Quotes About Forgiveness

he felt unbearably sorry for himself. It was strange that self-pity wasn't on the list of deadly sins; none was deadlier.

But she, in a sense, had betrayed him first. If she hadn't been so supportive of his failings, he might have made peace long ago.

A drawback of email was that you could only delete it once: couldn't crumple it up, fling it to the floor, stomp on it, rip it to shreds, and burn it. Was there anything crueler, from the person who'd rejected you, than compassionate forbearance?

Weak people hold grudges, Mom. Strong people forgive.

To herself, she was no longer the person who'd left him waiting forever in her bedroom and then rained abuse on him, but he had no way of knowing this, because, of course, she was also still that person.

There are certain grudges that are every bit as irrational as they are uplifting. A person must protect them at all costs, especially in old age.

Everyone's body betrayed them in different ways, it was all forgiven and never discussed.

I am exiting the wider world, to return to my homeland of bullying, psychosis, and bad taste. Forgive me. It is a medical matter. Once

No matter what choice you make, it doesn't define you. Not forever. People can make bad choices and change their minds and hearts and do good things later; just as people can make good choices and then turn around and walk a bad path. No choice we make lasts our whole life. If there's ever a choice you've made that you no longer agree with, you can make another choice.

If we cannot create peace or justice or compassion within the family we will be unable to do so within the nation or the world. Not until Joseph forgives his brothers and is reconciled with them can the story move on to the larger canvas of history.

The mistakes I've made are dead to me. But I can't take back the things I never did.

The bruises go away, and so does how you hate, and so does the feeling that everything you receive from life is something you have earned.

She let out a laugh, and then she put her hand over her mouth, like she was angry at herself for forgetting her sadness.

I can forgive you for leaving, but not for coming back.

Good people don't make fewer mistakes, they're just better at apologizing.

AND IF WE ARE TO STRIVE FOR A BETTER FUTURE, MUSTN'T WE BE FAMILIAR AND RECONCILED WITH OUR PAST?

We cracked up together, which was necessary, because she loved me again.

In my dream, people apologized for things that were about to happen, and lit candles by inhaling.

The important measurement is not the distance from unattainable perfection, but from unforgivable inaction.

Ich versuche mich an alles zu erinnern, was ich getan habe, Oskar. Und alles, was ich nicht getan habe. Die Fehler, die ich begangen habe, sind mir egal. Aber was ich nie getan habe, kann ich auch nicht zurücknehmen.

I went to my grandmother... and asked her to write a letter. I hardly knew her. I didn't have any interest in knowing her. I have no need for the past, I thought, like a child. I did not consider that the past might have a need for me. What kind of letter? my grandmother asked. I told her to write whatever she wanted to write. You want a letter from me? she asked. I told her yes. Oh, God bless you, she said.

Most people behave badly when wounded. If you can remember the wounds, it is far more possible to forgive the behavior.

I beseech you to forgive us, and to make us better than we are. Make us good.

Were we praying, Forgive our oppressors for what they have done? Or, Forgive us for what has been done to us? Or, Forgive You for Your inscrutability?