Forgiveness can heal the deepest wounds. It lightens the heavy heart and brings peace to troubled minds. In times of pain, forgiving someone can seem hard, but it’s a step towards freedom.
The words of wise individuals have always inspired us. Their quotes on forgiveness offer guidance and comfort. Let’s explore some of the best forgiveness quotes to help find peace and move forward.
Quotes to Heal Your Heart
“To err is human; to forgive, divine.” – Alexander Pope
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” – Paul Boese
“It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.” – Maya Angelou
“Forgiveness is the final form of love.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Forgiveness means letting go of the hope for a better past.” – Lama Surya Das
“When you forgive, you in no way change the past – but you sure do change the future.” – Bernard Meltzer
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes
“Without forgiveness, there’s no future.” – Desmond Tutu
“Sincere forgiveness isn’t colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. Don’t worry whether or not they finally understand you. Love them and release them.” – Sara Paddison
“Only the brave know how to forgive. A coward never forgives; it is not in his nature.” – Laurence Sterne
“True forgiveness is when you can say, ‘Thank you for that experience.'” – Oprah Winfrey
“Forgive others not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could be any different.” – Oprah Winfrey
“When you forgive, you heal. When you let go, you grow.” – Anonymous
“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.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” – Hannah Arendt
“Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.” – William Arthur Ward
“The act of forgiveness takes place in our own mind. It really has nothing to do with the other person.” – Louise Hay
“Let us forgive each other – only then will we live in peace.” – Leo Tolstoy
“Forgiveness is the needle that knows how to mend.” – Jewel
“Forgiveness is choosing to love. It is the first skill of self-giving love.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Forgive, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.” – Buddha
“Forgiveness is the only way to reverse the irreversible flow of history.” – Hannah Arendt
“Forgiveness is the best form of love. It takes a strong person to say they’re sorry and an even stronger person to forgive.” – Yolanda Hadid
“Forgiveness is about empowering yourself, rather than empowering your past.” – T.D. Jakes
“You’ll never know how strong your heart is until you learn to forgive who broke it.” – Anonymous
“To forgive is wisdom, to forget is genius. And easier. Because it’s true. It’s a new world every heartbeat.” – Joyce Cary
“Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“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.” – Catherine Ponder
“Your capacity to forgive may determine your capacity to love.” – Anonymous
Quotes on Letting Go
“In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.” — Deepak Chopra
“Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.” — Steve Maraboli
“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” — Hannah Arendt
“The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go.” — Steve Maraboli
“Letting go doesn’t mean that you don’t care about someone anymore. It’s just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself.” — Deborah Reber
“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” — Lyndon B. Johnson
“One of the simplest ways to stay happy is letting go of the things that make you sad.” — Unknown
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Herman Hesse
“You can’t move forward if you’re still hanging on.” — Sue Fitzmaurice
“Life moves on and so should we.” — Spencer Johnson
“Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning.” — Desmond Tutu
“Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.” — Nicole Sobon
“Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.” — Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” — Raymond Lindquist
“Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.” — Daphne Rose Kingma
“It is important that we forgive ourselves for making mistakes. We need to learn from our errors and move on.” — Steve Maraboli
“You only struggle because you’re ready to grow but aren’t willing to let go.” — Drew Gerald
“You don’t have to let that one thing be the thing that defines you.” — Jojo Moyes
“Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.” — Steve Maraboli
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” — Paul Boese
“You will evolve past certain people. Let yourself.” — Mandy Hale
“When you leave behind the familiar, you open yourself to the possibility of the unknown.” — Anonymous
“Even as I hold you, I am letting you go.” — Alice Walker
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” — Lewis B. Smedes
“The past is a place of learning, not a place of living.” — Roy T. Bennett
“Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be.” — Sonia Ricotti
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” — Will Rogers
“The best way to heal a broken heart is to give God all the pieces.” — Anonymous
“Let go of the thoughts that don’t make you strong.” — Karen Salmansohn
“Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.” — Les Brown
