Quotes for forgiveness
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“There is a saying that to understand is to forgive, but that is an error, so Papa used to say. You must forgive in order to understand. Until you forgive, you defend yourself against the possibility of understanding.”

Marilynne Robinson Home

Source: Home

Error, Understanding

“You will be at your best forever, Even now you have good moments. Occasional glimpses of your heavenly self. When you change your baby's diaper, forgive your boss's temper, tolerate your spouse's moodiness, you display traces of saintliness.”

Max Lucado (1955) American clergyman and writer

Source: 3:16: The Numbers of Hope

Change, Baby

“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.”

Marianne Williamson (1952) American writer

World

“You're peculiar, you're aggravating, yet you're easy to forgive. You say you're seventeen?.. How odd. How strange. And my wife thirty and yet you seem so much older at times. I can't get over it.”

Ray Bradbury book Fahrenheit 451

Source: Fahrenheit 451

Time

“Change isn't made by asking permission. Change is made by asking forgiveness, later.”

Seth Godin (1960) American entrepreneur, author and public speaker

Source: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Change

“Sometimes a person needs to hear you forgive them so they can start to forgive themselves.”

Rachel Gibson (1961) American writer

Source: Any Man of Mine

Personality

“Forgiveness is healing. Especially forgiving yourself”

Alyson Nöel book Evermore

Source: Evermore

“I forgive you," I said. I said what I had to. I would die by pieces to save myself from real death.”

Alice Sebold book Lucky

Source: Lucky

Death

“In the shadow of my hurt, forgiveness feel like a decision to reward my enemy. But in the shadow of the cross, forgiveness is merely a gift from one undeserving soul to another.”

Andy Stanley (1958) American Christian minister

Source: It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart

Feeling, Soul, Decision, Hurt

“I tried to manipulate and control people and I harbored resentment. I wanted to be forgiven but I wouldn't forgive others.”

Lauryn Hill (1975) American singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, actress

People

“Jane," I said quietly.
She opened her eyes, she had been far away in prayer.
"Yes, Mary? Forgive me, I was praying."
"If you go on flirting with the king with those sickly little smiles, one of us Boleyns is going to scratch your eyes out.”

Philippa Gregory book The Other Boleyn Girl

Source: The Other Boleyn Girl

Smile

“No one was perfect. But we all did the best we could. I guessed you had to forgive when you could, move on when you couldn't, and love your family and friends for who they were instead of punishing them for who they weren't.”

Sarah Mlynowski (1977) Novelist

Source: Ten Things We Did

Love, Family, Perfection

“People in general would rather die than forgive. It'shard. If God said in plain language. "I'm giving you a choice, forgive or die," a lot of people would go ahead and order their coffin.”

Sue Monk Kidd book The Secret Life of Bees

Variant: People, in general, would rather die than forgive. It'shard. If God said in plain language, "I'm giving you a choice, forgive or die," a lot of people would go ahead and order their coffin.
Source: The Secret Life of Bees

God, People

“The choice you make, between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life.”

Gregory David Roberts book Shantaram

Source: Shantaram

Life, Hate

“Forgiving's a choice you make—a gift you give to somebody even if they don't deserve it. It costs nothing, but it makes you feel rich for giving it away.”

Lurlene McDaniel (1944) American writer

Source: When Happily Ever After Ends

Feeling

“The heart of a woman who loves will forgive many blows.”

Agatha Christie book Murder on the links

Source: The Murder on the Links

Love, Heart

“You will come to know things that can only be known with the wisdom of age and the grace of years. Most of those things will have to do with forgiveness.”

Cheryl Strayed book Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

Source: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

Wisdom, Age

“Humm humm haaa. Rahmumm humm haaaa," intoned Opal, finishing her chant. "Peace be inside me, tolerance all around me, forgiveness in my path. Now, Mervall, show me where the filthy human is so that I may feed him his organs.”

Eoin Colfer (1965) Irish author of children's books

Source: The Time Paradox

Peace

“Forgive my rudeness. I cannot abide useless people.”

Jane Espenson (1964) American television writer and producer

People

“There are two kinds of sorry. There is the sorry imbued with regret. And a pure sorry. The kind that is merely asking for forgiveness, nothing more.”

Emily Giffin (1972) American writer

Source: Love the One You're With

“Now here's a good one:
you're lying on your deathbed.
You have one hour to live.
Who is it, exactly, you have needed
all these years to forgive?”

