The 100 best forgiveness phrases

Forgiveness is a tool to heal. Many people have the mistaken belief that forgiveness implies letting go of a traumatic or painful event, but it is actually the last phase of acceptance, which is necessary to free ourselves from that heavy load that we may be dragging.

• We recommend you read: "How to ask for forgiveness (and look good) in 6 steps"

Best phrases about forgiveness

Each person has the option to forgive or not, since it is a personal process, but to learn more about the impact that this act has, we bring a compilation of quotes and reflections on forgive.

1. What I hate the most is when they apologize before stepping on me. (Woody Allen)

Never use forgiveness as an excuse for your actions.

2. A mother's heart is a deep abyss at the bottom of which forgiveness is always found. (Honore de Balzac)

Mother's love is so immense, that they can forgive everything.

3. To forgive is to release a prisoner and discover that the prisoner was yourself. (Lewis B. smedes)

It is not about helping the one who hurt you, but about freeing yourself from resentment.

4. To err is human, to forgive divine. (Alexander Pope)

We can all make mistakes.

5. I'm not perfect, I make mistakes, I hurt people. But when I say sorry, I mean it.

When you act to make up for a mistake, everything can get better.

6. Sorry, if you were right I would agree with you. (Robin Williams)

You don't need to agree with someone to respect their opinion.

7. Men who do not forgive women for their small defects will never enjoy their great virtues. (Khalil Gibran)

We all have flaws, but that doesn't take away our value.

8. Only those truly courageous spirits know the way to forgive. (Laurence Sterne)

Forgiveness is not achieved by all people.

9. "I can forgive, but I can't forget" is just another way of saying, "I can't, forgive." (Henry Ward Beecher)

Do you think we can forgive without forgetting?

10. It is forgiven to the extent that it is loved. (François de la Rochefoucauld)

Forgiveness is an act of acceptance and release.

11. To forgive is only learned in life when in turn we have needed to be forgiven a lot. (Jacinto Benavente)

You cannot judge without first looking at your own sins.

12. Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that crushed it. (Mark Twain)

Sometimes forgiveness can be the worst punishment for who hurt us.

13. To forgive is not to forget, it is to understand.

It is understanding that we cannot change anything and we need to move forward.

14. Bad memories are a heavy burden. Release them so you can walk free through life.

By clinging to bad experiences, we hold ourselves back from enjoying new things.

15. Being a Christian means forgiving the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. (C. S. Lewis)

The greatest teaching of Christianity is learning to forgive.

16. I could easily forgive his pride, if he hadn't mortified mine. (Jane Austen)

It's hard to pass up a bad moment.

17. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. (Run to Boom)

It's not about invalidating what you feel, but letting go of what you don't control.

18. The benefit of forgiveness is often greater for the one who has been hurt.

Many agree that the effect of forgiveness is for us, not for the other.

19. To forgive is not to take too much into account the limitations and defects of the other, not to take them too seriously, but to play down their importance, with good humor, saying: I know that you are not like that! (Robert Spaeman)

No one is free to sin at some time in their life, so it is necessary to see all points of view.

20. Let's teach to forgive; but let us also teach not to offend. It would be more efficient. (Jose Engineers)

Just as it is important to let go, it is more significant not to hurt someone on purpose.

21. A broken friendship that is mended through forgiveness can be even stronger than it was. (Stephen Richards)

Will you let an old friendship break because of a mistake?

22. We are supposed to forgive everyone; we all include ourselves. (Denis Waitley)

There are people who are lost because they cannot forgive their mistakes.

23. It takes a strong person to ask for forgiveness and a stronger person to forgive. (Vanessa Guzmán)

It is an act that requires courage to recognize failures and to let go of resentment.

24. He can only say I forgive you who is capable of saying I love you. (Paulo Coelho)

Forgiveness comes from the heart.

25. God always forgives, humans sometimes, nature never.

Disappointment makes us ungrateful beings.

26. Even when buried under fear, disappointment, anger, and pride, I was able to find the strength in my heart to forgive. (Emily Giffin)

Forgiveness is a personal path.

27. Chocolate says 'I'm so sorry' better than words. (Rachel Vincent)

Words are not enough, but actions that support them.

28. When you forgive, you free your soul. But when you say 'I'm sorry', you release two souls. (DonaldL. hicks)

Assuming our consequences leads us to regain confidence.

29. 'I'm sorry' means a lot of things. It is a filled hole. A debt paid. (Craig Silvey)

But only if it is truly felt, if the person is truly sorry.

30. An apology given just to appease one's conscience is selfish and best left unsaid. (Evinda Lepins)

It becomes an empty and meaningless apology.

31. Love forgive and forget; Today a friend tells you, tomorrow life will tell you.

You will not know what the future holds for you, it is possible that you are the one who begs for forgiveness.

32. In any relationship, the frequent use of two words is very important. They can change the course of destiny. These words are: Thank you and I'm sorry. (Girdhar Joshi)

Acknowledging and working on our mistakes is what helps us get ahead.

