Maxwell Wang, Week #2: Sorry Less, Thanks More

There’s a lot of little kids’ fables and stuff out there that tell people to count their blessings and be more thankful. Sure, that’s a great thing to do (and half of what I advocate for). But first, we always need to maintain equilibrium. This has been drilled into us during bio and chemistry. If we increase one thing, something else has to decrease. So when people are being more thankful, they’ve got to do less of something else. That something else is saying sorry! 

In my daily life, I limit the times I say the word “sorry.” It’s like a game of finding some other word that’s suitable for the situation. Of course, there are times of such short notice or of an urgent nature that there is no other word we can use as a replacement. Times like accidentally running into someone while rushing out the door right after the bell rings or messing up a crucially important aspect of someone’s plan - oops! 

But outside of those unfortunate circumstances, I like to apologize less (which is the second half of what I advocate for) and thank people instead! For example, the next time you’re late for something, “Sorry I wasn’t here on time” becomes “Thanks for waiting for me!” A friend who was nice enough to invite you to an event you can’t attend turns from “Sorry I can’t make it” to “Thanks for thinking of me.”


I guess it kind of boils down to an optimism thing. Saying “sorry” would imply we’re repenting for a bad thing that we did, but we don’t always need to be so obsequious. Saying “thanks” instead shows that we appreciate the kindness (or mercy) someone has shown us. 

I’m sorry it took some time out of your day to finish reading all of this. But thanks for being kind enough to drop by and share your thoughts.


Comments

  1. Sophie LeinerSeptember 16, 2026 at 4:56 PM

    This is a very thoughtful concept! I feel like in my daily life, especially while texting, I use sorry less as an actual apology, and more as an indicator of tone. In real life it’s easy to get what you’re trying to say across in the right way, but in texting I tend to overuse the word sorry to make sure my tone isn't misunderstood. However, from now on I think I’ll use thank you more! It seems like it would work in the same way and would probably be more optimistic like you said.
    The idea that it’s a mindset shift just as much as it is a shift in wording is very powerful. I wonder what other words this could be applied to! I’ll have to think about what words with negative connotations could be replaced with words with positive connotations.

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  2. Riya PurumalaSeptember 16, 2026 at 9:47 PM

    Hi Maxwell! I really enjoyed your blog and certainly appreciate your positive outlook in everyday mannerisms. Replacing the phrase “sorry” with “thank you” is something I never thought to do, as I never considered sorry to be a pessimistic phrase, but rather a way to convey my regrets. However, your blog gave me a new perspective, allowing me to think deeper on the meaning behind my words, no matter how simple. And now, I will also try to substitute “sorry” with “thank you” in my everyday language. I also liked how your image perfectly encapsulates your message in a simple, easy-to-understand manner, allowing me to understand your message more deeply. One of my favorite parts of your blog has to be your ending, as I love how you incorporated both “sorry” and “thank you” to conclude!

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