--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: its like a button in my brain is broken…" description: "\"“its like a button in my brain is broken, like i've developed a disease that forces me to apologize for everything, for existing, for wanting more than..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/tahereh-mafi-229_apologize_its-like-a-button-in-my-brain-is-broken_2615461.png" --- # its like a button in my brain is broken, like i've… ![“its like a button in my brain is broken, like i've developed a disease that forces me to apologize for everything, for existing, for wanting more than what i've been given, and i can't stop.” quote by Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/tahereh-mafi-229_apologize_its-like-a-button-in-my-brain-is-broken_2615461.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/tahereh-mafi-229_apologize_its-like-a-button-in-my-brain-is-broken_2615461.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/tahereh-mafi-229_apologize_its-like-a-button-in-my-brain-is-broken_2615461.png) > ““its like a button in my brain is broken, like i've developed a disease that forces me to apologize for everything, for existing, for wanting more than what i've been given, and i can't stop.”” [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels trapped by an internal compulsion to apologize, reflecting deep insecurity and self‑criticism. **In simple terms:** Self‑apology stems from low self‑worth. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge the need to apologize constantly. Themes self‑criticism insecurity self‑acceptance Mood reflective empathetic introspective Type personal growth mental health When to use this quote - personal relationships - creative work - mental health - social interactions Key Concepts psychology identity self‑esteem Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your need to apologize? - How can you practice self‑compassion? A Different Perspective Apologizing for existing can hinder authentic expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apologize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologize/) [Apologize Existing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologize-existing-2064084/) [Brain Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-broken-2064083/) [Broken Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-like-312316/) [Button Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/button-brain-2064085/) [Tahereh-mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tahereh-mafi/) [Unravel-me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unravel-me/) ## Related quotes > [“loneliness is a bitter, wretched companion. sometimes it just won't let go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/loneliness-is-a-bitter-wretched-companion-sometimes-it-just-won-t-let/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“loneliness is an old friend standing beside you in the mirror, looking you in the eye, challenging you to live your life without it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/loneliness-is-an-old-friend-standing-beside-you-in-the-mirror-looking-2/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“he thinks too highly of me, places me on a pedestal i've never deserved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/he-thinks-too-highly-of-me-places-me-on-a-pedestal-i-ve-never-deserved/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“loneliness is a strange sort of thing. it creeps up on you, quiet and still, sits by your side in the dark, strokes your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/loneliness-is-a-strange-sort-of-thing-it-creeps-up-on-you-quiet-and/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“We are synonyms but not the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/we-are-synonyms-but-not-the-same/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“So I take a deep breath. Step forward. Let go. 10 seconds and I'm trying to breathe 9 And I'm trying to be brave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/so-i-take-a-deep-breath-step-forward-let-go-10-seconds-and-i-m-trying/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I want to know where to touch you, I want to know how to touch you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-want-to-know-where-to-touch-you-i-want-to-know-how-to-touch-you/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“We're running out of time, he said. As if time were the kind of thing you could run out of, as if it were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/we-re-running-out-of-time-he-said-as-if-time-were-the-kind-of-thing-3/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“Revenge I think Has never looked so sweet”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/revenge-i-think-has-never-looked-so-sweet/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I want to be the friend you fall hopelessly in love with. The one you take into your arms and into your bed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-want-to-be-the-friend-you-fall-hopelessly-in-love-with-the-one-you/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“We've been shattered and reconstructed, told to make an effort every single day to pretend we still function the way we're supposed to. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/we-ve-been-shattered-and-reconstructed-told-to-make-an-effort-every/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I am so tired, love.I'm so very,very tired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-am-so-tired-love-i-m-so-very-very-tired/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“You sick piece of shit," Adam says to him, his voice low, measured. "Such unfortunate language." Warner shakes his head. "Only those who cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/you-sick-piece-of-shit-adam-says-to-him-his-voice-low-measured-such/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I count everything. Even numbers, odd numbers, multiples of 10. I count the ticks of the clock i count the tocks of the clock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-count-everything-even-numbers-odd-numbers-multiples-of-10-i-count/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“We don’t have to do anything at all to die. We can hide in a cupboard under the stairs our whole life and it’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/we-don-t-have-to-do-anything-at-all-to-die-we-can-hide-in-a-cupboard/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) ## More by Tahereh Mafi > [His hands are holding my cheeks, and he pulls back just to look me in the eye and his chest is heaving and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/his-hands-are-holding-my-cheeks-and-he-pulls-back-just-to-look-me-in/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“think Adam is looking to break Kenji’s neck at this point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/think-adam-is-looking-to-break-kenji-s-neck-at-this-point/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I didn't want the clothes or the perfect shoes or the expensive anything. I didn't want to be draped in silk. All I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-didn-t-want-the-clothes-or-the-perfect-shoes-or-the-expensive/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“infinite points of feeling for every nerve ending in my