33. He who is incapable of forgiving is incapable of loving. (Martin Luther King)

You can't love if you keep hate inside.

34. Forgiveness is the meaning of true love... only those who really love forgive.

Forgiveness is also an act of love.

35. If you don't forgive out of love, forgive at least out of selfishness, for your own well-being. (Dalai Lama)

Do not think that you will benefit the other, but that you will help yourself.

36. I left with a clenched fist... I return with an open hand. (Rafael Alberti)

Remember that those around you should not pay for your injuries.

37. To forgive means to forgive the unforgivable. (G.K. Chesterton)

True forgiveness is one that can release any pain.

38. Who easily forgives invites offense. (Pierre Corneille)

You have to know what things we can let go.

39. The things that are done between two people are remembered. If they stay together, it's not because they forget each other; It's because they forgive each other. (Demi Moore)

Forgiveness allows us to make a clean slate.

40. You said you never wanted to see me hurt. Did you close your eyes when I cried?

Unfortunately, we will not be able to know if those who harmed us are ever punished.

41. Saying sorry to someone is difficult... but lowering someone's pride is the most difficult. (Cristina Praying)

There are those who do not have remorse of conscience for their actions.

42. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes. (Wm. Paul Young)

It is a positive change that will bring you new energy.

43. Regretting, I'm drowning miserably. I am desperately waiting for your forgiveness.

There are those who regret their actions when it is too late.

44. If an apology is followed by an excuse or a reason, it means that they are going to make the same mistake again for which they have apologized. (Amit Kalantri)

That's when you know you should get away from that person.

45. When you realize you've made a mistake, make amends right away. It's easier to eat crow when it's still hot. (Dan Heist)

Things are resolved in the moment, because otherwise they will grow out of control.

46. As I walked out the door to the exit that would lead to my freedom, I knew that if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I would still be in prison. (Nelson Mandela)

Even if you have everything, if you hold a grudge, you will never be happy.

47. In this life, when you deny someone an apology, you will remember it when you ask for forgiveness. (Beta tuff)

Only when we go through the same situation do we understand what someone else has been through.

48. Apologizing does not always mean that you are wrong and the other person is right. It simply means that you value your relationship more than your ego.

It's a truce over something you don't want to escalate for the worse.

49. We don't forgive people because they deserve it. We forgive them because they need it, because we need it. (Bree Despain)

Because we want to move on.

50. It is easier to forgive an enemy than a friend. (William Blake)

A friend's mistake weighs more than any wound.

51. To forgive is to refuse to contaminate the future with the mistakes of the past. (Craig D. lounsbrough)

It is giving your loved ones the opportunity to live in peace.

52. We chain ourselves to those whom we do not forgive. (Richard Paul Evans)

Although we believe that it is actually the opposite.

53. Our ability to forgive depends more on how much we love than on how much we are loved. (Luigina Sgarro)

Not only to love others but ourselves.

54. We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark, the real tragedy of life is when an adult is afraid of the light. (Plato)

Children make mistakes to learn, some adults do it to hurt.

55. When anger and bitterness outweigh your kindness, you can neither apologize nor forgive others. (Balroop Singh)

It is impossible to do any act of kindness with evil in the heart.

56. Never apologize for having high standards. The people who really want to be in your life will rise up to meet them. (Suman Rai)

There is nothing worse than interested humility.

57. As you walk the path of forgiveness, you can and should hope.

It is looking for the way to make a better tomorrow.

58. Being happy and successful is forgiven only if you commit to sharing those feelings. (Albert Camus)

Only the envious hold a grudge for your success.

59. Fools do not forgive or forget; the naive forgives and forgets; the wise forgive, but do not forget. (Thomas Szasz)

Forgiveness does not imply that we are stupid, but that we know how to walk without looking back.

60. In the absence of forgiveness, let forgetfulness come. (Alfred de Musset)

There are things that deserve to be forgotten, like those that do not leave anything positive in us.

61. Accept everything about yourself, I mean everything, it's you and that's the beginning and end, no apologies, no regrets. (Henry Kissinger)

If you want to seek something better, you must work on yourself first.

62. Society needs to know when to forgive but it must also know when to punish. (Kirtida Gautam)

Forgiving does not imply that actions will not have consequences.

63. Forgiveness is the water that exterminates the fires of the soul. (Anonymous)

It manages to appease the anger that feeds even on what is unnecessary.

64. A life lived without forgiveness is a prison. (Arthur Ward)

It is a certain doom from within.

65. An apology is the glue of life! It can repair almost anything! (Lynn Johnston)

From misunderstandings to deep wounds.

66. Sometimes an apology releases a part of you that you didn't even know was caged… and forgiveness destroys that cage. (Sanjo Jendayi)

Only with time can you know that forgiveness was the best option.

