John F. Kennedy
Politician
"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names."
Forgiveness quotes
Forgiveness
946 quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
Benjamin Franklin
Inventor, Statesman, Author
"The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity."
Maya Angelou
Poet, Memoirist
"We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude toward it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Tear out arrogance and seed humility. Exchange love for hate - thereby, making the present comfortable and the future promising."
Indira Gandhi
Politician
"Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave."
Marcus Aurelius
Philosopher, Emperor
"Our anger and annoyance are more detrimental to us than the things themselves which anger or annoy us."
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Forgiveness quotes (page 1 of 48)
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"Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated."
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"Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too."
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"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
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"For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind."
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"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."
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"For me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?"
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"When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger."
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"Whatever our religion, we know that if we really want to love, we must first learn to forgive before anything else."
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"Before you judge someone else, stop and think about all that God has forgiven you for."
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"I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him."
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"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."
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"The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.'"
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"I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain."
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"The highest result of education is tolerance."
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"As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison."
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"Forgive me my nonsense, as I also forgive the nonsense of those that think they talk sense."
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"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."
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"Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs."
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"We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies - it is the first law of nature."
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"Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom."
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