Louise Penny book A Fatal Grace

Source: A Fatal Grace

Lying

“It is hard to forgive, and to look at those eyes, and feel those wasted hands,' he answered. 'Kiss me again; and don’t let me see your eyes! I forgive what you have done to me. I love my murderer—but yours! How can I?”

Emily Brontë book Wuthering Heights

Source: Wuthering Heights

Love, Feeling, Kiss

“Wizard's Fourth Rule
There is magic in sincere forgiveness; in the forgiveness you give, but more so in the forgiveness you receive.”

Terry Goodkind book Temple of the Winds

Source: Temple of the Winds

Sincerity

“People can be more forgiving than you can imagine. But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what's bitter and move on.”

Bill Cosby (1937) American actor, comedian, author, producer, musician, activist

People, Imagination, Moving On

“What Richard is talking about is instead admitting to the existence of negative thoughts, understanding where they came from and why they arrived, and then - with great forgiveness and fortitude - dismissing them.”

Elizabeth Gilbert book Eat, Pray, Love

Source: Eat, Pray, Love

Understanding

“But life isn’t about learning to forgive those who have hurt you or forgetting your past. It’s about learning to forgive yourself for being human and making mistakes.”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Time Untime

Life, Learning, Past, Hurt

“In marriage, everyday you love, and everyday you forgive. It is an ongoing sacrament, love and forgiveness”

Bill Moyers (1934) American journalist

Love, Marriage

“Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul”

Bob Dylan (1941) American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and artist

Source: The Bob Dylan Scrapbook: 1956-1966

Death, Money, Soul, Question

“He couldn't even tell whether he was angry or contrite, whether it was forgiveness he wanted or the power to forgive.”

Richard Yates book Revolutionary Road

Source: Revolutionary Road

“I really don't think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don't mind the failure but I can't imagine that I'd forgive myself if I didn't try.”

Nikki Giovanni (1943) American writer and academic

Life, Imagination, Failure, Thinking

“Forgiveness is God's greatest gift”

Dan Brown book The Da Vinci Code

Source: The Da Vinci Code

God

“You will learn a lot about yourself if you stretch in the direction of goodness, of bigness, of kindness, of forgiveness, of emotional bravery. Be a warrior for love.”

Cheryl Strayed book Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

Source: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

Love, Learning

“If we can forgive what's been done to us… If we can forgive what we've done to others… If we can leave our stories behind. Our being victims and villains. Only then can we maybe rescue the world.”

Chuck Palahniuk book Haunted

Source: Haunted (2005), Chapter 21

World

“I have this theory: If you forgive someone, they can't hurt you anymore.”

Candace Bushnell (1958) American author

Hurt

“Humbleness, forgiveness, clarity and love are the dynamics of freedom. They are the foundations of authentic power.”

Gary Zukav (1942) American writer and revivalist

Love, Freedom

“Those who forgive themselves and are able to accept their real nature, they are the strong ones.”

Masashi Kishimoto book Naruto

Source: Naruto: Die Schriften des Tô

Nature, Strong

“God will forgive me. It's his job." Heine said this on his deathbed (1856). Hilarious. He must have thought that up years before and counted the seconds to use it.”

Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) German poet, journalist, essayist, and literary critic

God

“If you're going to be bad, be bad with a purpose or else you're not worth forgiving.”

L.J. Smith (1965) American author

“The energy of hatred won't get you anywhere; but the energy of forgiveness, which reveals itself through love, will transform your life in a positive way.”

Paulo Coelho book The Zahir

Source: The Zahir

Love, Life, Way

“Kiss me again, but don't let me see your eyes! I forgive what you have done to me. I love my murderer--but yours! How can I?”

Emily Brontë book Wuthering Heights

Source: Wuthering Heights

Love, Kiss

“Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”

Dale Carnegie How to Win Friends and Influence People

Part 1 : Fundamental Techniques in Handling People, p. 36.
Source: How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936)
Context: Benjamin Franklin, tactless in his youth, became so diplomatic, so adroit at handling people that he was made American Ambassador to France. The secret of his success? "I will speak ill of no man," he said, "... and speak all the good I know of everybody." Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving. "A great man shows his greatness," says Carlyle, "by the way he treats little men."

Fools, Understanding

“Here's to the few who forgive what you do, and the fewer who don't even care”

Leonard Cohen (1934–2016) Canadian poet and singer-songwriter

“Listen. Slide the weight from your shoulders and move forward. You are afraid you might forget, but you never will. You will forgive and remember.”

