One of the healthiest feelings in the world is forgiveness. We may even need to forgive ourselves at times. These forgiveness quotes will guide you through the process.
Forgiveness is the decision to let go of sentiments of wrath or retribution toward someone who has wronged you, whether or not they deserve it.
Your ability to forgive reveals a lot more about you than it does about the person you’re forgiving.
It is not necessary to reconcile in order to forgive.
When a friend or family member wrongs us, our connection may be irreparably ruined, but letting go of animosity and moving on with our lives is a far better ending.
Here are some of the best forgiveness quotes to help you forgive. You’ll find the right quotation to sum up your feelings and help you move on, whether you’ve just been slighted or want to let go of long-held animosity.
150+ Forgiveness Quotes Be the Healthiest Feeling
To err is human, to forgive, divine. – Alexander Pope
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.__Mahatma Gandhi
True forgiveness is when you can say, ‘Thank you for that experience.’___Oprah Winfrey
Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names. – John F. Kennedy
The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.___Steve Maraboli
To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.__C.S. Lewis
Forgiveness has nothing to do with absolving a criminal of his crime. It has everything to do with relieving oneself of the burden of being a victim–letting go of the pain and transforming oneself from victim to survivor.___C.R. Strahan
The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.___Thomas Szasz
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this. Men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.___Robert Jordan
It is important that we forgive ourselves for making mistakes. We need to learn from our errors and move on.___Steve Maraboli
To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.___G.K. Chesterton
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.― Oscar Wilde
I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.― Jane Austen
To err is human, to forgive, divine.― Alexander Pope
One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory.― Rita Mae Brown
The remedy for life’s broken pieces is not classes, workshops or books. Don’t try to heal the broken pieces. Just forgive.___Iyanla Vanzant
To understand somebody else as a human being, I think, is about as close to real forgiveness as one can get.___David Small
Beware of the man who does not return your blow: he neither forgives you nor allows you to forgive yourself.___George Bernard Shaw
Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness.___H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.― Corrie Ten Boom
True forgiveness is when you can say, “Thank you for that experience.― Oprah Winfrey
Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them. ___Bruce Lee
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.___Francis of Assisi
It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.___Maya Angelou
Before we can forgive one another, we have to understand one another. – Emma Goldman
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.___Martin Luther King Jr.
Last night I lost the world, and gained the universe.― C. JoyBell C.
Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.― Martin Luther King Jr.
Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.― Nelson Mandela
Forgive me my nonsense, as I also forgive the nonsense of those that think they talk sense.___Robert Frost
Because forgiveness is like this: a room can be dank because you have closed the windows, you’ve closed the curtains. But the sun is shining outside, and the air is fresh outside. In order to get that fresh air, you have to get up and open the window and draw the curtains apart.___Desmond Tutu
Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.___Oscar Wilde
Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.___Anne Lamott
Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.– Les Brown
Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, however, is for those who are substantial enough to move on.___Criss Jami
Forgiveness in no way requires that you trust the one you forgive.– William Paul Young
When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God’s light shines upon you.___John Krakauer
Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.___Marianne Williamson
Forgive those who have hurt you.___Les Brown
Nothing inspires forgiveness quite like revenge.___Scott Adams
He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven; for everyone has need to be forgiven.___George Herbert
When you are happy you can forgive a great deal. – Princess Diana
And you know, when you’ve experienced grace and you feel like you’ve been forgiven, you’re a lot more forgiving of other people. You’re a lot more gracious to others.___Rick Warren
Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.___Mark Twain
Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.___Gerald G. Jampolsky
Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.___J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.___Corrie Ten Boom
Forgiveness is the answer to the child’s dream of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is made clean again.___Dag Hammarskjold
I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive. Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note – torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.___Henry Ward Beecher
