--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm apologetic when I feel like I've made…" description: "\"I'm apologetic when I feel like I've made a mistake. And when I have done a disservice to myself or someone else. But I don't feel a need to apologize ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/susan-rice-4480_apologetic_i-m-apologetic-when-i-feel-like-i-ve-mad_223171.jpg" --- # I'm apologetic when I feel like I've made a mistake. And… ![“I'm apologetic when I feel like I've made a mistake. And when I have done a disservice to myself or someone else. But I don't feel a need to apologize for doing or saying something that I think needs to be said, just because it may not sit comfortably with somebody else.” quote by Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/susan-rice-4480_apologetic_i-m-apologetic-when-i-feel-like-i-ve-mad_223171.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/susan-rice-4480_apologetic_i-m-apologetic-when-i-feel-like-i-ve-mad_223171.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/susan-rice-4480_apologetic_i-m-apologetic-when-i-feel-like-i-ve-mad_223171.jpg) > “I'm apologetic when I feel like I've made a mistake. And when I have done a disservice to myself or someone else. But I don't feel a need to apologize for doing or saying something that I think needs to be said, just because it may not sit comfortably with somebody else.” [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She distinguishes between genuine apologies for mistakes and refusing to apologize for necessary, uncomfortable truths. **In simple terms:** Apologize for errors, not for speaking truth. Key Takeaway Stand firm on essential statements while correcting mistakes. Themes accountability truth communication Mood thoughtful assertive Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - political debates - media interviews - organizational meetings Key Concepts ethical leadership public discourse integrity Questions to Reflect On - When should you apologize for your tone? - How do you convey uncomfortable truths responsibly? A Different Perspective Balancing honesty with empathy can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apologetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetic/) [Apology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apology/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of women feel apologetic or feel the need to make excuses for not having children but women don't need to if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-frost/a-lot-of-women-feel-apologetic-or-feel-the-need-to-make-excuses-for/) [Jo Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-frost/) > [Dont ever apologize for doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanna-yolo/dont-ever-apologize-for-doing-the-right-thing/) Keanna\_yolo > [Never ever apologize for doing aything right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-ever-apologize-for-doing-aything-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't EVER regret or apologize for doing the right thing. Even if your voice shakes, even if you stand alone, do the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-forgotten/don-t-ever-regret-or-apologize-for-doing-the-right-thing-even-if-your/) The Forgotten > [Sometimes when the spouse is really the culprit, it is hard to admit what you consider your little failures, but if you are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/sometimes-when-the-spouse-is-really-the-culprit-it-is-hard-to-admit/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [Laugh when you can, Cry when you need to, Apologize when you should, Forgive what needs to be forgiven and then move on from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laugh-when-you-can-cry-when-you-need-to-apologize-when-you-should/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you visit your friend, why need you apologize for not having visited him, and waste his time and deface your own act? Visit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-you-visit-your-friend-why-need-you-apologize-for-not-having/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [ Do I need to apologize for Mr.\[Tom\] Coburn's statements? Because I certainly don't agree with those, either. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/do-i-need-to-apologize-for-mr-tom-coburn-s-statements-because-i/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [No need to apologize when you plan on turning around and doing the same thing again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wisdom/no-need-to-apologize-when-you-plan-on-turning-around-and-doing-the/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wisdom/) > [Some times I need to apologize, sometimes I need to admit that I ain't right, sometimes I should just keep my mouth shut, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-joe-armstrong/some-times-i-need-to-apologize-sometimes-i-need-to-admit-that-i-ain-t/) [Billie Joe Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-joe-armstrong/) > [We've been at war with nature. Now we need to apologize and clean up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/we-ve-been-at-war-with-nature-now-we-need-to-apologize-and-clean-up/) [Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/) > [I don't need to apologize for my behavior you need to apologize for not understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bar-refaeli/i-don-t-need-to-apologize-for-my-behavior-you-need-to-apologize-for/) [Bar Refaeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bar-refaeli/) > [You can't take back what you've said or done, but if you want closure you need to own up to it, apologize for it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/you-can-t-take-back-what-you-ve-said-or-done-but-if-you-want-closure/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I have to express sympathy from the bottom of my heart to those people who were taken as wartime comfort women. As a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinzo-abe/i-have-to-express-sympathy-from-the-bottom-of-my-heart-to-those/) [Shinzo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinzo-abe/) > [You can't take back what you said or did, but if you want closure you need to own up to it, apologize for it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/you-can-t-take-back-what-you-said-or-did-but-if-you-want-closure-you/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) ## More by Susan Rice > [Since I've had a career, my hair has been more or less professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/since-i-ve-had-a-career-my-hair-has-been-more-or-less-professional/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [What I learned is that policymakers have to force consideration of actions that may not have occurred to them at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/what-i-learned-is-that-policymakers-have-to-force-consideration-of/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I've taken my knocks here and there, but I believe my intentions are good. Doesn't mean everything I do is perfectly executed or I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-ve-taken-my-knocks-here-and-there-but-i-believe-my-intentions-are/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I'm not watching any TV shows, frankly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-m-not-watching-any-tv-shows-frankly/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [The United States really only accounts for about 3 percent of the economic engagement with Russia. Europe is 40 percent, and so Europe's contribution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/the-united-states-really-only-accounts-for-about-3-percent-of-the/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I