Forgiveness Quotes

“In this life, when you deny someone an apology,
you will remember it at time you beg forgiveness.”
― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut

“... In love, everyone does things that hurt the other person, so there really is no "Right" and "Wrong". You just have to decide what you're willing to forgive”
― Yvonne Wood, Dead Beautiful

“Do not be concerned with the faults of other persons. Do not see others' faults with a hateful mind. There is an old saying that if you stop seeing others' faults, then naturally seniors and venerated and juniors are revered. Do not imitate others' faults; just cultivate virtue. Buddha prohibited unwholesome actions, but did not tell us to hate those who practice unwholesome actions.”
― Zen Master Dogen

“Procrastination is not Laziness", I tell him. "It is fear. Call it by its right name, and forgive yourself.”
― Julia Cameron, The Prosperous Heart

“Buried beneath disappointment and fear, anger and pride, I just might find it in my heart to forgive.”
― Emily Giffin, Heart of the Matter

“Maybe He'll get what he deserves. Maybe Not. Maybe I'll never find it in my heart to forgive him. And maybe there's nothing wrong with that,either. All those maybes swimming around my head make me think that "maybe" could just be another word for hope.”
― Amber Smith, The Way I Used to Be

“…she eventually forgave him, because she understood him.”
― Whitney Otto, How to Make an American Quilt

“It takes quite a spine to turn the other cheek. It takes phenomenal fortitude to love your enemy. It takes firm resolve to pray for those who persecute you. (with reference to Matthew 5)”
― Rob Bell

“You cannot forgive just once, forgiveness is a daily practice.”
― Sonia Rumzi

“Always seek justice, but love only mercy. To love justice and hate mercy is but a doorway to more injustice.”
― Criss Jami, Healology

“We forgive so long as we love.”
― Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld, Reflections or Sentences and Moral Maxims

“Life is so short. The only person you hurt when you stay angry or hold grudges is you. Forgive everyone, including yourself.”
― Tom Giaquinto

“How can I judge?" she said at last. "To me, he is a hero. To the world a monster." She let her head fall into her arms and started crying quietly. "I miss him! Curse him! I miss him!"

Mithorden put a hand on her shoulder and let her cry for a few minutes. A sad smile slowly spread across his face. "I'm glad you can forgive him," he said at last.

Luthiel lifted her head. "How do you know?"

Because you miss him.”
― Robert Fanney

“Each one of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done.”
― Sheryl Sandberg, Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy

“Forgiveness breaks the chain of causality because he who 'forgives' you--out of love--takes upon himself the consequences of what you have done. Forgiveness, therefore, always entails a sacrifice.

The price you must pay for your own liberation through another's sacrifice is that you in turn must be willing to liberate in the same way, irrespective of the consequences to yourself.”
― Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings

“I know it. I know I shall make beastly mistakes, Father-"
"The world does not forgive mistakes so quickly, my girl." He sounds bitter and sad.
"If the world will not forgive me," I say softly, "I shall have to learn to forgive myself."
He nods in understanding.
"And how will you marry? Or do you intend to marry?"
I think of Kartik, and tears threaten. "I shall meet someone one day, as Mother found you.”
― Libba Bray, The Sweet Far Thing

“Discover your deep inner-self and from that place spread love in every direction.”
― Amit Ray, Meditation: Insights and Inspirations

“Forgiveness. The ability to forgive oneself. Stop here for a few breaths and think about this because it is the key to making art, and very possibly the key to finding any semblance of happiness in life. Every time I have set out to translate the book (or story, or hopelessly long essay) that exists in such brilliant detail on the big screen of my limbic system onto a piece of paper (which, let’s face it, was once a towering tree crowned with leaves and a home to birds). I grieve for my own lack of talent and intelligence. Every. Single. Time. Were I smarter, more gifted, I could pin down a closer facsimile of the wonders I see. I believe, more than anything, that this grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps people from being writers. Forgiveness, therefore, is key. I can’t write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing. Again and again throughout the course of my life I will forgive myself.”
― Ann Patchett, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage

“Peace is such hard work. Harder than war. It takes way more effort to forgive than to kill.”
― Rae Carson, The Bitter Kingdom

“Forgiveness means saying that you're not going to let what happened to you define you any longer.”
― Heidi Priebe, This Is Me Letting You Go

“We learn our lessons; we get hurt; we want revenge. Then we realize that actually, happiness and forgiving people is the best revenge.”
― Madonna

“I wasted a lot of time being angry, time I can't get back. And now I see you, so angry about what happened to your marriage, and I just want to tell you, at some point it doesn't matter who was right and who was wrong. At some point, being angry is just another bad habit, like smoking, and you keep poisoning yourself without thinking about it.”
― Jonathan Tropper, This is Where I Leave You

“I'm too old to recover, too narrow to forgive myself.”
― Lillian Hellman, The Children's Hour

“Why is it that it is often easier for us to confess our sins to God than to a brother? God is holy and sinless, He is a just judge of evil and the enemy of all disobedience. But a brother is sinful as we are. He knows from his own experience the dark night of secret sin. Why should we not find it easier to go to a brother than to the holy God? But if we do, we must ask ourselves whether we have not often been deceiving ourselves with our confession of sin to God, whether we have not rather been confessing our sins to ourselves and also granting ourselves absolution...Who can give us the certainty that, in the confession and the forgiveness of our sins, we are not dealing with ourselves but with the living God? God gives us this certainty through our brother. Our brother breaks the circle of self-deception. A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself; he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community

“To err is human, to forgive is divine... but I’m only a cardinal and cardinals are human, so rather than forgiving you I’m going to err towards beating you with this stick.”
― Mark Lawrence, Prince of Fools

“Undeserved forgiveness. Friendship defined.”
― Robin Hobb, Fool's Assassin

“The more you are able to forgive then the more you are able to love.”
― Stephen Richards, Forgiveness and Love Conquers All: Healing the Emotional Self

“Love me, then, or hate me, as you will," I said at last, "you have my full and free forgiveness: ask now for God's, and be at peace.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Accept the universe
As the gods gave it to you.
If the gods wanted to give you something else
They’d have done it.

If there are other matters and other worlds
There are.”
― Alberto Caeiro, The Collected Poems of Alberto Caeiro

“... I have dreams of you too, Mariam jo. I miss you. I miss the sound of your voice, your laughter. I miss reading to you, and all those times we fished together. Do you remember all those times we fished together? You were a good daughter, Mariam jo, and I cannot ever think of you without feeling shame and regret. Regret… When it comes to you, Mariam jo, I have oceans of it. I regret that I did not see you the day you came to Herat. I regret that I did not open the door and take you in. I regret that I did not make you a daughter to me, that I let you live in that place for all those years. And for what? Fear of losing face? Of staining my so-called good name? How little those things matter to me now after all the loss, all the terrible things I have seen in this cursed war. But now, of course, it is too late. Perhaps that is just punishment for those who have been heartless, to understand only when nothing can be undone. Now all I can do is say that you were a good daughter, Mariam jo, and that I never deserved you. Now all I can do is ask for your forgiveness. So forgive me, Mariam jo. Forgive me, forgive me. Forgive me...”
― Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns