-done-wrong-prepared-to-ma_2547770.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/michael-chabon-627_business_knowing-he-had-done-wrong-prepared-to-ma_2547770.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/michael-chabon-627_business_knowing-he-had-done-wrong-prepared-to-ma_2547770.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Knowing he had done wrong, prepared to make amends, settle his business. Determined to return to Brokeland…” — Michael Chabon",
                "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": "Michael Chabon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Knowing he had done wrong, prepared...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/knowing-he-had-done-wrong-prepared-to-make-amends-settle-his-business/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/knowing-he-had-done-wrong-prepared-to-make-amends-settle-his-business/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