am very aware of being black and female because that's what I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-am-very-aware-of-being-black-and-female-because-that-s-what-i-am/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [Well, Nigeria has played a constructive role in peacekeeping in various parts of West Africa. But unless and until Nigeria itself is democratic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/well-nigeria-has-played-a-constructive-role-in-peacekeeping-in/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [People are consuming the news that is comfortable for them, not necessarily the news that is real or that they need to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/people-are-consuming-the-news-that-is-comfortable-for-them-not/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I think it's very, very important that in foreign policy and national security decision making, as in any other realm, that there be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-think-it-s-very-very-important-that-in-foreign-policy-and-national/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [There was a hateful video that was disseminated on the internet. It had nothing to do with the United States government and it's one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/there-was-a-hateful-video-that-was-disseminated-on-the-internet-it/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [Well, I think by any expectation South Africa has come a tremendously long way. We've seen a society that many people thought couldn't withstand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/well-i-think-by-any-expectation-south-africa-has-come-a-tremendously/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [Can I be blunt? Yes. Can I be diplomatic? Yes. Can I concoct a mixture of vinegar and honey when the circumstances warrant? Yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/can-i-be-blunt-yes-can-i-be-diplomatic-yes-can-i-concoct-a-mixture-of/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [When my son was a mere three months old, I started working at the State Department. I was not only the youngest Assistant Secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/when-my-son-was-a-mere-three-months-old-i-started-working-at-the/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I was conscious of the fact that it could be to my disadvantage to marry a white guy - that some folks would hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-was-conscious-of-the-fact-that-it-could-be-to-my-disadvantage-to/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [Syria is a civil war. Syria began as a popular uprising, just like the other experiences in the Arab Spring, with a repressive government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/syria-is-a-civil-war-syria-began-as-a-popular-uprising-just-like-the/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) [Explore all 110 Susan Rice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) ## More Apologetic quotes > [If writing with a goal - whether it be evangelistic, apologetic, or didactic - implies propaganda, then all recorded history is propaganda. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/if-writing-with-a-goal-whether-it-be-evangelistic-apologetic-or/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [In the New Testament alone there are Gospels, acts, epistles, and an apocalypse. Gospels contain literary forms like miracles, parables, pronouncements, proverbs, farewell discourses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-blomberg/in-the-new-testament-alone-there-are-gospels-acts-epistles-and-an/) [Craig Blomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-blomberg/) > [We preach sermons, write books on apologetics, conduct city-wide evangelistic campaigns. For those alienated from the church, that approach no longer has the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/we-preach-sermons-write-books-on-apologetics-conduct-city-wide/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [The purpose of apologetics is not just to win an argument or a discussion, but that people with whom we are in contact may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/the-purpose-of-apologetics-is-not-just-to-win-an-argument-or-a/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [I'm a single-issue voter, to get straight to the point. I'm really only interested in the candidate who's toughest and least apologetic when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-m-a-single-issue-voter-to-get-straight-to-the-point-i-m-really-only/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Writing is a vocation and, as in any other calling, a writer should develop his talents for the greater glory of God. Novels should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piers-paul-read/writing-is-a-vocation-and-as-in-any-other-calling-a-writer-should/) Piers Paul Read > [... and yet he could also be very charming, in a bookish, infinitely apologetic way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/and-yet-he-could-also-be-very-charming-in-a-bookish-infinitely/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [When I started playing in bands, we had to be apologetic for what we did. We had to be apologetic because the mainstream was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-antonoff/when-i-started-playing-in-bands-we-had-to-be-apologetic-for-what-we/) [Jack Antonoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-antonoff/) > [“The snow lay thin and apologetic over the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/the-snow-lay-thin-and-apologetic-over-the-world/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [In a post-modern culture we need an apologetic that is felt and seen because if post-moderns are not feeling it, they are not believing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/in-a-post-modern-culture-we-need-an-apologetic-that-is-felt-and-seen/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [I know I'm an overachiever, and I'm not apologetic about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-know-i-m-an-overachiever-and-i-m-not-apologetic-about-it/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [Apologetics has an important place in the local church as we seek to influence our communities for Christ in an increasingly skeptical culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/apologetics-has-an-important-place-in-the-local-church-as-we-seek-to/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [If you don't feel apologetic for slavery, if you don't feel apologetic for colonialism, if you feel proud of it then say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/if-you-don-t-feel-apologetic-for-slavery-if-you-don-t-feel-apologetic/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Most apologetic books are really written for Christians, even the ones that purport to be written for non-believers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/most-apologetic-books-are-really-written-for-christians-even-the-ones/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“The new and needed apologetics will differ from previous apologetic models geared at convincing people solely or even mainly from a rationalistic perspective or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-mcneal/the-new-and-needed-apologetics-will-differ-from-previous-apologetic/) [Reggie McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-mcneal/) [Browse all 127 Apologetic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm apologetic when I feel like I've made a mistake. 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