“You can’t reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterday’s junk.” — Louise Smith
“It’s about waking up every morning and being able to say, ‘God, give me the strength to let go and accept what cannot be changed.'” — Anonymous
“If you want to fly on the sky, you need to leave the earth. If you want to move forward, you need to let go of the past that drags you down.” — Amit Ray
“Sometimes you have to be strong for yourself. You have to know that you’re a good person and a good friend. What’s meant to be will end up good and what’s not – won’t.” — Unknown
Finding Peace Through Quotes
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” — Mark Twain
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” — Mahatma Gandhi
“Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.” — Buddha
“Without forgiveness, there’s no future.” — Desmond Tutu
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” — Lewis B. Smedes
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” — Paul Boose
“It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.” — Maya Angelou
“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” — Hannah Arendt
“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.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
“Forgiveness is the final form of love.” — Reinhold Niebuhr
“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” — Nelson Mandela
“True forgiveness is when you can say, ’Thank you for that experience.'” — Oprah Winfrey
“To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.” — Confucius
“Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.” — William Arthur Ward
“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.” — Bryant H. McGill
“Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.” — Indira Gandhi
“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.'” — Jodi Picoult
“Forgiveness is the giving, and so the receiving, of life.” — George MacDonald
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
“To err is human, to forgive, divine.” — Alexander Pope
“Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” — Mahatma Gandhi
“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.” — John F. Kennedy
“Always forgive your enemies—nothing annoys them so much.” — Oscar Wilde
“Forgiveness is a reflection of loving yourself enough to move on.” — Steve Maraboli
“The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.” — Unknown
“Forgive others as quickly as you expect God to forgive you.” — Anonymous
“Forgive, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.” — Unknown
“Forgiveness is the giving up of all hope of having had a better past.” — Anne Lamott
“Forgiveness means letting go of the past.” — Gerald Jampolsky
“Forgive, forget. Bear with the faults of others as you would have them bear with yours.” — Phillips Brooks
“When you forgive, you heal. When you let go, you grow.” — Anonymous
“Forgiveness is the oil of relationships.” — Josh McDowell
“Life is an adventure in forgiveness.” — Norman Cousins
“Forgiveness is choosing to love. It is the first skill of self-giving love.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Empathy and Understanding Quotes
“When you understand, you cannot help but love.” — Thích Nhất Hạnh
“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” — Mohsin Hamid
“We think we listen, but rarely do we listen with real understanding and true empathy. Yet, listening, of this very special kind, is one of the most potent forces for change that I know.” — Carl Rogers
“Do not judge, and you will never be mistaken.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau
“There is no greater intelligence than kindness and empathy.” — Bryant McGill
“The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world.” — Plato
“Understanding is a two-way street.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
“Real empathy is sometimes not insisting that it will be okay, but acknowledging that it is not.” — Sheryl Sandberg
“To be empathetic is to understand that nobody is perfect, yet everyone is worthy of compassion.” — Unknown
“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.” — Alfred Adler
“Walk a mile in my shoes before you judge me.” — Elvis Presley
“Understanding involves a deeper insight than knowledge.” — Unknown
“Feeling someone else’s pain is called empathy. Understanding it and helping them heal is called compassion.” — Maxime Lagacé
“The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.” — Meryl Streep
“Empathy understands before it agrees or disagrees.” — James E. Talmage
“Empathy is the bridge to understanding and the road to forgiveness.” — Unknown
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” — Mother Teresa
“I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person.” — Walt Whitman
“Sometimes the greatest act of love is to listen.” — Unknown
“To forgive is wisdom, to forget is genius. And easier. Because it’s true. It’s a new world every heartbeat.” — Joyce Cary
“Kindness and understanding create endless ripples of empathy in the world.” — Unknown
“Empathy is not just about stepping into someone’s shoes. It’s about creating a bridge between two hearts.” — Unknown
“Forgiveness is the longest road, yet it’s also the shortest distance between two hearts.” — H. Jackson Brown Jr.
