--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being sorry pays, being sorry even, or…" description: "\"“Being sorry pays, being sorry even, or especially, when one has no fault, is worth every self-deprecating syllable the mouth allows. Because the mouth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ocean-vuong-23952_apologizing_being-sorry-pays-being-sorry-even-or-esp_2251635.jpg" --- # Being sorry pays, being sorry even, or especially, when… ![“Being sorry pays, being sorry even, or especially, when one has no fault, is worth every self-deprecating syllable the mouth allows. Because the mouth must eat.” quote by Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ocean-vuong-23952_apologizing_being-sorry-pays-being-sorry-even-or-esp_2251635.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ocean-vuong-23952_apologizing_being-sorry-pays-being-sorry-even-or-esp_2251635.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/ocean-vuong-23952_apologizing_being-sorry-pays-being-sorry-even-or-esp_2251635.jpg) > ““Being sorry pays, being sorry even, or especially, when one has no fault, is worth every self-deprecating syllable the mouth allows. Because the mouth must eat.”” [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Apologizing, even when not at fault, can be a self‑deprecating habit driven by the need to fill silence. **In simple terms:** Apologizing can become a compulsive, empty act. Key Takeaway Speak only when sincere. Themes apology self‑deprecation communication silence Mood introspective melancholy Type literary psychological When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace interactions - public speaking - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology of guilt social conditioning Questions to Reflect On - Why do we apologize without cause? - How can we break this habit? A Different Perspective Over‑apologizing may erode authenticity and self‑respect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allows Mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allows-mouth-5144960/) [Apologizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologizing/) [Apology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apology/) [Mouth Allows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouth-allows-5144958/) [Mouth Eat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouth-eat-2431105/) [Pays Sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pays-sorry-5144959/) [Sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorry/) [Worth Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-self-689891/) ## Related quotes > [“And then, one Saturday morning, I came down to breakfast, and it all came to a head when she flat-out told me that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynn-barnes/and-then-one-saturday-morning-i-came-down-to-breakfast-and-it-all/) [Jennifer Lynn Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynn-barnes/) > [I hate when people eat food and talk with their mouth full. I always cover my mouth when I eat, but I've had it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-baena/i-hate-when-people-eat-food-and-talk-with-their-mouth-full-i-always/) [Jeff Baena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-baena/) > [You have such a big mouth; you could eat a banana sideways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-such-a-big-mouth-you-could-eat-a-banana-sideways/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You have no right to tell me-" "You do not want to finish that sentence, missy. You want to sit down, close your mouth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynn-barnes/you-have-no-right-to-tell-me-you-do-not-want-to-finish-that-sentence/) [Jennifer Lynn Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynn-barnes/) > [I still say the only education worth anything is self-education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/i-still-say-the-only-education-worth-anything-is-self-education/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [I am a financial planner, not a psychiatrist, but I do know that your net worth will rise to meet your self-worth only if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/i-am-a-financial-planner-not-a-psychiatrist-but-i-do-know-that-your/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [Women of worth are those who want positive change for themselves, their families, community or society, which I think is important. For me, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-kapoor/women-of-worth-are-those-who-want-positive-change-for-themselves/) [Sonam Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-kapoor/) > [Sense of worth and self-confidence comes when you accept yourself as you are. not when you're trying to be what other people expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sense-of-worth-and-self-confidence-comes-when-you-accept-yourself-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Every man has a starting capital in life and it is called worth or self-worth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/every-man-has-a-starting-capital-in-life-and-it-is-called-worth-or/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Is there someone continuously overlooks your worth? We have to know our worth ! When we give our self to someone who doesn't respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/is-there-someone-continuously-overlooks-your-worth-we-have-to-know/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“Self respect, self worth and self love, all start with self. Stop looking outside of yourself for your value.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-liano/self-respect-self-worth-and-self-love-all-start-with-self-stop/) [Rob Liano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-liano/) > [“Everyone has a need to feel a sense of self-worth and self-actualization – that he or she believes his or her existence is meaningful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-fu-lee/everyone-has-a-need-to-feel-a-sense-of-self-worth-and-self/) [Kai-Fu Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-fu-lee/) > [“They are called, "SELF-worth" and "SELF-esteem" for a reason... we can't let others decide what we are worth, that is so dangerous! Empower yourself!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaeda-dewalt/they-are-called-self-worth-and-self-esteem-for-a-reason-we-can-t-let/) [Jaeda DeWalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaeda-dewalt/) > [“You have something already, you have a worth, self-worth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-have-something-already-you-have-a-worth-self-worth/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [People, as they get older, start to learn this lesson, but if you determine your worth or your self-value based on what you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/people-as-they-get-older-start-to-learn-this-lesson-but-if-you/) [Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/) ## More by Ocean Vuong > [“It is no accident, Ma, that the comma resembles a fetus— that curve of continuation. We were all once inside our mothers, saying with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/it-is-no-accident-ma-that-the-comma-resembles-a-fetus-that-curve-of/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“Green waves surround this black rock where I sit turning bones to sonatas. Fingers blurred, I play what I know from listening to orchards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/green-waves-surround-this-black-rock-where-i-sit-turning-bones-to/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“I watched, through the keyhole, not the man showering, but the rain falling through him: guitar strings snapping over his globed shoulders”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/i-watched-through-the-keyhole-not-the-man-showering-but-the-rain/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“Brooklyn’s too cold tonight & all my friends are three years away. My mother said I could be anything I wanted—but I chose to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/brooklyn-s-too-cold-tonight-all-my-friends-are-three-years-away-my/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“Your father is only your father until one of you forgets. Like how the spine won't remember its wings no matter how many times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/your-father-is-only-your-father-until-one-of-you-forgets-like-how-the/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“As if my finger, / tracing your collarbone / behind closed doors, / was enough / to erase myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/as-if-my-finger-tracing-your-collarbone-behind-closed-doors-was/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“The most beautiful part of your body is where it’s headed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/the-most-beautiful-part-of-your-body-is-where-it-s-headed/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“God must be a season, grandma said, looking out at the blizzard drowning her garden. My footsteps on the sidewalk were the smallest flights.