67. When you say the word 'sorry', make sure you understand that there are 3 parts to an apology. 'I'm sorry', 'It's my fault and I won't do it again' and 'How can I make things better?'. The last part is the most important. (Manasa Rao Saarloos)

It is not enough to say that you are sorry, but to show interest in repairing the damage.

68. Saying 'I'm sorry' is sadness and it's knowing it. Sometimes it's also self-pity. It is an offering. It's a gift. (Craig Silvey)

It's letting your guard down to get redemption.

69. To say 'I'm sorry' is to say 'I love you' with a wounded heart in one hand and your smothered pride in the other. (Richelle E. Goodrich)

To truly forgive, it is necessary to put pride aside.

70. Women forgive infidelity, but not forgotten. The man forgets infidelities, but he does not forgive them. (Severe Catherine)

Two foci that will never fully heal.

71. It is easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. (Grace Murray Hopper)

Sometimes we need to take risks to find our horizon.

72. Mistakes are forgivable if we have the courage to admit it. (Bruce Lee)

The apologies that have meaning are those that are said with depth.

73. Forgiveness is the highest degree of trust in a better man. (Slaven Vujic)

The goal of forgiveness is to learn to improve.

74. When we forgive, the slave we free is ourselves. (Edward M. Hallowell)

It is not to justify the other, but to heal our interior.

75. When you initially forgive, it's like letting go of a hot iron. There is initial pain and scars will show, but you can start living again. (Stephen Richards)

A great way to explain the value of forgiveness.

76. Winning and forgiving is winning twice. (Pedro Calderon de la Barca)

It's winning a battle against rancor.

77. Forgiveness without understanding is like faith without proof. (Jessica Francis Kane)

Just as there are vague apologies, there are also empty pardons.

78. There's nothing wrong with apologizing, but saying "I'm sorry" doesn't help if you keep making the same mistakes.

Apologizing implies improving, not continuing to repeat the same story.

79. True forgiveness is when you can say, "Thank you for that experience." (Oprah Winfrey)

It is seeing that experience as a life lesson.

80. If we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (Juan)

Only if we really regret it.

81. Dumbledore says that people find it much easier to forgive others for being wrong than for being right. (J.K. Rowling)

Nobody wants to admit their mistakes.

82. Not forgiving means holding grudges, anger, and resentment. It means retaining the pain inside us, which hurts us and eats away at our best feelings.

When we accumulate negative feelings, we destroy ourselves from within.

83. When you forgive you don't change the past, you change the future.

You have the opportunity to start from scratch.

84. The three most difficult things in this world are: keeping a secret, forgiving a wrong, and taking advantage of time. (Benjamin Franklin)

Those who resist forgiving believe that by doing so, they are downplaying what they experienced.

85. After an offense, the way to recover calm, to gain freedom and psychological balance is to forgive. Only then will we heal our wound and prevent resentment from paralyzing us. (Demian Bucay)

A tip to prevent pain from taking over us.

86. Forgiveness is the value of the brave. only he who is strong enough to forgive an offense knows how to love. (Mahatma Gandhi)

It is one of the greatest displays of bravery.

87. By forgiving too much to the one who errs, injustice is done to the one who does not err. (Baldassare Castiglione)

If you excuse someone who constantly fails, don't punish the first time err.

88. Always forgive your enemy. Nothing infuriates him more. (Oscar Wilde)

The only thing the envious hate is to see us happy.

89. A vile being never forgives because he is not in his nature (Laurence Sterne)

Only people with a good heart are capable of forgiving.

90. More people should apologize, and more people should accept these apologies when they are made sincerely. (Greg LeMond)

Forgiveness has the ability to generate a better tomorrow.

91. Trying to undo the effects of your injustice takes courage and creativity, but it can free you from guilt.

Guilt is a weight that intensifies as long as we continue to avoid it.

92. When you hold a grudge, you want someone else's pain to mirror your level of pain, but the two rarely meet. (Steve Maraboli)

The other person will never come to feel the same pain as you.

93. We never forgive more than those we are interested in forgiving. (Jules Renard)

Could it be that we are selective about who we give our forgiveness to?

94. The man grows when he kneels. (Alessandro Manzoni)

Humility is what makes us great and true.

95. He writes the grievances in the dust, the words of good write them on the marble. (Benjamin Franklin)

If there's one thing you should hold on to, it's the good stuff.

96. Taking responsibility for your actions requires and develops your self-control. You become your own person. (Vishwas Chavan)

It brings you to a state of full consciousness.

97. Your forgiveness now can protect future generations from unhealthy rage.

No one should pay for the grudge you don't let go.

98. Forgive is not forget. But it helps to let go of the pain (Kathy Hedberg)

It's the way we can destroy that discomfort that doesn't let us go forward.

99. Whoever steals from a thief has a hundred years of forgiveness. (Spanish saying)

A funny saying about poetic punishment.

100. Would sorry have made any difference? Ever? It's just a word. A word against a thousand actions. (Sarah Ocker)

Not everyone appreciates a person's apology.