--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even good excuses, really good ones…" description: "\"Even good excuses, really good ones, don't help very much. Explanations, on the other hand, are both scarce and useful. And accurate forecasts and insi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/seth-godin-152_accurate_even-good-excuses-really-good-ones-don-t_2275638.png" --- # Even good excuses, really good ones, don't help very much… ![“Even good excuses, really good ones, don't help very much. Explanations, on the other hand, are both scarce and useful. And accurate forecasts and insightful intuition are priceless.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/seth-godin-152_accurate_even-good-excuses-really-good-ones-don-t_2275638.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/seth-godin-152_accurate_even-good-excuses-really-good-ones-don-t_2275638.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/seth-godin-152_accurate_even-good-excuses-really-good-ones-don-t_2275638.png) > “Even good excuses, really good ones, don't help very much. Explanations, on the other hand, are both scarce and useful. And accurate forecasts and insightful intuition are priceless.” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excuses are useless, explanations scarce but valuable; accurate forecasts and intuition are extremely valuable. **In simple terms:** Excuses help little; explanations and intuition are precious. Key Takeaway Seek insight, avoid excuses. Themes productivity decision‑making intuition Mood analytical pragmatic Type business motivational When to use this quote - business strategy - personal planning - creative projects Key Concepts forecasting critical thinking explanations Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance intuition with evidence? - When should you prioritize explanations over forecasts? A Different Perspective Reliance on intuition can be risky without data. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excuses/) [Insightful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insightful/) [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) ## Related quotes > [I believe in just doing it and not looking for excuses because who really cares in the end? No one but oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-crow/i-believe-in-just-doing-it-and-not-looking-for-excuses-because-who/) [Nancy Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-crow/) > [I hate excuses, I really hate excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renato-moicano/i-hate-excuses-i-really-hate-excuses/) [Renato Moicano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renato-moicano/) > [Don't give in to excuses that can keep you from really living the best life God has for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/don-t-give-in-to-excuses-that-can-keep-you-from-really-living-the/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [I don't listen to any excuses, if someone really love you, they would always find a time for you without fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamad-idrus/i-don-t-listen-to-any-excuses-if-someone-really-love-you-they-would/) [Mohamad Idrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamad-idrus/) > [Stop with the excuses, it's really quite simple: we both hurt each other by our actions but we still care about each other a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-with-the-excuses-it-s-really-quite-simple-we-both-hurt-each/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To excuse what can really produce good excuses is not Christian charity; it is only fairness. To be a Christian means to forgive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/to-excuse-what-can-really-produce-good-excuses-is-not-christian-2/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Adults, Sophie has decided a long time before, were really bad at making up good excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/adults-sophie-has-decided-a-long-time-before-were-really-bad-at/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [“To excuse what can really produce good excuses is not Christian charity; it is only fairness. To be a Christian means to forgive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-pathak/to-excuse-what-can-really-produce-good-excuses-is-not-christian/) Jay Pathak > [Good excuses rarely collect dust. We use them, and use them, and use them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/good-excuses-rarely-collect-dust-we-use-them-and-use-them-and-use-them/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [He who is good at excuses is generally good for nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-foote/he-who-is-good-at-excuses-is-generally-good-for-nothing-else/) [Samuel Foote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-foote/) > [All human beings search for either reasons to be good, or excuses to be bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/all-human-beings-search-for-either-reasons-to-be-good-or-excuses-to/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Why do we value leadership, connection and grace? Because it's scarce, and that scacity creates value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/why-do-we-value-leadership-connection-and-grace-because-it-s-scarce/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead. This scarcity makes leadership valuable...It's uncomfortable to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-scarce-because-few-people-are-willing-to-go-through-the-2/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Competence is no longer a scarce commodity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/competence-is-no-longer-a-scarce-commodity/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-scarce-because-few-people-are-willing-to-go-through-the/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More Accurate quotes > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person's enemies say about him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/no-accurate-thinker-will-judge-another-person-by-that-which-the-other/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [A film is a chain of very difficult decisions, and I think one of them is to choose an accurate cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-camara/a-film-is-a-chain-of-very-difficult-decisions-and-i-think-one-of-them/) [Javier Camara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-camara/) > [“Madoc makes a snorting sound, then turns to me. 'I am sure that Wren here wouldn't mind taking Lady Nore's castle and lands for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/madoc-makes-a-snorting-sound-then-turns-to-me-i-am-sure-that-wren/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [ He \[Groucho's father\] had absolutely no training, and if you had ever seen one of his suits, you'd realize what an accurate statement that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/he-groucho-s-father-had-absolutely-no-training-and-if-you-had-ever/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [... the attempt to render visual intricacy makes words feel unwieldy, like sacks of meaning that must be lugged into place, dragged here and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/the-attempt-to-render-visual-intricacy-makes-words-feel-unwieldy-like/) [Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/) > [Not forgiving prolongs hurt and anger and leads to smoldering resentment, which will make us miserable until it kills us. Resentment destroys the perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-walters/not-forgiving-prolongs-hurt-and-anger-and-leads-to-smoldering/) Richard Walters > [Selfish hedonism is not a pejorative. It is a description - an exactly accurate description of what is involved in homosexual relations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/selfish-hedonism-is-not-a-pejorative-it-is-a-description-an-exactly/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [The western mantra is that Israel seeks negotiations without preconditions, while the Palestinians refuse. The opposite is more accurate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-western-mantra-is-that-israel-seeks-negotiations-without/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Love women! I hate feminism. "Hate" may be an accurate word, but too strong to use. I strongly oppose feminism because it's nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/love-women-i-hate-feminism-hate-may-be-an-accurate-word-but-too/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Most of my characters are romantic rather than sexual. I think that's an essential difference in my pictures. 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