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Time doesn’t heal wounds.

It might lessen the pain or make memories fade, but it doesn’t truly heal us.

And physical distance won’t heal us either. It might help us forget the details of the person or the event, but deep down, we will always remember the hurt.

Time and distance don’t matter when resentment and anger still linger in our hearts. Rumination breaks our hearts, and no matter how many years go by, we might still find ourselves unable to emotionally move forward.

If we truly want to heal and get over any present or past hurtful event, we need to remember one of the most difficult things in life:

Forgiveness. 

Without it, we can never truly live. Without it, we can never truly move on—or forget. It won’t come easy, but it will change our entire lives if we put in the effort.

Here are 21 quotes that perfectly sum up everything you need to know about forgiveness and moving on:

1. “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

2. “Forgiveness is not a gift for the other person; it is a purely selfish act that allows you to put the past behind you.” ~ Stephanie Marston

3. “But forgiveness is the act of not putting anyone out of your heart, even those who are acting out of deep ignorance or out of confusion and pain.” ~ Jack Kornfield

4. “Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, however, is for those who are substantial enough to move on.” ~ Criss Jami

5. “Genuine forgiveness does not deny anger but faces it head-on.” ~ Alice Miller

6. “The words ‘I will forgive you, but I’ll never forget what you’ve done’ never explain the real nature of forgiveness.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

7. “True forgiveness is one of the most healing releasing and freeing gifts we give to ourselves.” ~ Brandon Bays

8. “Forgiveness is realizing that what you thought happened, didn’t.” ~ Byron Katie

9. “The thing is…what they don’t tell you about forgiveness is this: you don’t give it for the other person’s sake, but your own.” ~ Alexandra Bracken

10. “Forgiveness in the heart comes about when the walls of separation in the mind fall.” ~ Deepak Chopra

11. “The door to my heart opens inward. I move through forgiveness to love.” ~ Louise Hay

12. “Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship. Forgiveness is a catalyst creating the atmosphere necessary for a fresh start and a new beginning.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

13. “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

14. “My idea of forgiveness is letting go of resentment that does not serve your better interest, ridding yourself of negative thoughts. All they do is make you miserable. Believe me, you can fret and fume all you want, but whoever it was that wronged you is not suffering from your anguish whatsoever.” ~ Della Reese

15. “Forgiveness is the most powerful thing you can do for yourself. If you can’t learn to forgive, you can forget about achieving true success in your life.” ~ Wayne Dyer

16. “Forgiveness happens naturally when you see that it has no purpose other than to strengthen a false sense of self, to keep the ego in place.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

17. “You can’t have real love without operating in forgiveness. Love keeps giving the other person another chance.” ~ Joyce Meyer

18. “I guess forgiveness, like happiness, isn’t a final destination. You don’t one day get there and get to stay.” ~ Deb Caletti

19. “The point is this: that the stream of memory may lead you to the river of understanding. And understanding, in turn, may be a tributary to the river of forgiveness.” ~ Wally Lamb

20. “Forgiveness means that you do not carry the baggage of an experience.” ~ Gary Zukav

21. “Forgiveness doesn’t make the other person right, it makes you free.” ~ Stormie Omartian

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