80 “I’m Sorry” Quotes to Help You Apologize

Even though some may not like to hear it, it’s a fact that none of us is perfect. We all make mistakes. We all occasionally do things or say something that we regret later on. And yes, we sometimes are lured into doing incredibly stupid things. As a result, it’s very likely that we hurt others – no matter if it’s done accidentally or intentionally. In some cases, it may take quite a while before we realize the negative impact our actions or words had on others. However, once we do come to our senses, we feel the deep need to apologize for all the trouble and pain we’ve caused. However, genuinely apologizing for something truly stupid you’ve done can be quite challenging. In fact, just saying “I’m sorry, please forgive me,” is not always enough. Most will not even accept an apology that is not sincere. Therefore, the central element to an apology is regret. To help you with finding the right words to apologize and to ask others for forgiveness, we’ve created the following “I’m sorry” quotes.

If you’re really sorry for what you’ve done, a sincere and genuine apology can help to restore trust. When you deeply regret your actions or words, apologizing allows you and the other person to move past what has happened.

“Chocolate says “I’m sorry” so much better than words.”
Rachel Vincent

While you may know that you need to apologize, it’s not that easy to offer one. On the one hand, just thinking about confronting the other person and apologizing may make you feel totally vulnerable and helpless. Perhaps you don’t like the feeling of not knowing if your apology will be accepted. On the other hand, you may lack the right words to convey how deeply you regret your actions.

The following I’m sorry quotes will inspire you to find the right words to ask for forgiveness.

That’s where I’m sorry quotes come in quite handy. These quotes help you to apologize in a sincere manner.

80 “I’m Sorry” Quotes to Help You Apologize

When you’re asking someone for forgiveness, it’s so important that your apology comes from the heart. That’s because we all know those people who apologize time and time again but never really regret their actions. To them, apologizing is just a way to avoid problems. However, they do not even have the intention of changing their behavior.

Don’t be such a person. If you apologize, be sincere about it and make sure that the same won’t ever happen again. The following I’m sorry quotes will help you to come up with the right words to ask for forgiveness.

Here are these sincere I’m sorry quotes

1.

“Sorry means you feel the pulse of other people’s pain as well as your own, and saying it means you take a share of it. And so it binds us together, makes us trodden and sodden as one another. Sorry is a lot of things. It’s a hole refilled. A debt repaid. Sorry is the wake of misdeed. It’s the crippling ripple of consequence. Sorry is sadness, just as knowing is sadness. Sorry is sometimes self-pity. But Sorry, really, is not about you. It’s theirs to take or leave.“
Craig Silvey

2.

“But you know all about that, being sorry and having no words to say something when you know you should but you just can’t.”
Heather Gudenkauf

3.

“When you say the word ‘sorry’ make sure you understand that an apology has 3 parts. “I’m sorry”, “It’s my fault and I won’t do it again” and “How can I make things better”. The last part is the most important.“
Manasa Rao Saarloos

4.

“Saying ‘I’m sorry’ is saying ‘I love you’ with a wounded heart in one hand and your smothered pride in the other.“
Richelle E. Goodrich

5.

“When you forgive, you free your soul. But when you say I’m sorry, you free two souls.“
Donald L. Hicks

6.

“Apologizing does not always mean you’re wrong and the other person is right. It just means you value your relationship more than your ego.“
Mark Matthews

7.

“Admitting a mistake is not a weakness; on the contrary, it shows an openness of your heart. It takes guts to say sorry. Only a strong and well-balanced individual with clarity of mind can do so effortlessly. Taking responsibility for your actions requires and develops your self-control. You become your own person.“
Vishwas Chavan

8.

“’I’m sorry’ won’t fix what’s been broken. It can’t reverse time or undo the damage or change anything that happened. But a sincere, humble apology can serve to soften the sting and sometimes do a pretty good patch up job.“
Richelle E. Goodrich

9.

“Apologizing is different from begging, it doesn’t change your status, go ahead and get on your knees, spill tears if you got it, for the person you offended, if at all you had a place in their hearts, you’ll be totally forgiven and accepted.“
Michael Bassey Johnson

10.

“Sometimes, an apology sets free a part of you that you didn’t even realize was caged…and forgiveness destroys the cage.“
Sanjo Jendayi

11.

“A truly humble apology works to part storm clouds, calm rough seas, and bring on the soft lights of dawn; it has the power to change a person’s world.“
Richelle E. Goodrich

12.

“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.“
Benjamin Franklin

13.

“Apologies aren’t meant to change the past, they are meant to change the future.“
Kevin Hancock

14.

“Never put off repairing a relationship you value. If sorry needs to be said say it now. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed to any of us.“
Toni Sorenson

15.

“You can edit what you write. Why not edit what you say? If it hurts somebody, you can still offer an apology or withdraw your statements“
Bangambiki Habyarimana

16.

“As my grandmother said, ‘Sorry won’t unbreak the eggs’. Just clean the mess and move on.“
Raymond E. Feist

17.

“An apology is the superglue of life! It can repair just about anything!!“
Lynn Johnston

18.

“Apologize! That’s the least you can do to try to make right something you have wronged.“
Sanhita Baruah

19.

“Sacrifice is at the heart of repentance. Without deeds, your apology is worthless.“
Bryan Davis

20.

“In any relationship, frequent usage of two words is very important. They can change the course of destiny. These words are – Thank You, and Sorry.“
Girdhar Joshi

21.

“It’s more than saying sorry. It’s meaning it. It’s letting the apology change things. But an apology is where it has to begin.“
Neil Gaiman

22.

“Apology is not about saying I’m sorry, but it is about the meaning you put behind the apology and admitting that you are the wrong part.“
Unarine Ramaru

23.

“When the wound given is deep. The action to rectify needs to be from the heart, because the word ‘sorry’ is not enough to sew a cut so deep.“
Trishna Damodar

24.

“An apology can be a wonderful thing so long as it is infrequent and from the heart. However, beware of the person who justifies bad behavior with apologies. For them it is a means to an end, and quite often at your expense.“
Gary Hopkins

25.

“Be sorry before you have to say you are sorry. Be sorry for even thinking about, bringing about something sorry-filled.“
Marie Clements

26.

“Such is life. Sometimes we do not even want to know how much pain we cause others, for fear of spoiling our own petty pleasures. And when the time comes to face the consequences, it is too late to be sorry.“
Menelaos Stephanides

27.

“Apologies require taking full responsibility. No half-truths, no partial admissions, no rationalizations, no finger pointing, and no justifications belong in any apology.“
Cathy Burnham Martin

28.

“Sorry means you leave yourself open, to embrace or to ridicule or to revenge. Sorry is a question that begs forgiveness, because the metronome of a good heart won’t settle until things are set right and true. Sorry doesn’t take things back, but it pushes things forward. It bridges the gap. Sorry is a sacrament. It’s an offering. A gift.“
Craig Silvey

29.

“I’m not very good at saying sorry, but I apologize.“
Chris Kurtz

30.

“I’m sorry for hurting you. I know I did. I guess if there’s any kind of fairness in the afterlife I’m probably in hell getting roasted. But if that’s where I am, I want you to know, I still love you. Always did.“
Michael Grant

31.

“Be the hero of hearts; learn to say I’m sorry.“
Richelle E. Goodrich

32.

“That’s the thing about saying “sorry” or “excuse me” in this city. No one ever does. Or when we do apologize, we don’t actually say it clearly. We just whisper the outline of excuse me or form the word sorry with our mouth, as if we expect people to lip-read.“
Susane Colasanti

33.

“One who is truly confident is able to apologize.“
Olivia Tsoutsoplides

34.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. He takes my face in his hands. “I’m not. I’m not sorry I met you. I’m not sorry I fell in love with you. I have no regrets, Zahra, and neither should you. I love you.“
Jessica Khoury

35.

“I’m sorry’ I said again. Whenever someone tells you something said, it’s the only thing you can think to say, even if you’re already said it before.“
Nicholas Sparks

36.

“A sincere and warmly-expressed apology can produce the same effects as morphine on a suffering soul.“
Richelle E. Goodrich

37.

“The problem with saying or feeling ‘sorry’ is that it often comes after the damage is already done.“
Asma Naqi

38.

“But sorry is the Kool-Aid of human emotions. […] True sorrow is as rare as true love.“
Stephen King

39.

“I am so sorry. I wish you knew even one tenth of one percent of how sorry I am. It was my fault. Can I kill myself here, or should I do it outside, so the mess on your carpet doesn’t upset your mother?“
Laurie Halse Anderson

40.

“I’m going to have to pull some major groveling to gain forgiveness. If I were smart, I’d find a way to say sorry without opening my mouth. Never fails that half the time I try to apologize, it comes out wrong.“
Katie McGarry

41.

“I’m so sorry about all you’re going through, but I’m not sorry that it brought you to me.“
Lisa Brown Roberts

42.

“An apology given just to appease one’s conscience is self-serving and better left unspoken!“
Evinda Lepins

43.

“You believe you could not live with the pain. Such pain is not lived with. It is only endured. I am sorry.“
Erin Morgenstern

44.

“Futility is being sorry while doing nothing to remove the cause.“
John Geddes

45.

“It’s not that “sorry” doesn’t mean anything; it just doesn’t mean anything when some people say it… Don’t be one of those people.“
Steve Maraboli

46.

“Yes, dear Father. But has it ever occurred to you that by controlling [your feelings]you destroy them? How many times can we say sorry before we don’t feel sorry anymore?“
John le Carré

47.

“Who cares who’s right or wrong when the last word is a kind apology?“
Richelle E. Goodrich

48.

“I’m sorry no one saved you.“
Maggie Stiefvater

49.

“Just let yourself be broken and humiliated. Just your whole life, keep telling people, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…“
Chuck Palahniuk

50.

“It is incredible how many hurts can be healed by the two words, ‘I’m sorry.“
Matshona Dhliwayo

51.

“Never believe you’re so great or important, so right or proud, that you cannot kneel at the feet of someone you hurt and offer a humble, sincere apology.“
Richelle E. Goodrich

52.

“Would ‘sorry’ have made any difference? Does it ever? It’s just a word. One word against a thousand actions.“
Sarah Ockler

53.

“Everybody was sorry. Sorry was easy.“
Gretchen McNeil

54.

“Sorry’ is, indeed, one of the most difficult and most powerful words in the English language, provided one can feel and say it at the same time. It’s difficult because you sincerely need to feel the pain of the other person and rise above your ego to say it; it’s powerful because you overwhelm the other with the opposite reaction of what they were expecting.“
Uday Mukerji

55.

“Your right actions might hurt someone, so if required apologize for your right actions, but don’t stop taking right actions.“
Amit Kalantri

56.

“Nothing says you’re sorry like a dead bunny.“
Patricia Briggs

57.

“And pity – people who inspire it in you are actually very powerful people. To get someone else to take care of you, to feel sorry for you – that takes a lot of strength, smarts, manipulation. Very powerful people.“
Deb Caletti

58.

“Sorry’s not good enough. When something’s broken, sorry can never bring it back.“
Kenneth Eade

59.

“Good point.” Sophia said at last. “I’m not very good at saying sorry, but I apologize.“
Chris Kurtz

60.

“Being safe doesn’t mean you won’t be sorry.“
Katerina Stoykova Klemer

61.

“I feel sorry for anyone who is in a place where he feels strange and stupid.“
Lois Lowry

62.

“Change his mind. Tell him you’re sorry you grilled his shorts. That you’re sorry you’ve got ice running through your veins .“
C.C. Hunter

63.

“Because you’ll always be special to me. Because I should have apologized years ago. Because I want you to be happy.“
Lex Martin

64.

“People who know that they are wrong and still don’t feel sorry are those who never learn.“
Shreya Gupta

65.

“Just this minute, I’ll settle for an apology, she decided. And I won’t’ board the boat without one. Even if Kaz isn’t sorry, he can pretend. He at least owes me his best imitation of a human being.“
Leigh Bardugo

66.

“Pride and ego make a mockery of an apology. Humility wins forgiveness without question… so break ‘yo’self’!“
T.F. Hodge

67.

“There’s a small window of opportunity to apologize sometimes after you’ve terribly wronged someone. It closes. Sometimes forever, but it never opens wide enough again for a good breeze.“
Darnell Lamont Walker

68.

“A conscience without regrets – to live life without having to say you’re sorry.“
E.A. Bucchianeri

69.

“Redemption is something you have to fight for in a very personal, down-dirty way. Some of our characters lose that, some stray from that, and some regain it.“
Joss Whedon

70.

“Dexter, I love you so much. So, so much, and I probably always will. I just don’t like you anymore. I’m sorry.“
David Nicholls

71.

“You broke her heart in person—you fix it in person!“
R.J. Gonzales

72.

“When you make a mistake, give an apology without an excuse attached to it. The longer an apology, the less authentic it is.“
Steve Maraboli

73.

“By the day’s end I realized that there were a zillion ways to apologize to someone, but none of them mattered if you never opened your mouth.“
Jennifer Jabaley

74.

“A sincere apology is analogous to authentic repentance.“
R. Alan Woods

75.

“Sometimes we learn the most about forgiveness when we realize how desperately we need it ourselves.“
Glad Munaiseche

76.

“Sorry’ isn’t a synonym for ‘guilty.’ It’s a way to say you’re listening.“
Martina Boone

77.

“It does not [cost]a penny to say “am sorry”, “I won’t do that again”! It does not take away your integrity to appreciate the very little that you have obtained from someone, even if it’s not much! True humility speaks “little is enough if God is in it.“
Israelmore Ayivor

78.

“If an apology is followed by an excuse or a reason, it means they are going to commit same mistake again they just apologized for.“
Amit Kalantri

79.

“The difficulty, my friends, is not in avoiding death, but in avoiding unrighteousness; for that runs faster than death.“
Plato

80.

“I’m so sorry. I never wanted to hurt You.“
Kiera Cass

I hope you enjoyed reading this collection of I’m sorry quotes. May these quotes help you to sincerely apologize. 

Do you have a favorite quote that helps you to express your feelings of regret?

Stay victorious!