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/god-must-be-a-season-grandma-said-looking-out-at-the-blizzard/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“Gravity breaking our kneecaps just to show us the sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/gravity-breaking-our-kneecaps-just-to-show-us-the-sky/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“I hold the gun & wonder if an entry wound in the night would make a hole wide as morning”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/i-hold-the-gun-wonder-if-an-entry-wound-in-the-night-would-make-a/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“In a world myriad as ours, the gaze is a singular act: to look at something is to fill your whole life with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/in-a-world-myriad-as-ours-the-gaze-is-a-singular-act-to-look-at/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“Some people say history moves in a spiral, not the line we have come to expect. We travel through time in a circular trajectory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/some-people-say-history-moves-in-a-spiral-not-the-line-we-have-come/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“use it to prove how the stars were always what we knew they were: the exit wounds of every misfired word”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/use-it-to-prove-how-the-stars-were-always-what-we-knew-they-were-the/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“I am writing you from inside a body that used to be yours. Which is to say, I am writing as a son.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/i-am-writing-you-from-inside-a-body-that-used-to-be-yours-which-is-to/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [“When they ask you where you're from, tell them your name was fleshed from the toothless mouth of a war-woman. That you were not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/when-they-ask-you-where-you-re-from-tell-them-your-name-was-fleshed/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) [Explore all 24 Ocean Vuong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) ## More Apologizing quotes > [“There were probably many factors that kept the relationship going and kept your love alive. There were all his promises. "I promise this will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-kennedy-dugan/there-were-probably-many-factors-that-kept-the-relationship-going-and/) [Meg Kennedy Dugan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-kennedy-dugan/) > [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pataki/) > [A jerk will keep hurting you then apologize to keep you from leaving them, and then do it all over again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/a-jerk-will-keep-hurting-you-then-apologize-to-keep-you-from-leaving/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [To apologize for what you most wanted to do, to concede that it was obnoxious, boring, 'vulgar and unsafe' --- that was the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hollinghurst/to-apologize-for-what-you-most-wanted-to-do-to-concede-that-it-was/) [Alan Hollinghurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hollinghurst/) > [I have some friends who are actors. I've watched them work. And I would say that of all the arts, acting is the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/i-have-some-friends-who-are-actors-i-ve-watched-them-work-and-i-would/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [President Bush deliberately did not apologize for things and that’s because advisers around him, including those there, felt that the press corps would jump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gregory/president-bush-deliberately-did-not-apologize-for-things-and-that-s/) [David Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gregory/) > [Apologizing does not always mean you are wrong, it just means that value your relationships more than your ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinier-bennett/apologizing-does-not-always-mean-you-are-wrong-it-just-means-that/) [Chinier Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinier-bennett/) > [I would like to publicly apologize to anyone I have NOT offended¦I will get to you shortly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-like-to-publicly-apologize-to-anyone-i-have-not-offended-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have a responsibility, and it's something that I did wrong, and if I could personally apologize to every single person that has lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-richie/i-have-a-responsibility-and-it-s-something-that-i-did-wrong-and-if-i/) [Nicole Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-richie/) > [To the millions of Americans whove attempted to use HealthCare.gov to shop and enroll in health-care coverage, I want to apologize to you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-tavenner/to-the-millions-of-americans-whove-attempted-to-use-healthcare-gov-to/) [Marilyn Tavenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-tavenner/) > [My overall point is that 'one and dones' are not healthy for college basketball. I should not have made it personal to Kentucky and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-knight/my-overall-point-is-that-one-and-dones-are-not-healthy-for-college/) [Bobby Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-knight/) > [Don't apologize for being patriotic. Support the troops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-keith/don-t-apologize-for-being-patriotic-support-the-troops/) [Toby Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-keith/) > [How many chefs when I was a young boy shouted at me during service? All I ever said was "Yes, chef." The customer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/how-many-chefs-when-i-was-a-young-boy-shouted-at-me-during-service/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [I want to use my connections with coaches, players, celebrities, whomever, and if I can take that friendship and use it to help someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-tebow/i-want-to-use-my-connections-with-coaches-players-celebrities/) [Tim Tebow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-tebow/) > [I apologize for the cruel things that I did but I don't regret one single word I said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/five-finger-death-punch/i-apologize-for-the-cruel-things-that-i-did-but-i-don-t-regret-one/) [Five Finger Death Punch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/five-finger-death-punch/) [Browse all 854 Apologizing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologizing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Being sorry pays, being sorry even, or especially, when one has no fault, is worth every self-deprecating syllable the mouth allows. 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