30 Best Asking for Forgiveness Quotes: Forgiveness Isn’t Granted, It’s Gifted

To ask someone to forgive you takes a lot of courage, humility, and self-awareness — and it doesn’t always come easy. Personally, I struggle with asking for forgiveness, as I can never find the perfect way to express how sorry I am. So for myself and others who need a helping hand in finding the best way to apologize, here are 30 of the best asking for forgiveness quotes.

I’ve gathered these quotes so that they can help you make amends when you mess up. Hopefully, they will allow you to set things right and receive the gift of forgiveness.

30 Best Asking for Forgiveness Quotes

Quotes to Help You Get Anyone to Forgive You

#1. “I overlooked your happiness in an attempt to make myself happy, only to realize that my happiness lies in yours. I am sorry, please forgive me.” — Unknown

#2. “I felt ashamed for what I had done. I don’t have any excuses. I did what I did. I take full responsibility for myself and my actions. I wouldn’t pawn this off on anybody. I’m sorry it happened.” — Louie Anderson

#3. “With a bruised heart and a deflated ego, with a sad soul and a head hung low. I apologize to you unconditionally.” — Unknown

#4. “I’m not perfect; I make mistakes; I hurt people. But when I say sorry, I mean it.” — Unknown

#5. “Take your time. Don’t worry. I’ll wait forever if that is what it’ll take for you to forgive me. I love you.” — Unknown

#6. “I don’t know why I made you cry, I’m sorry sweetheart and yet. Though you shouldn’t be lenient with me, I hope you’ll forgive and forget.” — Nat King Cole, “What Can I Say After I Say I’m Sorry”

#7. “How do I say the words, ‘I’m sorry’ when I know that words are not enough? And how can I ask you to forgive me when I know I can’t forgive myself?” — Unknown

#8. “No matter what happens, you remain my number one. Could you please forgive me for what I have done?” — Unknown

#9. “Forgive me. Forgive this fool. Sorry that I acted so cruel. I love you and love only you. Take my hand and let’s start anew.” — Gabrielle Yana Concepcion

Wise Asking for Forgiveness Quotes That Will Make You Ponder

#10. “Saying ‘I’m sorry’ is saying ‘I love you’ with a wounded heart in one hand and your smothered pride in the other.” — Richelle E. Goodrich

#11. “Sorry is the Kool-Aid of human emotions. True sorrow is as rare as true love.” — Stephen King

#12. “Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.” — Bruce Lee

#13. “You can’t forgive without loving. And I don’t mean sentimentality. I don’t mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, ‘I forgive. I’m finished with it.’” —  Maya Angelou

#14. “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” — Alexander Pope

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

#16. “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

#17. “Never forget the nine most important words of any family:

I love you.

You are beautiful.

Please forgive me.” — H. Jackson Brown Jr.

#18. “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?” — Bell Hooks

#19. “Let us forgive each other — only then will we live in peace.” — Leo Tolstoy

#20. “It will never do to plead sin as an excuse for sin or to attempt to justify sinful acts by pleading that we have an evil heart. This, instead of being a valid apology, is the very ground of our condemnation.” — Archibald Alexander

Quotes That Will Make You Think More About the Beauty of Forgiveness

#21. “Sorry means you leave yourself open, to embrace or to ridicule or to revenge. Sorry is a question that begs forgiveness because the metronome of a good heart won’t settle until things are set right and true. Sorry doesn’t take things back, but it pushes things forward. It bridges the gap. Sorry is a sacrament. It’s an offering. A gift.” — Craig Silvey

#22. “Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” — Paul Boese

#23. “The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.” — Unknown

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

#25. “A broken relationship that is mended through forgiveness can be even stronger than it once was.” — Stephen Richards

#26. “Forgiveness is a sign that the person who has wronged you means more to you than the wrong they have dealt.” — Ben Greenhalgh

#27. “Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.” — Marianne Williamson

#28. “It can be hard to forgive and let go, but it’s important to remember that harboring the resentment and holding a grudge can hurt you even more. The word ‘forgive’ really means to give something up for yourself, not for them.” — Jack Canfield

#29. “To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable.” — G.K. Chesterton

#30. “Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” — Corrie Ten Boom

Conclusion

Being forgiving makes us happier and stronger, but as these asking for forgiveness quotes prove, it almost never comes easy. First of all, you must remember that no one in this world owes you anything — especially not forgiveness. Moreover, if you wrong someone, you must face the music and accept the consequences of your actions.

When this time comes, you can rely on these asking for forgiveness quotes that will help you make amends. I can all but guarantee that they can soften almost anyone up and make them more open to forgiving you.