150 Forgiveness Quotes to Inspire You to Forgive and Move Ahead in Life

Forgiveness is a conscious internal process and deliberate decision to let go the grudge towards individuals. This includes releasing the thoughts and feelings of resentment, anger, bitterness, sourness and the desires for revenge, punishment and retribution towards group or someone; who we believe has harmed us, including ourselves. Being able to forgive is one of the healthiest emotions in the universe. Here are some of the best forgiveness quotes to inspire you to forgive and move ahead in life.

Forgiveness Quotes

1. "By forgiving you don't forgive the person who did something wrong but you forgive yourself. Yes, you read it correctly. You forgive yourself." ~ Invajy
2. "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
3. "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."~ Mahatma Gandhi
4. "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
5. "We don't forgive people because they deserve it. We forgive them because they need it-because we need it." ~ Bree Despain
6. "You don't need strength to let go of something. What you really need is understanding." ~ Guy Finley
7. "Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them." ~ Oscar Wilde
8. "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
9. "To err is human, to forgive, divine." ~ Alexander Pope
10. "When we go back in to the past and rake up all the troubles we've had, we end up reeling and staggering through life. Stability and peace of mind come by living in the moment." ~ Pam W. Vredevelt
11. "It is important that we forgive ourselves for making mistakes. We need to learn from our errors and move on."~ Steve Maraboli

Forgive Yourself Quotes

1. "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
2. "Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on." ~ Les Brown
3. "Beware of the man who does not return your blow: he neither forgives you nor allows you to forgive yourself."~ George Bernard Shaw
4. "Forgiveness is for yourself, understanding this will ease the path of let go." ~ Invajy
5. "Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself." ~ Suzanne Somers
6. "Forgive yourself , again and again, as many times as it takes to find peace of mind." ~ Invajy

1. "Forgive many things in others; nothing in yourself."~ Ausonius
2. "To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."~ C.S. Lewis
3. "It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody."~ Maya Angelou
4. "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
5. "Forgiveness is for yourself because it frees you. It lets you out of that prison you put yourself in." ~ Louise L. Hay
6. "Forgive those who have hurt you." ~ Les Brown
7. "Nothing inspires forgiveness quite like revenge." ~ Scott Adams

Forgive and Forget Quotes

1. "You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present." ~
   Jan Glidewell
2. "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
3. "To confer dignity, forgive. To express contempt, forget." ~ Mason Cooley
4. "Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness."~ H. Jackson Brown Jr.
5. "Most of us can forgive and forget; we just don't want the other person to forget that we forgave." ~ Ivern Ball
6. "I never forgive, but I always forget." ~ Arthur Balfour
7. "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.
8. "If you can't forgive and forget, pick one." ~ Robert Brault
9. "Forgive, forget. Bear with the faults of others as you would have them bear with yours." ~ Philips Brooks
10. "The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget."~ Thomas Szasz
11. "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

Best Forgiveness Quotes

1. "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
2. "Before we can forgive one another, we have to understand one another." ~ Emma Goldman
3. "Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them." ~ Bruce Lee
4. "It is in pardoning that we are pardoned." ~ Francis of Assisi
5. "Forgive me my nonsense, as I also forgive the nonsense of those that think they talk sense." ~ Robert Frost
6. "Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right." ~ J.K. Rowlin
7. "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.
8. "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
9. "When you are happy you can forgive a great deal." ~ Princess Diana
10. "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
11. "One of the secrets of a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody everything every night before you go to bed." ~ Bernard Baruch

What is Forgiveness?

1. "Forgiveness is God's greatest gift" ~ Dan Brown
2. "Forgiveness isn't approving what happened. It's choosing to rise above it." ~ Robin Sharma
3. "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
4. "Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." ~ Mark Twain
5. "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
6. "Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
7. "The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world." ~ Marianne Williamson
8. "Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different." ~ Oprah Winfrey
9. "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
10. "Forgiveness is not to give the other person peace. Forgiveness is for you. Take that opportunity." ~ Mackenzie Phillips
11. "Forgiveness is that subtle thread that binds both love and friendship. Without forgiveness, you may not even have a child one day." ~ George Foreman
12. "Forgiveness is the giving, and so the receiving, of life." ~ George MacDonald
13. "Forgiveness is about empowering yourself, rather than empowering your past." ~ T.D. Jakes
14. "Forgiveness is the final form of love." ~ Reinhold Niebuhr

Quotes about Forgiveness

1. "To understand somebody else as a human being, I think, is about as close to real forgiveness as one can get." ~ David Small
2. "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
3. "Man has two great spiritual needs. One is for forgiveness. The other is for goodness." ~ Billy Graham
4. "Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure." ~ Jane Austen
5. "One forgives to the degree that one loves." ~ Francois de La Rochefoucauld
6. "Life is an adventure in forgiveness." ~ Norman Cousins
7. "Sins cannot be undone, only forgiven." ~ Igor Stravinsky
8. "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
9. "I shall be an autocrat: that's my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that's his." ~ Catherine the Great
10. "Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness, or else forgiving another." ~ Jean Paul
11. "There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness." ~ Josh Billings
12. "The ineffable joy of forgiving and being forgiven forms an ecstasy that might well arouse the envy of the gods." ~ Elbert Hubbard
13. "Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies." ~ Nelson Mandela