Barbara Kingsolver The Poisonwood Bible

Source: The Poisonwood Bible

Forgetting

“Forgive me, for all the things I did but mostly for the ones that I did not.”

Donna Tartt book The Secret History

Source: The Secret History

“I shouldn't have done that," I said.

That was when I kissed him again.

May God forgive me for this and all these things I've done.”

Gabrielle Zevin (1977) American writer

Source: All These Things I've Done

God, Kiss

“Don’t we forgive everything of a lover? We forgive selfishness, desire, guile. As long as we are the motive for it.”

Michael Ondaatje book The English Patient

Source: The English Patient

Lovers, Motivation, Selfishness

“You hold in your hand an invitation: to remember the transforming power of forgiveness and loving kindness. To remember that no matter where you are and what you face, within your heart peace is possible.”

Jack Kornfield (1945) American writer

Love, Peace, Heart

“Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It's a good life, enjoy it.”

Jim Henson (1936–1990) American puppeteer

Love, Life

“And who understands? Not me, because if I did I would forgive it all.”

John Donne (1572–1631) English poet

Understanding

“Forgiving isn't something you do for someone else. It's something you do for yourself. It's saying, 'You're not important enough to have a stranglehold on me.' It's saying, 'You don't get to trap me in the past. I am worthy of a future.”

Jodi Picoult book The Storyteller

Source: The Storyteller

Past, Future

“God knows I've got so many frailties myself, I ought to be able to understand and forgive them in others. But I don't.”

Ava Gardner (1922–1990) American actress

Source: Ava: My Story

God, Understanding

“But really, the term “forgive and forget” doesn’t make sense to me. Forgiving does allow us to stop dwelling on an issue, which isn’t always healthy. But if we forget, we don’t learn from our mistakes. And that can be deadly.”

Meg Cabot (1967) Novelist

Source: Abandon

Sense, Learning, Forgetting

“Ah, Beloved. Of all the things I must bid farewell to, you are the most difficult to lose. Forgive me that I have avoided you. Better, perhaps, that we make a space between us and become accustomed to it before fate forces that upon us.”

Robin Hobb book Fool's Fate

Source: Fool's Fate

Fate

“Forgive yourself before you die. Then forgive others.”

Mitch Albom Tuesdays with Morrie

Source: Tuesdays with Morrie

“For me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?”

Bell Hooks (1952) American author, feminist, and social activist

People, Time

“Nothing erases the past. There is repentance, there is atonement, and there is forgiveness. That is all, but that is enough.”

Ted Chiang The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate

Source: The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate

Past

“It's [the word “sorry”] the most infuriating word in the English language. Just a cheap way to behave badly then shelve responsibility by putting the onus on the other person to be forgiving.”

Minette Walters book The Chameleon's Shadow

Source: The Chameleon's Shadow

Way, Personality

“He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.”

George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh-born English poet, orator and Anglican priest

Relationship

“Without using the word, everyone started forgiving each other again. Just like that, from the no of all nothingness: you have a big tense mess and out of it comes some joy. It must be magic.”

Anne Lamott (1954) Novelist, essayist, memoirist, activist

Source: Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

Joy

“You don't need a reason to forgive… If you want to go on with someone, that is what you do.”

Melissa Bank (1961) American writer

“And girls need cold anger. They need the cold simmer, the ceaseless grudge, the talent to avoid forgiveness, the side stepping of compromise. They need to know when they say something that they will never back down, ever, ever.”

Gregory Maguire book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Source: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Girl, Anger

“And throughout all eternity
I forgive you, you forgive me.”

William Blake (1757–1827) English Romantic poet and artist

My Specter, st. 14
1800s, Poems from Blake's Notebook (c. 1804)

“There is hope in forgiveness”

John Piper (1946) American writer

Source: A Sweet and Bitter Providence: Sex, Race, and the Sovereignty of God

Hope

“We are not perfect. We make mistakes. We screw up but then we forgive and move forward.”

Nicholas Sparks book The Last Song

Source: The Last Song

Perfection

“Forgiveness does not require us to close our eyes but rather to truly open them.”

Richard Paul Evans (1962) American writer

Source: The Gift

“Forgive me for stating the obvious, but the world is made up of all kinds of people.”

Haruki Murakami book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Source: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

People, World

“Your retaliation is unspeakable. For this alone, you must forgive me for my treatment of you."
"Still high-handed?"
"Irisked my neck just now to say that in front of you.”

