A promise in this day and age seems easy to say and hard keep. It’s like a casual thing to do. We all have experienced saying “I promise this and that” and surprisingly we’re unable to keep it. I myself is guilty of this.
When we promise something either to ourselves or to someone, hope floats. We muster all our strength to protect it.
“Be there in five minutes,” “I will work out tomorrow,” “I’ll call you later,” “BFF forever,” “I will text you when I get home,” “I promise not to drink & drive,” I will not be late anymore,” I promise you’re the only one.” These are examples of throwaway promises seldom kept.
When a promise is broken by oneself. We feel bad; guilt; resentment. We try to justify why we are unable to keep it. We resolve by making another promise.
When a promise is broken by someone else. We feel betrayed; hurt; broken. The “promise-breaker” makes a lengthy explanation or a lame excuse why it was not kept. Swearing it will not happen again.
Promise
noun prom·ise \ˈprä-məs\
1: a declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified
b: a legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the
performance or forbearance of a specified act
2: reason to expect something little promise of relief; especially: ground for expectation of success,
improvement or excellence shows considerable promise
3: something that is promised
4: Korean | Hangul
약속 – Promise
약속해요 | 약속하다 – To make a promise
약속하세요 – If you want someone to make a promise
7 Reasons Why It’s Time To Stop Making Promises
1. A promise is just a word. Just like age, it’s just a number.
“Some things you don’t have to promise. You just do.” ― Rick Yancey, The 5th Wave
2. Promises are made to be broken.
“Sometimes people don’t understand the promises they’re making when they make them.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
3. A promise is a trap.
“I am stuffing your mouth with your promises and watching you vomit them out upon my face.” ― Anne Sexton, The Complete Poems
4. A promise is a comfort to a fool.
“The moment you make someone promise anything is the same moment you ask them to lie to you.”
― Molly Ringwald, When it Happens to You
5. Promises are like silly jokes.
“Promises are like silly jokes, told around a table when the food is good and no one has anything to lose by telling a lie or two – lies should have been a synonym for the word ‘promise’ in dictionaries, but only a few people knew it.”
― Cameron Jace, Jar of Hearts
6. A promise is like a snowball.
“If you value your words, people will not ask you to make any promises.” ― Amit Kalantri
7. Promises are like pie crust.
“The problem with promises is that once you’ve made one, it’s bound to be broken. It’s like an
unspoken cosmic rule.” ― Bree Despain, The Dark Divine
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Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/promise
Quotes Source: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/promises?page=1
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