To Forgive Quotes

1. "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
2. "We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends." ~ Sir Francis Bacon
3. "Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die." ~ Anne Lamott
4. "We win by tenderness. We conquer by forgiveness." ~ Frederick William Robertson
5. "When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive." ~ Alan Paton
6. "To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness." ~ Robert Muller
7. "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." ~ Lewis B. Smedes

1. "Forgiveness means it finally becomes unimportant that you hit back. You're done." ~ Anne Lamott
2. "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." ~ Oscar Wilde
3. "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
4. "It's far easier to forgive an enemy after you've got even with him." ~ Jewel
5. "Forgiveness provides hope, joy, and a bright future that nothing else can." ~ Paul J. Meyer
6. "Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient." ~ Steve Maraboli

Forgiveness Quotes

1. "We often forgive those who bore us, but we cannot forgive those whom we bore." ~ Francois de La Rochefoucauld
2. "Mastering the art of forgiveness plays a crucial role in happiness and quality of your life." ~ Invajy
3. "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
4. "Forgiveness in no way requires that you trust the one you forgive." ~ William Paul Young
5. "When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines upon you." ~ John Krakauer
6. "Always Keep in mind that it's usually in your best interest to forgive people." ~ Invajy

1. "As long as you don't forgive, who and whatever it is will occupy a rent-free space in your mind." ~ Isabelle Holland
2. "To understand is to forgive, even oneself." ~ Alexander Chase
3. "Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." ~ Paul Boose
4. "I believe in forgiveness; I believe in trying to work with people." ~ John Lewis
5. "A broken friendship that is mended through forgiveness can be even stronger than it once was."~ Stephen Richards
6. "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
7. "Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom." ~ Hannah Arendt

Inspiring Forgiveness Quotes

1. "I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice." ~ Abraham Lincoln
2. "Forgive others not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace." ~ Jonathan Huie
3. "God pardons like a mother, who kisses the offense into everlasting forgiveness." ~ Henry Ward Beecher
4. "Choosing forgiveness opens the door of your heart and makes way for a miracle in your life." ~ Victoria Osteen
5. "I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine." ~ Jane Austen
6. "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
7. "Forgiveness takes time. It is the last step of the grieving process." ~ Elin Nordegren
8. "There is freedom in forgiveness, and it's not that hard to do once you get into the habit." ~ Dana Perino
9. "As we know, forgiveness of oneself is the hardest of all the forgivenesses." ~ Joan Baez
10. "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
11. "Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness, those are life-altering lessons." ~ Jessica Lange
12. "Forgiveness really is so misunderstood, as well as the power it can release in an individual." ~ Jennifer O'Neill
13. "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

Quotes on Forgiveness

1. "I find forgiveness to be really healthy." ~ Ben Affleck
2. "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
3. "It's far easier to forgive an enemy after you've got even with him." ~ Olin Miller
4. "The act of forgiveness takes place in our own mind. It really has nothing to do with the other person." ~ Louise L. Hay
5. "God may forgive your sins, but your nervous system won't." ~ Alfred Korzybski
6. "To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it."~ Confucius
7. "Forgiveness is a sign that the person who has wronged you means more to you than the wrong they have dealt." ~ Ben Greenhalgh
8. "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
9. "The only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy." ~ William Hazlitt
10. "It is surely better to pardon too much, than to condemn too much." ~ George Eliot
11. "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
12. "Forgiveness is like faith. You have to keep reviving it." ~ Mason Cooley
13. "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

Power of Forgiveness Quotes

1. "Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you are." ~ Cherie Carter Scott
2. "Let us forgive each other - only then will we live in peace." ~ Leo Tolstoy
3. "A life lived without forgiveness is a prison." ~ William Arthur Ward
4. "Developing empathy is a necessary and important step in forgiveness." ~ Invajy
5. "Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting." ~ William Arthur Ward
6. "Forgiveness is the sweetest revenge." ~ Isaac Friedmann
7. "True forgiveness is not an action after the fact, it is an attitude with which you enter each moment." ~ David Ridge
8. "It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend." ~ William Blake
9. "Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast." ~ Marlene Dietrich
10. "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
11. "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
12. "Forgiveness means to let go of hatred, instead of allowing it to eat at you." ~ Invajy
13. "Without forgiveness life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation." ~ Roberto Assagioli

Forgiveness Quotes

1. "Forgotten is forgiven." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. "Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning." ~ Desmond Tutu
3. "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
4. "How unhappy is he who cannot forgive himself." ~ Publilius Syrus
5. "I'm all about preaching forgiveness and compassion." ~ Michel de la Montaigne
6. "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
7. "True forgiveness is when you can say, 'Thank you for that experience.'"~ Oprah Winfrey
8. "There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love." ~ Bryant H. McGill

1. "We must be willing to let go of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." ~ Joseph Campbell
2. "Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names." ~ John F. Kennedy
3. "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
4. "Forgiveness is the most powerful thing you can do for yourself. If you can't learn to forgive, you can forget about achieving true success in your life." ~ Invajy

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