One of the secrets of a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody everything every night before you go to bed.___Bernard Baruch
I shall be an autocrat: that’s my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that’s his.___Catherine the Great
Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness, or else forgiving another.___Jean Paul
To confer dignity, forgive. To express contempt, forget.___Mason Cooley
There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness. – Josh Billings
The ineffable joy of forgiving and being forgiven forms an ecstasy that might well arouse the envy of the gods.___Elbert Hubbard
Man has two great spiritual needs. One is for forgiveness. The other is for goodness.___Billy Graham
Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure.___Jane Austen
One forgives to the degree that one loves.___Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust requires a track record.___Rick Warren
Life is an adventure in forgiveness. – Norman Cousins
Sins cannot be undone, only forgiven.___Igor Stravinsky
If there are occasions when my grape turned into a raisin and my joy bell lost its resonance, please forgive me. Charge it to my head and not to my heart.___Jesse Jackson
It’s far easier to forgive an enemy after you’ve got even with him.___Jewel
Forgiveness is that subtle thread that binds both love and friendship. Without forgiveness, you may not even have a child one day.___George Foreman
Forgiveness to the injured does belong; but they ne’er pardon who have done wrong.__John Dryden
Forgiveness provides hope, joy, and a bright future that nothing else can. – Paul J. Meyer
Just knowing you don’t have the answers is a recipe for humility, openness, acceptance, forgiveness, and an eagerness to learn – and those are all good things.___Dick Van Dyke
See, forgiveness doesn’t happen all at once. It’s not an event — it’s a process. Forgiveness happens while you’re asleep, while you’re dreaming, while you’re inline at the coffee shop, while you’re showering, eating, farting… It happens in the back of your mind, and then one day you realize that you don’t hate the person anymore, that your anger has gone away somewhere. And you understand. You’ve forgiven them. You don’t know how or why. It sneaked up on you. It happened in the small spaces between thoughts and in the seconds between ideas and blinks. That’s where forgiveness happens.___Barry Lyga
Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude. ___Martin Luther King Jr.
As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.― Nelson Mandela
I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.___Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different.___Oprah Winfrey
I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.___Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
But if you forgive someone for something they did to you, it doesn’t mean you agree with what they did or believe it was right. Forgiving that person means you have chosen not to dwell on the matter anymore; you have moved on with your life.__Idowu Koyenikan’
We don’t forgive people because they deserve it. We forgive them because they need it—because we need it.___Bree Despain
To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. – Lewis B. Smedes
I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him.___C.S. Lewis
Forgiveness is God’s greatest gift___Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code
The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.__Marianne Williamson
Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them.― Marvin J. Ashton
Forgiveness means it finally becomes unimportant that you hit back. You’re done.___Anne Lamott
Every year during their High Holy Days, the Jewish community reminds us all of our need for repentance and forgiveness.___Billy Graham
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. __Oscar Wilde
Forgiveness is not to give the other person peace. Forgiveness is for you. Take that opportunity.___Mackenzie Phillips
If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness.___Nelson Mandela
Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient. – Steve Maraboli
We often forgive those who bore us, but we cannot forgive those whom we bore.___Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Most of us can forgive and forget; we just don’t want the other person to forget that we forgave.__Ivern Ball
As long as you don’t forgive, who and whatever it is will occupy a rent-free space in your mind.___Isabelle Holland
The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves.___Eric Hoffer
A broken friendship that is mended through forgiveness can be even stronger than it once was.___Stephen Richards
Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom. – Hannah Arendt
I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.__Abraham Lincoln
Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness, those are life-altering lessons.___Jessica Lange
Forgiveness really is so misunderstood, as well as the power it can release in an individual.__Jennifer O’Neill
You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well.___Lewis B. Smedes
I find forgiveness to be really healthy.– Ben Affleck
Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else; it’s something you do for yourself. To forgive is not to condone, it is to refuse to continue feeling bad about an injury.___Jim Beaver
Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.___Corrie Ten Boom
Forgive others not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.___Jonathan Huie
Forgiveness is the final form of love.___Reinhold Niebuhr