body”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/infinite-points-of-feeling-for-every-nerve-ending-in-my-body/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“He's too much. Everything about him is too much. His emotions, his actions, his anger, his aggression. His love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/he-s-too-much-everything-about-him-is-too-much-his-emotions-his/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“Right now I can't even control my own imagination as it grips my hair and drags me into the dark”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/right-now-i-can-t-even-control-my-own-imagination-as-it-grips-my-hair/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I want you, I want all of you. I want you inside and out and catching your breath and aching for me like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-want-you-i-want-all-of-you-i-want-you-inside-and-out-and-catching/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I will give no one the satisfaction of my death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-will-give-no-one-the-satisfaction-of-my-death/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I almost forget that she still hates me, despite how hard I’ve fallen for her. And I’ve fallen. So hard. I’ve hit the ground.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-almost-forget-that-she-still-hates-me-despite-how-hard-i-ve-fallen/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/all-i-ever-wanted-was-to-reach-out-and-touch-another-human-being-not/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“It's the kind of kiss that makes you realize oxygen is overrated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/it-s-the-kind-of-kiss-that-makes-you-realize-oxygen-is-overrated/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“That’s when I understand. Of course she’s not okay. Of course she didn’t get any sleep last night. Last night she almost killed one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/that-s-when-i-understand-of-course-she-s-not-okay-of-course-she-didn/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I used to have a family. He”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-used-to-have-a-family-he/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I've never been able to follow through.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-ve-never-been-able-to-follow-through/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“ground where it smells like ice and metal and dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/ground-where-it-smells-like-ice-and-metal-and-dirt/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) [Explore all 821 Tahereh Mafi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) ## More Apologize quotes > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He wished he could somehow go back and find the iPhone people whom he'd jostled on the sidewalk earlier, apologize to them - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-st-john-mandel/he-wished-he-could-somehow-go-back-and-find-the-iphone-people-whom-he/) [Emily St. John Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-st-john-mandel/) > [“Why do we apologize for advocating for ourselves? Why do we apologize for taking up space that we are entitled to? Why do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-tambascio/why-do-we-apologize-for-advocating-for-ourselves-why-do-we-apologize/) [Elizabeth Tambascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-tambascio/) > [“Sorry I wish you could apologize to something you broke and it brings it back to what it was without losing its core I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rania-naim/sorry-i-wish-you-could-apologize-to-something-you-broke-and-it-brings/) [Rania Naim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rania-naim/) > [I'm sorry I want to apologize for being careless and hurting your feelings. Please forgive me ! I'm a jerk your friendship means a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/i-m-sorry-i-want-to-apologize-for-being-careless-and-hurting-your/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [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/) > [To truly repent of a big thing, you have to go into it with your heart open and force yourself to deal with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-wilkinson/to-truly-repent-of-a-big-thing-you-have-to-go-into-it-with-your-heart/) [Bruce Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-wilkinson/) > [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/) > [“When someone says that it's too late for apologize when you have to do it anyway because it's your duty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-teris-bit-ns/when-someone-says-that-it-s-too-late-for-apologize-when-you-have-to/) [Pēteris Bitāns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-teris-bit-ns/) > [Life is short so, kiss slowly, forgive quickly, and love deeply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney/life-is-short-so-kiss-slowly-forgive-quickly-and-love-deeply/) [Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney/) > [Life is too short to worry about stupid things. Have fun, fall in love, and regret nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/life-is-too-short-to-worry-about-stupid-things-have-fun-fall-in-love/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [I ain't never going to apologize for a 21-point win over a state rival, ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabo-swinney/i-ain-t-never-going-to-apologize-for-a-21-point-win-over-a-state/) [Dabo Swinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabo-swinney/) [Browse all 900 Apologize quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologize/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“its like a button in my brain is broken, like i've developed a disease that forces me to apologize for everything, for existing, for wanting more than what i've been given, and i can't stop.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tahereh Mafi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/its-like-a-button-in-my-brain-is-broken-like-i-ve-developed-a-disease/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Apologize" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/its-like-a-button-in-my-brain-is-broken-like-i-ve-developed-a-disease/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/tahereh-mafi-229_apologize_its-like-a-button-in-my-brain-is-broken_2615461.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/tahereh-mafi-229_apologize_its-like-a-button-in-my-brain-is-broken_2615461.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/tahereh-mafi-229_apologize_its-like-a-button-in-my-brain-is-broken_2615461.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“its like a button in my brain is broken, like i've developed a disease that forces me to apologize for…” — Tahereh Mafi", "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": "Tahereh Mafi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“its like a button in my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/its-like-a-button-in-my-brain-is-broken-like-i-ve-developed-a-disease/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/its-like-a-button-in-my-brain-is-broken-like-i-ve-developed-a-disease/#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 } } ] } ```