"Counterfeit masculinity excels at making excuses. Because the 'masculinity' is a matter of pride, not humble acceptance of responsibility, then anything which threatens that pride must be rejected. One of the things which always threatens pride is any kind of failure, and the way that insecure males deal with this is through making excuses. True masculinity accepts responsibility, period, while false masculinity will try to accept responsibility only for success. This is a key distinction and is worth pursuing at some length."
...
"Boys must learn to say, regularly - to God, to others, and to themselves - that they were wrong when they were wrong, and that they were responsible when they were responsible. When they do this, they will discover that authority, naturally flows to those who take responsibility. That same authority naturally flees from those who seek to shift responsibility or the blame. When boys learn to do this, they are learning what it means to be a young man. When young men learn to do this, they are learning what it means to be a grown man.'
...
"Boys must learn to say, regularly - to God, to others, and to themselves - that they were wrong when they were wrong, and that they were responsible when they were responsible. When they do this, they will discover that authority, naturally flows to those who take responsibility. That same authority naturally flees from those who seek to shift responsibility or the blame. When boys learn to do this, they are learning what it means to be a young man. When young men learn to do this, they are learning what it means to be a grown man.'
from Future Men by Doug Wilson
