From I have learned… - Moral Stories

I’ve learned-
That you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I’ve learned-
That it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I’ve learned-
That you should never ruin an apology with an excuse.

I’ve learned-
That you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something.

I’ve learned-
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I’ve learned-
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I’ve learned-
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I’ve learned-
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I’ve learned-
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I’ve learned-
That it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I’ve learned-
That you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I’ve learned-
That two people can look at the same thing and see something totally different.

I’ve learned-
That people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

All great but this one is the most significant one to me:
"I’ve learned-
that you should never ruin an apology with an excuse. "

Folks (including me) don't realize they do this and it is hard to not do but we apologize and in the same breath we explain why we really shouldn't be apologizing because it was just a crazy sequence of events that caused me to ____________ (fill in the blank).
But if we don't give some explanation, it sounds as if we just plain wronged the other person intentionally. Damned if you do and damned if you don't?