40 Forgiveness Quotes to Help You Move On In Life

“Self Forgiveness”, by karamveer singh, is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Forgiving someone is not an easy task, especially when you are hurt by someone very close to you. It is a voluntary action that requires courage and strong will. We can only forgive someone when we choose love over temporary hate. The feeling of revenge can only worsen things.

Forgiveness is all about accepting your past, understanding it, and moving on with a smile on your face. If you think reading forgiveness quotes might help you forgive someone, you are already on the right track. We are sharing our collection of 40 quotes about forgiveness to help you get over your past and move on in your life.

Forgiveness Quotes

“True forgiveness is when you can say, “Thank you for that experience.”
Oprah Winfrey

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
Mahatma Gandhi, All Men Are Brothers

“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, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

“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, Thom Merrilin – The Dragon Reborn (15 October 1991)

“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.”
Corrie Ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord: The Story that Begins Where The Hiding Place Ends”, p.57, CLC Publications

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”
Martin Luther King Jr

“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”
John F. Kennedy, As reported in: Mayor (Simon and Schuster, 1984) by Ed Koch, William Rauch, p. 96

“To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.”

“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.”
Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love (1992)

“Always forgive, but never forget, else you will be a prisoner of your own hatred, and doomed to repeat your mistakes forever.”
Wil Zeus, Sun Beyond the Clouds

“Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning.”
Desmond Tutu

“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.”
Bryant H. McGill

“Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much.”
Oscar Wilde, The Psychology of Interpersonal.

“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, Especially for Christians: Powerful Thought-provoking Words from the Past” by Mark Alton Rose, (p. 19), 2005

“Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.”
William Arthur Ward

“Before we can forgive one another, we have to understand one another.”

“To understand somebody else as a human being, I think, is about as close to real forgiveness as one can get.”
David Small

“I can have peace of mind only when I forgive rather than judge.”
Gerald Jampolsky, Good-Bye to Guilt: Releasing Fear Through Forgiveness (ed. Bantam, 2009)

“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.”
Hannah Arendt, Biography/ Personal Quotes

“Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.”
Suzanne Somers, Twitter post from Feb 27, 2013

“Forgiveness is the economy of the heart… forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.”
Hannah More, The Miscellaneous Works of Hannah More”, p.639

“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

“We ask for forgiveness. And we forgive others who ask us. In that way we can experience healing, healing in our souls.”
Ed Dobsons

“Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.”

“Forgiveness isn’t approving of what happened. It’s choosing to rise above it.”
Robin Sharma

“Forgiveness is the best revenge.”
Frederick Lenz

“Most of us can forgive and forget; we just don’t want the other person to forget that we forgave.”
Ivern Ball

“Without forgiveness life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.“
Roberto Assagioli

“When a deep injury is done to us, we never heal until we forgive.”
Nelson Mandela

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
Mark Twain

“Forgiveness simply means loving someone enough to pursue healing instead of punishment when they have wronged you.”
Dave Willis

“Blame keeps wounds open. Only forgiveness heals.”

“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.”
Hannah Arendt, Biography/ Personal Quotes

“When you forgive, you in no way change the past – but you sure do change the future.”
Bernard Meltzer

“Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.”
C.S. Lewis

“If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.”
Mother Teresa

“Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.”
Indira Gandhi

“It is easier to forgive an enemy than a friend.”
William Blake, Jerusalem (1815) ‘Chapter 4’ (plate 91, l. 1)

“I forgive, but I also learn a lesson. I won’t hate you, but I’ll never get close enough for you to hurt me again. I can’t let my forgiveness become foolishness.”
Tony Gaskins

“Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness, those are life-altering lessons.”

We hope that these 40 quotes on forgiveness would help you to forget your past and move on in your life. Forgiving someone is difficult, but it is the best thing to do for your mental well-being and inner peace.

If you liked our selection of 40 Forgiveness Quotes, then perhaps you would also enjoy Top 50 Revenge Quotes To Help You See The Bigger Picture.