This post contains some of the best family forgiveness quotes.
Family Forgiveness Quotes
1.“Practicing forgiveness will heal the original experience of abandonment that has resulted in the subsequent detachment from feelings.” – Iyanla Vanzant
2. “Forgiveness presents an opportunity to change destructive family patterns.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
3. “Physical abuse is a completely different situation. You must protect yourself. Even emotional abuse needs to be stopped. But if there is no option, and sometimes there isn’t, forgiveness can help.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
4. “Sometimes we need to get forgiveness from those we have hurt to feel right about ourselves. This often takes at least an apology.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
Related: Betrayal Trauma Test: Do I Have Betrayal Trauma?
5. “When a person does forgiveness work, love often returns to the relationship.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
6. “When you are working on offenses, you need to address all the smaller parts to achieve full forgiveness.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
7. “With deep forgiveness work, a person being abused in a relationship may actually find it easier to end the connection.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
8. “With time, practice, and forgiveness we grow a deeper understanding of what we say and do to others that can and will transform how we live within ourselves.” – Iyanla Vanzant
9. “Without forgiveness, the “enemy” category keeps getting bigger.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
10. “You can forgive someone completely and still hold him or her to a standard. Similarly, you can forgive a business associate for doing something damaging and warn him or her that if it happens again it might result in the ending of the business relationship. The fear of being hurt again if you forgive is real, but when fear drives your life you are only at basic survival.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
Related: 7 Stages Of Betrayal Trauma (+7 Tips On How To Find Peace After Betrayal)
11. “You can’t forgive what you haven’t acknowledged.” – Faith G. Harper
12. “You may believe that a person doesn’t deserve forgiveness. You might be right, they might not. Nevertheless, you are forgiving for yourself, for your benefit, and for your relationships.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
13. “You might be asking yourself, “Why would I want to practice forgiveness?” The answer is simple. Practice develops skill. Skill leads to mastery. When you master the practice of forgiveness, it becomes as natural as breathing. And when you know how to forgive, you eliminate excess mental and emotional weight that keeps you stuck in repetitive situations, circumstances, and experiences that are not healthy or productive.” – Iyanla Vanzant
14. “You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well.” – Dr. Lewis Smedes
15. “Forgiveness has remained in the realm of religion because it sometimes seems to take an act of God to help us let go. An acceptance of some sort of Higher Power does help in dealing with those things that seem to have great power over us—where we seem powerless.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
Related: Best 21 Forgiveness Journal Prompts (+FREE Worksheets PDF)
16. “When we harbor negative emotions toward others or toward ourselves, or when we intentionally create pain for others, we poison our own physical and spiritual systems. By far the strongest poison to the human spirit is the inability to forgive oneself or another person. It disables a person’s emotional resources. The challenge … is to refine our capacity to love others as well as ourselves and to develop the power of forgiveness.” – Caroline Myss
17. “When we speak of forgiveness, we are speaking of the key for gaining happiness and love after deep hurt.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
18. “We must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
19. “At the spiritual level, we understand the true power of forgiveness. Through forgiving, love returns the mind and the heart to its Truth. Love is vital to our being. It is our center.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
20. “Love brings a joy that fulfills our life in infinite ways. It makes forgiveness indispensable.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
21. “Forgiveness of others and gaining forgiveness for ourselves bring us back to our highest functioning. Just doing an unloving act itself sets up a reaction inside us creating guilt. This is basic to why forgiveness works. It brings us back to a more real and authentic self and state of being.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
22. “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, Jr.
23. “Through the ages, forgiveness has been a powerful force because it opens the mind to healing through a Source far greater than our survival self. This Source has many names: Love, Nature, God, Allah, The Great Spirit, etc. Beyond all the names is what activates our highest thoughts, goals, and our maximum potential. By letting go of any resentments, hurts, and pain of the past, we loosen the tension of our mind and heart so that we can more easily have a sense of our Highest Power, allowing us to function at a happier and more creative, fulfilling level.” – Dr. Jim Dincalci
Related: Forgiving Someone Who Isn’t Sorry: 9-Step Guide To Free Yourself From The Past
Why Is It Difficult To Forgive?
Forgiveness is a complex and challenging concept, and it can be difficult to achieve.
One of the reasons why it is challenging to forgive is because people often associate forgiveness with letting someone off the hook for their actions.
This perception overlooks the pain and suffering that the offended party has experienced due to the actions of the wrongdoer.
Additionally, it can be challenging to forgive when the person who hurt you refuses to take responsibility for their actions or show remorse.
Another reason why it is difficult to forgive is that it requires vulnerability.
When we forgive, we are opening ourselves up to the possibility of being hurt again, and this can be terrifying.
Furthermore, forgiveness takes time and effort, and it is not something that can be accomplished overnight.
It requires a willingness to process and work through the hurt and pain caused by the offense, which can be a long and challenging journey.
How Is It Important To Forgive?
To forgive means to let go of anger, resentment, and any negative feelings towards someone who has caused harm or hurt.
It helps in building stronger and healthier relationships with others, reducing stress and anxiety, and promoting overall well-being.
Forgiveness also allows us to move on from negative experiences and past traumas, preventing them from hindering our present and future happiness.
