Forgiveness is a transformative act of compassion that can profoundly impact our lives. It’s a powerful process that involves letting go of resentment and thoughts of revenge.
By fostering inner peace and paving the way for healing and reconciliation, forgiveness plays a vital role in maintaining healthy relationships and promoting personal well-being.
It’s not just an act of kindness towards others, but also a gift we give to ourselves.
If you need a little encouragement to forgive—or just a fresh perspective on its power—these 48 quotes might be exactly what your heart needs.
1. “Nothing inspires forgiveness quite like revenge.” – Scott Adams
2. “Thank you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough.” – Garrison Keillor
3. “Any story about revenge is ultimately a story about forgiveness, redemption, or the futility of revenge.” – Nick Wechsler
4. “If you don’t believe God has forgiven you, you are actually saying that God needs to do more for your forgiveness, and that Jesus’ sacrifice was not enough.” – Jud Wilhite
5. “I invite everyone to chose forgiveness rather than division, teamwork over personal ambition.” – Jean-Francois Cope
6. “The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses much more than avoiding, overcoming, and being cleansed from sin and the bad influences in our lives; it also essentially entails doing good, being good, and becoming better. Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so.” – David A. Bednar
7. “Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.” – August Wilson
8. “Forgiveness is God’s command.” – Martin Luther
9. “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
10. “Forgiveness is a spiritual practice and biblical mandate from the New Testament that many American Christians engage in as a part of their faith.” – Anthea Butler
11. “Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” – Hannah Arendt
12. “‘Kris Kringle’ is a holiday musical for a new generation – a gorgeous score paired with a heartwarming tale of family and forgiveness.” – Andrew Keenan-Bolger
13. “When I am able to resist the temptation to judge others, I can see them as teachers of forgiveness in my life, reminding me that I can only have peace of mind when I forgive rather than judge.” – Gerald Jampolsky
14. “Without forgiveness life is governed by… an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.” – Roberto Assagioli
15. “Anger begets more anger, and forgiveness and love lead to more forgiveness and love.” – Mahavira
16. “Things happen for a reason, and the only thing you can do is at night time get on your knees and ask God for forgiveness for anything that you did that you didn’t feel was right.” – Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
17. “Forgiveness is not to give the other person peace. Forgiveness is for you. Take that opportunity.” – Mackenzie Phillips
18. “Here is the amazing thing about Easter; the Resurrection Sunday for Christians is this, that Christ in the dying moments on the cross gives us the greatest illustration of forgiveness possible.” – T. D. Jakes
19. “No person is perfect. I haven’t, thank God, had any infidelity issues. But you can’t say what you won’t ever do. And you can’t say that you won’t have forgiveness in your heart if there were to be an issue like that.” – Tasha Smith
20. “We are not forgiven because we are good. We are forgiven because Christ bore our sins.” – Joseph Prince
21. “I think it is important that we rebuild an atmosphere of forgiveness and civility in every aspect of our lives.” – T. D. Jakes
22. “There would be no need for love if perfection were possible. Love arises from our imperfection, from our being different and always in need of the forgiveness, encouragement and that missing half of ourselves that we are searching for, as the Greek myth tells us, in order to complete ourselves.” – Eugene Kennedy
23. “Without forgiveness, there’s no future.” – Desmond Tutu
24. “Forgive those who have hurt you.” – Les Brown
25. “When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive.” – Alan Paton
26. “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.” – Saint Augustine
27. “Before we can forgive one another, we have to understand one another.” – Emma Goldman
28. “Knowing that you are completely forgiven destroys the power of sin in your life.” – Joseph Prince
29. “Forgotten is forgiven.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
30. “The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.” – Honore de Balzac
31. “Forgiveness is the needle that knows how to mend.” – Jewel
32. “When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn’t work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.” – Emo Philips
33. “Sins cannot be undone, only forgiven.” – Igor Stravinsky
34. “Forgiveness isn’t just the absence of anger. I think it’s also the presence of self-love, when you actually begin to value yourself.” – Tara Westover
35. “There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.” – Josh Billings
36. “Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.” – Les Brown
37. “I really do believe that God is love, one of deep affection and grace and forgiveness and inspiration.” – William P. Young
38. “Eid is here! On the first day, it is a custom for all Malaysian Muslims to ask for forgiveness from our parents. We kiss their hands and wish them ‘Selamat Hari Raya’ or ‘Eid Mubarak.’ ‘Maaf Zahir dan Batin’ means ‘to apologize in spirit and actions.'” – Yuna
39. “Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.” – William Arthur Ward
40. “I pray for forgiveness. For help and guidance. To be a better person. For the health of my family. For the world to be a better place.” – Tyson Fury
41. “I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and rose again, and that’s my belief. I still don’t know what ‘Christian’ means. I’m a follower of Christ, but I keep making a whole bunch of mistakes. And I thank God for forgiveness.” – Sherri Shepherd
42. “Only the brave know how to forgive… a coward never forgave; it is not in his nature.” – Laurence Sterne
43. “Since I began my practice of Forgiveness Therapy, it’s now instinctual for me to choose to eat like I love myself – instead of eating like I wanted to punish myself. Plus I’ve not only lost weight, I’ve lost the anger and anxiety I was feeling, and so I feel happier and calmer within.” – Karen Salmansohn
44. “I think forgiveness is overrated, personally, because some things people do are unforgivable.” – Charlamagne tha God
45. “It seems to me like Mother Nature’s mercy and forgiveness have run dry, as we ceaselessly abuse her and take her for granted in order for us to continue our addiction to using fossil fuels. I’ve gotta say, I don’t blame her. Not one bit.” – Gloria Reuben
46. “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” – Alexander Pope
47. “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain
48. “If you look at everything I do – even in ‘Boo!’ there’s a message, and it’s always ‘faith, family, forgiveness.’ That’s the greatest gift that I’ve been given. I can get a message to the very people I grew up with, the millions who love what I do.” – Tyler Perry
A gentle reminder from the heart
Forgiveness isn’t always easy, but it helps us grow, heal, and move forward. Whether you’re learning to forgive someone else or yourself, these quotes remind us that letting go can bring peace. Keep them close, and remember: forgiveness is not about forgetting, it’s about choosing peace over pain.
Hey fellow Linguaholics! It’s me, Marcel. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com. Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich. It is my utmost pleasure to share with all of you guys what I know about languages and linguistics in general.