To offer the complexities of life as an excuse for not addressing oneself to the simpler, more manageable (trivial) aspects of daily existence is a perversity often indulged in by artists, husbands, intellectuals — and critics of the Womens Movement. – Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

We have more ability than will power, and it is often an excuse to ourselves that we imagine that things are impossible. РFran̤ois de la Rochefoucauld

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. – Henry Ward Beecher

No doubt Jack the Ripper excused himself on the grounds that it was human nature. – A.A. (Alan Alexandra) Milne