"Reason" vs. "Excuse"

Whether we are the direct blame for an outcome or just involved in the result, there is an opportunity for excuse or reason. Reason is a rational motive for a belief or action but an excuse is a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise. The key word in the definition for reason would be "rational"...in the definition for excuse it would be "defense".

Reasoning is thinking that is coherent and logical, and an excuse is a poor example. Remember when we were kids and mom would say "don't give me that excuse" or "stop making excuses". If we take a detour off the path and make a mistake, just own up, take responsibility, it makes the recovery go smoother.

If someone does us wrong, we don't really want to hear excuses, do we? We can be understanding and let people give a valid reason (if the have one). Lets say a man running a red light hits another car, he might say "well i was in a hurry" which is the reason he was running the red light but its just an excuse for hitting the other car. We can accept that he was in a hurry but being in a hurry is just an excuse to not use wisdom and reason. We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can certainly choose our reaction to them.

There is always a reason for everything, but there is never an excuse.