Forgiveness Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old forgiveness quotes, forgiveness sayings, and forgiveness proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

Forgiveness doesn't make the other person right, it makes you free. Stormie Omartian
To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. C. S. Lewis
Forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone free and realising you were the prisoner! Max Lucado
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
Those who cannot forgive others break the bridge over which they themselves must pass. Confucius
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
To begin loving people today, we must close the door on the past. And that cannot happen without forgiveness! Forgive those who have hurt you for your sake, not because they deserve it. Rick Warren
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
Whatever our religion, we know that if we really want to love, we must first learn to forgive before anything else. Mother Teresa
We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it. C. S. Lewis
When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future. Bernard Meltzer
The hatred you're carrying is a live coal in your heart far more damaging to yourself than to them. Lawana Blackwell
Good to forgive, best to forget. Robert Browning
Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude. Martin Luther King
Forgiveness is choosing to love. It is the first skill of self giving love. Mahatma Gandhi
Forgiveness is a sign that the person who has wronged you means more to you than the wrong they have delt. Ben Greenhalgh
True forgiveness is when you can say, thank you for that experience. Oprah Winfrey
Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness. H. Jackson Brown
To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness. Robert Muller
Without forgiveness, there is no future. Desmond Tutu
Forgiveness is the final form of love. Reinhold Niebuhr
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
To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. Lewis B. Smedes
Forgiveness is God's invention for coming to terms with a world in which people are unfair to each other and hurt each other deeply. He began by forgiving us. And He invites us all to forgive each other. Lewis B. Smedes
Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different, it's accepting the past for what it was, and using this moment and this time to help yourself move forward. Oprah Winfrey
Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were. Cherie Carter-Scott
By far the strongest poison to the human spirit is the inability to forgive oneself or another person. Forgiveness is no longer an option but a necessity for healing. Caroline Myss
The more you know yourself, the more you forgive yourself. Confucius
Forgiveness is an inner correction that lightens our heart and frees us to live in the present. It is for our peace of mind first. Being at peace, we now have peace to extend to others, and this is the most permanent and valuable gift we can possibly give. Gerald Jampolsky
Forgiveness in no way requires that you trust the one you forgive. William P. Young
One forgives to the degree that one loves. Francois de la Rochefoucauld
Genuine forgiveness does not deny anger but faces it head on. Alice Miller
If you can't forgive and forget, pick one. Robert Breault
Forgiving is not forgetting. Forgiving is remembering without pain. Celia Cruz
Forgiveness unleashes joy. It brings peace. It washes the slate clean. It sets all the highest values of love in motion. In a sense, forgiveness is Christianity at its highest level. John Macarthur
People can be more forgiving than you can imagine. But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what's bitter and move on. Bill Cosby
Not to forgive is to be imprisoned by the past, by old grievances that do not permit life to proceed with new business. Lance Morrow
Forgiveness is for yourself because it frees you. It lets you out of that prison you put yourself in. Louise Hay
Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave. Indira Gandhi
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 fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. Mark Twain
There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness. Josh Billings
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
Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom. Hannah Arendt
Forgiveness is like faith. You have to keep reviving it. Mason Cooley
The first step in forgiveness is the willingness to forgive. Marianne Williamson
The forgiving state of mind is a magnetic power for attracting good. No good thing can be withheld from the forgiving state of mind. Catherine Ponder
Forgiveness is almost a selfish act because of its immense benefits to the one who forgives. Lawana Blackwell
Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting. William Arthur Ward
A winner rebukes and forgives. A loser is too timid to rebuke and too petty to forgive. Sydney J. Harris
If you choose to forgive someone who has wronged you rather than to hate that person, you shift the frequency of your Light. Gary Zukav
A fault confessed is half redressed. English Proverb
A grudge is a heavy thing to carry. unknown
Charity covers a multitude of sins. Bible (Peter 4:8)
Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. Henry Ellis
Forgive and forget. unknown
Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Mahatma Gandhi
If God were not willing to forgive sin, heaven would be empty. German Proverb
Let bygones be bygones. Christina Georgina Rossetti
Record only the sunny hours. unknown
Repay evil with kindness. unknown
Temper justice with mercy. John Milton