God pardons like a mother, who kisses the offense into everlasting forgiveness.___Henry Ward Beecher
Choosing forgiveness opens the door of your heart and makes way for a miracle in your life.___Victoria Osteen
Forgiveness is the giving, and so the receiving, of life. – George MacDonald
Forgiveness is about empowering yourself, rather than empowering your past.___T.D. Jakes
I like cast iron coated with enamel for longevity and forgiveness if I happen to take my eyes off the prize while pouring Chianti.___Mario Batali
Forgiveness takes time. It is the last step of the grieving process.__Elin Nordegren
There is freedom in forgiveness, and it’s not that hard to do once you get into the habit.___Dana Perino
As we know, forgiveness of oneself is the hardest of all the forgivenesses.__Joan Baez
I am 100% in the camp that says forgiveness is mostly about the forgiver. – Hillary Clinton
Can you really forgive if you can’t forget?___Sarah Jessica Parker
It’s said in Hollywood that you should always forgive your enemies – because you never know when you’ll have to work with them.___Lana Turner
Life is grace. Sleep is forgiveness. The night absolves. Darkness wipes the slate clean, not spotless to be sure, but clean enough for another day’s chalking.___Frederick Buechner
It’s far easier to forgive an enemy after you’ve got even with him.__Olin Miller
To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.__Confucius
Forgiveness is a sign that the person who has wronged you means more to you than the wrong they have dealt.__Ben Greenhalgh
We win by tenderness. We conquer by forgiveness.__Frederick William Robertson
When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive.___Alan Paton
To understand is to forgive, even oneself.___Alexander Chase
Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. – Paul Boose
I believe in forgiveness; I believe in trying to work with people.___John Lewis
All major religious traditions carry basically the same message; that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.___Dalai Lama
The only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy.___William Hazlitt
God’s forgiveness allows us to be honest with ourselves. We recognize our imperfections, admit our failures, and plead to God for clemency.___Jonathan Sacks
Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. – Suzanne Somers
Forgive many things in others; nothing in yourself.___Ausonius
We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends.___Sir Francis Bacon
Forgiveness isn’t approving what happened. It’s choosing to rise above it.___Robin Sharma
To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.___Robert Muller’
The act of forgiveness takes place in our own mind. It really has nothing to do with the other person.___Louise L. Hay
It is surely better to pardon too much, than to condemn too much.___George Eliot
Forgiveness is too easy. I can forget by indifference, but not forgive. I prefer revenge.___Karl Lagerfeld
If you can’t forgive and forget, pick one.___Robert Brault
Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too.___Will Smith
Forgiveness is like faith. You have to keep reviving it. – Mason Cooley
I think the first step is to understand that forgiveness does not exonerate the perpetrator. Forgiveness liberates the victim. It’s a gift you give yourself.___T.D. Jakes
People have to forgive. We don’t have to like them, we don’t have to be friends with them, we don’t have to send them hearts in text messages, but we have to forgive them, to overlook, to forget. Because if we don’t we are tying rocks to our feet, too much for our wings to carry!___C. Joybell C.
I never forgive, but I always forget. – Arthur Balfour
You can’t forgive without loving. And I don’t mean sentimentality. I don’t mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, ‘I forgive. I’m finished with it.’___Maya Angelou
Without forgiveness life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.__Roberto Assagioli
Forgive, forget. Bear with the faults of others as you would have them bear with yours.___Philips Brooks
Forgotten is forgiven.___F. Scott Fitzgerald
There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.___Bryant H. McGill
Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning.– Desmond Tutu
Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again.___St. Augustine
How unhappy is he who cannot forgive himself.___Publilius Syrus
America loves a forgiveness story. America is the land of second chances.___Michael Caputo
I’m all about preaching forgiveness and compassion.___Michel de la Montaigne
Forgiveness is for yourself because it frees you. It lets you out of that prison you put yourself in.___Louise L. Hay
Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting. – William Arthur Ward___Forgiveness is the sweetest revenge.___Isaac Friedmann
True forgiveness is not an action after the fact, it is an attitude with which you enter each moment.___David Ridge
A life lived without forgiveness is a prison.___William Arthur Ward
Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you are.__Cherie Carter Scott
It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. – William Blake
Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast.___Marlene Dietrich
When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.___Katherine Ponder
Wise man say: forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza.___Michelangelo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
It’s not an easy journey, to get to a place where you forgive people. But it is such a powerful place, because it frees you.___Tyler Perry