"There are no magic words," a lizard in shining armor opines, his voice light but a little raspy. "There is no trick. To apologize, sincerely, is to open oneself, to admit one's wrong."

He does have some more practical advice. "It is well, to be specific, that the one you have wronged may know that you understand how you have transgressed. But it is important not to explain--to explain as you apologize is to undercut yourself. 'I am sorry for what I did, even though I believe for these reasons that it was right.' To say such a thing is to be sorry only for the consequences, and that is no true apology."