"I am sorry for what has happened, and I know that I need some help"
About this Quote
Then comes the pivot: "and I know that I need some help". That second clause quietly moves the spotlight from victims to speaker. Help can mean therapy, protection, leniency, attention, even a softer public verdict. It’s a reframing move: not monster but damaged person; not perpetrator but patient. The line is compact because it’s meant to do multiple jobs at once - express regret, signal vulnerability, and suggest a pathway for mercy.
In Susan Smith’s case, the context makes the language feel even more transactional. Her notoriety is rooted in a narrative of fabrication and media manipulation, where public sympathy was not incidental but a tool. Read against that backdrop, the statement sounds less like moral reckoning than crisis management: a bid to stabilize the story once it can’t be controlled. The intent isn’t only to apologize; it’s to renegotiate consequences.
The subtext is a plea for interpretation: see me as overwhelmed, unwell, in need of intervention. The quote works because it’s emotionally legible while staying strategically nonspecific, a template for contrition that minimizes culpability and maximizes survivability.
Quote Details
| Topic | Forgiveness |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Smith, Susan. (2026, February 18). I am sorry for what has happened, and I know that I need some help. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-am-sorry-for-what-has-happened-and-i-know-that-83865/
Chicago Style
Smith, Susan. "I am sorry for what has happened, and I know that I need some help." FixQuotes. February 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-am-sorry-for-what-has-happened-and-i-know-that-83865/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I am sorry for what has happened, and I know that I need some help." FixQuotes, 18 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-am-sorry-for-what-has-happened-and-i-know-that-83865/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.