Kresley Cole American writer

Source: Lothaire

“Forgiveness works two ways, in most instances. People have to forgive themselves too. The powerful have to forgive themselves for their behavior. That should be a sacred process.”

Sidney Poitier book The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography

Source: The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography

People, Way, Behavior

“Before we can forgive one another, we have to understand one another.”

Emma Goldman (1868–1940) anarchist known for her political activism, writing, and speeches

Understanding

“If she had hurt me, I could have forgiven her without even having to think about it; but I couldn't forgive her for being hurt.”

Tana French In the Woods

Source: In the Woods

Thinking, Hurt

“.. we were always taught, instead of waiting to be swept off our feet, to 'expect little, forgive much'.”

Helen Fielding book Bridget Jones's Diary

Source: Bridget Jones's Diary

Waiting

“The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love. That's the message we're brought up with, isn't it? Believe or die! Thank you, forgiving Lord, for all those options.”

Bill Hicks (1961–1994) American comedian

Rant in E-Minor (1997)
Variant: The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love. That's the message we're brought up with, isn't it? Beleive or die! Thank you, forgiving Lord, for all those options.

Love, God, Question, Suffering

“When the sins of our fathers visit us
We do not have to play host.
We can banish them with forgiveness
As God, in his His Largeness and Laws.”

August Wilson Fences

Source: Fences

God, Law

“I know there are people who believe you should forgive and forget. For the record, I'd like to say I'm a big fan of forgiveness as long as I'm given the opportunity to get even first.”

Sue Grafton (1940–2017) American writer

Source: V is for Vengeance

People, Forgetting

“We all make mistakes, don't we? But if you can't forgive yourself, you'll always be an exile in your own life.”

Curtis Sittenfeld (1975) Novelist, short story writer

Source: Sisterland

Life

“Isn't it easier to forgive than to hate?
-Eriond”

David Eddings (1931–2009) American novelist

Source: Sorceress of Darshiva

Hate

“Forgiveness is the economy of the heart.…forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.”

Hannah More (1745–1833) English religious writer and philanthropist

Heart, Anger

“Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do. Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it. Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others. Don't assume that it's too late to get involved.”

Mitch Albom Tuesdays with Morrie

Source: Tuesdays with Morrie

Learning, Past

“Despite serious reservations, I had to forgive Finnick for his role in the conspiracy that landed me here. He, at least has some idea of what I'm going through. And it takes too much energy to stay angry with someone who cries so much.”

Suzanne Collins book Mockingjay

Source: Mockingjay

Idea

“Forgiveness means it finally becomes unimportant that you hit back.”

Anne Lamott (1954) Novelist, essayist, memoirist, activist

“How can I forgive if you are not ready to give up that which caused you to stumble?”

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni book The Mistress of Spices

Source: The Mistress of Spices

“It may be an infinitely less evil to murder a man than to refuse to forgive him. The former may be the act of a moment of passion: the latter is the heart’s choice.”

George MacDonald (1824–1905) Scottish journalist, novelist

‘’It Shall Not Be Forgiven’’
Unspoken Sermons, First Series (1867)
Source: Unspoken Sermons: Series I, II, III

Passion, Evil, Heart

“I forgive nothing. If you stole my orange crayon in the fifth grade, you're still on my hit list, buddy.”

Jonathan Carroll book Bones of the Moon

Source: Bones of the Moon

“forgive yourself for what you aren't able to do,
the ones who aren't able to acknowledge their ownselves are bound to fail”

Masashi Kishimoto book Naruto

Source: Naruto, Vol. 61: Uchiha Brothers United Front

“He was a lovely man in many ways. But he kept on insisting on forgiving me when there was nothing to forgive.”

Angela Carter book Wise Children

Source: Wise Children

Love, Way

“I don't forgive people because I'm weak, I forgive them because I am strong enough to know people make mistakes.”

Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) American actress, model, and singer

People, Strong

“I'm too old to recover, too narrow to forgive myself.”

Lillian Hellman The Children's Hour

Source: The Children's Hour

“Dear Lord, please show me everything I need to understand about forgiveness and surrender”

Elizabeth Gilbert book Eat, Pray, Love

Source: Eat, Pray, Love

Understanding

“We'd forgive most things if we knew the facts.”

Graham Greene book The Heart of the Matter

Source: The Heart of the Matter

“Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold”

William Carlos Williams (1883–1963) American poet

"This Is Just to Say"
Collected Poems 1921-1931 (1934)
Context: I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold