We all make excuses. They help us dodge tasks, avoid blame, or explain our failures. Yet, they often hold us back from reaching our true potential. Excuses can be comforting, but they also trap us in a cycle of inaction.
In this article, we’ve gathered some of the best quotes on excuses. These words of wisdom remind us to push past our limitations and take responsibility. Enjoy these powerful quotes and let them inspire you to break free from excuses.
Famous Excuses Quotes
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
“Bad excuses are worse than none.”
“There are only two options: make progress or make excuses.”
“The heart has its reasons, which reason knows not.”
“An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded.”
“Excuses are tools of the incompetent, built to bridge to nowhere and monuments to nothingness.”
“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.”
“We are all manufacturers. Making good, making trouble, or making excuses.”
“Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.”
“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.”
“If you really want to do it, you do it. There are no excuses.”
“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”
“We have more ability than willpower, and it is often an excuse to ourselves that we imagine that things are impossible.”
“The real man is one who always finds excuses for others, but never excuses himself.”
“The only difference between a success and a failure is that the successful person is willing to do what the failure is not.”
“The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.”
“Don’t make excuses, make improvements.”
“An excuse is nothing more than a self-imposed roadblock.”
“Your complaints, your drama, your victim mentality, your whining, your blaming, and all your excuses have never gotten you a single step closer to your goals or dreams. Let go of your nonsense. Let go of your delusion that you deserve better and go earn it!”
“Success is not as easy as living by default, but it is a thousand times more rewarding.”
“Lazy people always have excuses and their time is always tomorrow.”
“Don’t make excuses; make things happen. Make changes. Then make history.”
“Excuses will always be there for you, opportunity won’t.”
“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”
“The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes.”
“People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives.”
“We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse.”
“A man may fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.”
“Excuses are merely nails used to build a house of failure.”
“If you don’t want to do something, one excuse is as good as another.”
“Anyone can find an excuse for failure. What matters is finding a reason for success.”
Motivational Excuses Quotes
“Push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.”
“Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.”
“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”
“A man who excuses himself, accuses himself.”
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.”
“The time to stop talking is when the actions speak louder than words.”
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”
“Stop making excuses. If it’s important, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.”
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.”
“Success is not for the lazy.”
“An excuse is worse than a lie, for an excuse is a lie, guarded.”
“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”
“You can have results or excuses. Not both.”
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
“we only regret the chances we didn’t take.”
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
“Excuses are the enemy of excellence.”
“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”
“The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do.”
“No more excuses. It’s time to change, time to live, and time to be great.”
“Action is the foundational key to all success.”
“We have more ability than willpower, and it is often an excuse to ourselves that we imagine that things are impossible.”
“A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.”
“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.”
“To conquer frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the obstacles.”
“The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.”
“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.”
“Quit making excuses and start making progress.”
Funny Excuses Quotes
“I’m not late. My bed was abducting me against my will.”
“The dog ate my homework… and my alarm clock.”
“I couldn’t finish my work because I spent all my time coming up with this excuse.”
“My GPS told me to turn around, then I got lost in the parking lot.”
“Sorry, I can’t come to your party. My goldfish is having a birthday that day.”
“I would have done it, but I didn’t want to overachieve.”
“My brain has a mind of its own, and today it decided to take a holiday.”
“I couldn’t resist watching one more episode of my favorite show.”
“I didn’t forget your birthday. I just wanted to extend the celebration!”
“I’m not avoiding you. My phone just decided to play hide and seek.”
“The universe is conspiring to make me late. Blame the stars!”
“Technical difficulties. My alarm clock and I aren’t on speaking terms.”
“My computer’s operating system is on its period.”
“I tried to come up with a good excuse, but my dog ate it.”
“I had to take a detour around my good intentions.”
“My magic carpet ride had a delay.”
“I was abducted by aliens and they only just returned me.”
“The weather app lied to me again!”
“I got stuck in a time loop—Tuesday came twice this week.”
“I was refining my procrastination skills.”
“The invisible man tripped me up.”
“The office was too far from my bed today.”
“My mirror was giving me a hard time, so I had to argue back.”
“I was fighting off a villainous plot in my dream.”
“Sorry I missed your call, my phone is allergic to me.”
“I was learning the art of doing nothing.”
“I was testing if it was possible to procrastinate on procrastinating.”
“I got lost in my own thoughts and couldn’t find the exit.”
“I’m not lazy—my energy is just on power-saving mode.”
“I didn’t forget our meeting; I just remembered it late.”
“I was trying to catch up on all the emails I didn’t read last year.”
“I was on a mission to find Waldo, and it took longer than expected.”
Philosophical Excuses Quotes
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
“Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.”
“We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies – it is the first law of nature.”
“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”
“Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.”
“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”
“Every vice has its excuse ready.”
“There are thousands of excuses for failure, but never a good reason.”
“You can make excuses or you can make progress. You choose.”
“He who excuses himself, accuses himself.”
“To achieve major success in life, you must accept 100% responsibility for your life and results. Nothing less will do.”
“An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded.”
“Success is not as much about making excuses as it is about making choices.”
“Don’t let your special character and values, the secret that you know and no one else does, the truth – don’t let that get swallowed up by the great chewing complacency.”
“people remember the reasons they did something, not the excuses for why they didn’t.”
“Most people who haven’t reached their potential have a long list of excuses to explain why.”
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
“No man ever yet became great by imitation.”
“Excuses are the enemy of excellence.”
“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.”
“To offer no excuse is to offer the best excuse.”
“Success isn’t about whether you can hold the cards, it’s about how you play the ones you are dealt.”
“People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives.”
“He who can, does. He who cannot, makes excuses.”
“Those who don’t want it bad enough will find an excuse. Those who do will find a way.”
“A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.”
“The real man is one who always finds excuses for others, but never excuses himself.”
“There is only one person responsible for the quality of your life. That person is you.”
“The best way to stop making excuses is to start making changes.”
“It’s much easier to suggest solutions when you don’t know too much about the problem.”
“The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.”
Everyday Excuses Quotes
“I can’t do it now; maybe later.”
“The dog ate my homework.”
“I would have done it, but I didn’t have time.”
“Success is not for the lazy.”
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
“It’s not my fault.”
“If only I had more money, I could do that.”
“I was just about to do it.”
“The traffic was terrible.”
“There’s always tomorrow.”
“It’s too hot/cold out today.”
“I didn’t feel well.”
“Someday when I have more time.”
“I forgot.”
“It wasn’t in my control.”
“If only I had more experience, I could achieve that.”
“I’m waiting for the right moment.”
“I had technical difficulties.”
“It’s not my cup of tea.”
“I’m swamped with other work.”
“I had a family emergency.”
“If only I had the right connections.”
“I’m not in the right mood.”
“I was waiting for inspiration to strike.”
“It’s not part of my job description.”
“My alarm didn’t go off.”
“I didn’t have the right tools.”
“It slipped my mind.”
“I’ll do it first thing tomorrow.”
“I wasn’t sure how to start.”
“I’ll get to it after I finish this.”
“I had to take care of something else.”
Success and Excuses Quotes
“Success is not as much about overcoming obstacles as it is about refusing to surrender to excuses.”
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
“Success and excuses are inversely related; you can have one but not the other.”
“The more you make excuses, the farther you get from achieving your dreams.”
“Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.”
“It’s not about having time; it’s about making time. If it matters, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.”
“Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time.”
“The best way to succeed in life is to act on the advice you give others.”
“An excuse is a way of promising ourselves that we will have the same issue again.”
“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”
“Stop making excuses for why you can’t do epic sh*t and start making reasons why you can.”
“Excuses are the tools with which persons with no purpose in view build for themselves great monuments of nothing.”
“Don’t make excuses; make improvements.”
“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
“Success is to wake up each morning and consciously decide that today will be the best day of your life.”
“Excuses are lies wrapped up in reasons.”
“The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.”
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.”
“Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s part of success.”
“The most valuable lessons in life cannot be taught; they must be experienced.”
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”
“Your excuses are nothing more than the lies your fears have sold you.”
“Success is not built on success. It’s built on failure. It’s built on frustration. Sometimes, it’s built on catastrophe.”
“Those who believe in freedom and dream big don’t create excuses, they create opportunities.”
“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
“Excuses are the enemies of progress.”
“Your success and happiness lie in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.”
“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”
“Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.”
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
Inspirational Excuses Quotes
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
“Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.”
“Success is not for the lazy; it’s for those who got tired of making excuses.”
“It’s not the time we have but what we do with it that separates the successful from the excuse makers.”
“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.”
“An excuse is nothing more than a self-imposed roadblock.”
“A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.”
“we only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.”
“If you really want to do it, you do it. There are no excuses.”
“Someone who wants something will find a way; someone who doesn’t will find an excuse.”
“An excuse is a way to hide from reality; an action is a way to conquer it.”
“The more you rationalize, the more you move away from your authentic self.”
“Tomorrow is a perfect day to make excuses.”
“Don’t make excuses, make progress.”
“You can have results or excuses. Not both.”
“Excuses are lies we tell ourselves so that it doesn’t have to be our fault.”
“Stop allowing your day to be sabotaged by who you used to be.”
“Excuses will always be there for you; opportunity won’t.”
“An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded.”
“When you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”
“Excuses are the currency of failure.”
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
“If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
“An excuse is a polite rejection. Men do not reject ladies – they simply fail to accept them.”
“Justifying failure is easier than taking responsibility.”
“If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.”
“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.”
“Success is a tale of obstacles overcome, and for every obstacle overcome, an excuse not used.”
“No more excuses. I’m not going to hold myself back anymore.”
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
Final Thoughts
Reflecting on these quotes about excuses reminds us of the importance of taking responsibility for our actions. They serve as gentle nudges to push past our fears and hesitations. Instead of leaning on excuses, we can choose to overcome obstacles and rise to the challenges we face.
Whether you need a bit of motivation or a fresh perspective, these quotes can offer valuable insights. They encourage us to step up, be accountable, and strive for our best selves. Next time you find yourself tempted to make an excuse, recall these words of wisdom and let them inspire you to take action.