“Listening to understand, rather than to respond, is the first step in building empathy.” — Unknown
“In seeking to understand others, we begin to understand ourselves.” — Unknown
“Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath.” — Eckhart Tolle
“Empathy is the antidote to shame.” — Brené Brown
“The best way to understand another is to lose yourself in that other’s shoes.” — Unknown
“In order to empathize with someone’s experience, you must be willing to believe them as they see it, and not how you imagine their experience to be.” — Brené Brown
“The unique human capacity to empathize is our greatest gift.” — Unknown
“Empathy means both understanding others on their terms and bringing them within the orbit of one’s own experience.” — Jacob A. Belzen
“Empathy and understanding are the roots of forgiveness and reconciliation.” — Unknown
“To touch the soul of another human being is to walk on holy ground.” — Stephen R. Covey
“An empathetic heart knows no boundaries.” — Unknown
Quotes for Mending Relationships
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“To err is human, to forgive divine.” – Alexander Pope
“Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain
“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.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning.” – Desmond Tutu
“It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.” – Maya Angelou
“When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God’s light shines upon you.” – Jon Krakauer
“True forgiveness is not an action after the fact, it is an attitude with which you enter each moment.” – David Ridge
“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.” – Marianne Williamson
“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” – Hannah Arendt
“Forgiveness is not something we do for other people. We do it for ourselves to get well and move on.” – Unknown
“Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.” – Indira Gandhi
“The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.” – Honoré de Balzac
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” – Paul Boese
“To forgive is wisdom, to forget is genius. And easier. Because it’s true. It’s a new world every heart-beat.” – Joyce Cary
“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” – Corrie Ten Boom
“The art of forgiveness is a tough battle on the battleground of the heart.” – Anonymous
“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.” – John F. Kennedy
“Life is an adventure in forgiveness.” – Norman Cousins
“Without forgiveness, there’s no future.” – Desmond Tutu
“When a deep injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive.” – Alan Paton
“Love in the real world means saying you’re sorry 10 times a day.” – Kathie Lee Gifford
“Forgiveness is the final form of love.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
“The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.” – Unknown
“In the blink of an eye, everything can change. Forgive often and love with all your heart.” – Anonymous
“To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.” – Robert Muller
“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.'” – Jodi Picoult
“Holding a grudge doesn’t make you strong; it makes you bitter. Forgiving doesn’t make you weak; it sets you free.” – Dave Willis
“Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.” – Bruce Lee
“Forgiving is not forgetting. It’s letting go of the hurt.” – Kathy
“Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.” – Nicole Sobon
“Genuine forgiveness does not deny anger but faces it head-on.” – Alice Duer Miller
“When you forgive, you heal. When you let go, you grow.” – Anonymous
“Starting again doesn’t mean erasing the past. It means learning to live with it, to mend what can be fixed, and to let go of what cannot.” – Unknown
Wisdom in Forgiveness Quotes
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” - Mahatma Gandhi
“To err is human, to forgive, divine.” – Alexander Pope
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” – Paul Boese
“Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.” – Buddha
“Without forgiveness, there is no future.” - Desmond Tutu
“It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.” – Maya Angelou
“Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.” – William Arthur Ward
“Forgiveness is the final form of love.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
“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.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“True forgiveness is not an action after the fact, it is an attitude with which you enter each moment.” – David Ridge
“When a deep injury is done to us, we never heal until we forgive.” – Nelson Mandela
“Forgiveness is the giving, and so the receiving, of life.” - George MacDonald
“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.” – Bryant H. McGill
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes
“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” – Hannah Arendt
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” - Corrie Ten Boom
“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” – Nelson Mandela
“Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning.” – Desmond Tutu
“Forgiveness is not something we do for other people. We do it for ourselves to get well and move on.” – Unknown
“Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.” - Les Brown
“He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.” – George Herbert
“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.” – Augustine of Hippo
“Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.” – Indira Gandhi
“Let go of anger and bitterness, and you shall be free.” – Unknown
“Forgiveness is a powerful expression of love.” – Don Miguel Ruiz
“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.” – Marianne Williamson
“Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It is about letting go of another person’s throat.” – William Paul Young
“Forgiveness is like faith. You have to keep reviving it.” – Mason Cooley
“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
“Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong; to seek vengeance is the way of the weak.” – Anonymous
“When you forgive, you in no way change the past, but you sure do change the future.” – Bernard Meltzer
“Forgiving isn’t something you do for someone else. It’s something you do for yourself.” – Jodi Picoult
Short Forgiveness Quotes
“To err is human; to forgive, divine.” – Alexander Pope
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” – Paul Boese
“Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.” – Nicole Sobon
“Without forgiveness, there’s no future.” – Desmond Tutu
“True forgiveness is when you can say, ’Thank you for that experience.'” – Oprah Winfrey
“To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.” – Robert Muller
“Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.” – Suzanne Somers
“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” – Hannah Arendt
“When you forgive, you in no way change the past, but you sure do change the future.” – Bernard Meltzer
“It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everyone.” – Maya Angelou
“Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” – Bruce Lee
“Forgiveness is the final form of love.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
“Forgiveness is not about forgetting; it’s about letting go of another person’s throat.” – Wm. Paul Young
“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” – Nelson Mandela
“Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.” – Indira Gandhi
“Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.” – William Arthur Ward
“Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning.” – Desmond Tutu
“Forgiveness is the needle that knows how to mend.” – Jewel
“To forgive is wisdom, to forget is genius. And easier. Because it’s true. It’s a new world every heart-beat.” – Joyce Cary
“Forgiveness is the giving, and so the receiving, of life.” – George MacDonald
“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” – Corrie Ten Boom
“The art of forgiveness is a tranquil mind.” – J. Donald Walters
“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.'” – Jodi Picoult
“Forgiveness is me giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me.” – Anonymous
“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.” – Bryant H. McGill
“Forgiveness is the release of all hope for a better past.” – Buddy Wakefield
“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.” – Marianne Williamson
“He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.” – Nelson Mandela
Quotes about Self-Forgiveness
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes
“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without self-love.” – Bryant H. McGill
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain
“The act of forgiving yourself is the ultimate act of self-love.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“To err is human, to forgive oneself is divine.” – Alexander Pope
“Your inner peace comes from forgiving yourself for your mistakes.” – Wayne Dyer
“Self-forgiveness is the first step of personal growth.” – Cheryl Richardson
“In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.” – Deepak Chopra
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Love yourself enough to forgive yourself.” – L.R. Knost
“Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It is about letting go of another person’s throat.” – William Paul Young
“Forgiving yourself, believing in yourself, and choosing to love yourself are the best gifts one could receive.” – Brittany Burgunder
“Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.” – Les Brown
“Self-forgiveness is an act of reclaiming your power. It’s the path to inner peace.” – Karen Salmansohn
“When you forgive, you don’t change the past, but you change the future.” – Bernard Meltzer
“Genuine forgiveness does not deny anger but faces it head-on.” – Alice Duer Miller
“Forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone free and realizing you were the prisoner.” – Max Lucado
“Hating yourself for mistakes is like chasing shadows—wasting energy on illusions.” – Anonymous
“Forgiveness of oneself is the hardest of all.” – Anonymous
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis
“Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you learned it.” – Maya Angelou
“To heal, we must first forgive… and sometimes the person we must forgive is ourselves.” – Anonymous
“Forgive yourself before you ask another to forgive you.” – Willa Cather
“Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness; it’s a manifestation of strength and self-respect.” – Anonymous
“Sometimes the hardest part is not letting go but rather learning to start over.” – Nicole Sobon
“Our capacity to make peace with another person and with the world depends very much on our capacity to make peace with ourselves.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“True self-forgiveness is freeing and leads to genuine emotional and spiritual growth.” – Anonymous
“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” – Hannah Arendt
“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
“The journey to self-forgiveness is filled with layers of acceptance, love, and understanding.” – Anonymous
“Self-forgiveness paves the way to a heart that’s lighter and a soul that’s brighter.” – Anonymous
“Forgive yourself for your otherworldly expectations, and just be human.” – Anonymous
“Self-forgiveness is not an easy road, but it is the road that leads to true liberation and happiness.” – Anonymous
Quotes from Famous Thinkers
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“To err is human; to forgive, divine.” – Alexander Pope
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” – Paul Boose
“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.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain
“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.” – Marianne Williamson
“It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.” – Maya Angelou
“When a deep injury is done to us, we never heal until we forgive.” – Nelson Mandela
“The act of forgiveness takes place in our own mind. It really has nothing to do with the other person.” – Louise Hay
“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” – Hannah Arendt
“Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“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
“Forgiveness is the final form of love.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” – Corrie Ten Boom
“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.” – John F. Kennedy
“The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.” – Unknown
“True forgiveness is when you can say, ‘Thank you for that experience.’” – Oprah Winfrey
“Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.” – Indira Gandhi
“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.” – Bryant H. McGill
“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
“There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.” – Josh Billings
“Forgiveness liberates the soul, it removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.” – Nelson Mandela
“The lesson is that you can still make mistakes and be forgiven.” – Robert Downey Jr.
“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. It’s the brave who forgive.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different.” – Oprah Winfrey
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes
“Forgiveness is the needle that knows how to mend.” – Jewel
“Without forgiveness, there’s no future.” – Desmond Tutu
“Forgiveness is the sweetest revenge.” – Isaac Friedmann
“Forgiveness means letting go of the past.” – Gerald Jampolsky
“He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.” – Thomas Fuller
The Bottom Line
Forgiveness is a powerful tool that frees us from the weight of past hurts. The quotes shared in this article highlight the wisdom and peace that can come from letting go. They offer different perspectives on why forgiving others—and ourselves—is so important.
Take these quotes to heart and reflect on their messages. Whether you’re seeking comfort, understanding, or motivation, these words can help guide you towards a lighter and more forgiving mindset. By embracing forgiveness, you open the door to a more peaceful and fulfilling life.
