Henri Nouwen Quotes

Forgiveness changes the way we remember. It converts the curse into a blessing. Forgiveness indeed heals memories . . .

Forgiveness is the key to the heart's shackles.

Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory.

Forgiveness sees wisely. It willingly acknowledges what is unjust, harmful, and wrong. It bravely recognizes sufferings of the past, and understands the conditions that brought them about.Forgiveness honors the heart's greatest dignity. Whenever we are lost, it brings us back to the ground of love.Without forgiveness our lives are chained, forced to carry the sufferings of the past and repeat them with no release.

First, forgive. Second, forget by choosing not to dwell on that which is forgiven and in the past. We have no right to keep in front of us what God has put behind Him.

Forgiving presupposes remembering.

I once read that forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a different past...but forgiving is not the same as obliterating memory.

There is power in forgiveness.

Through forgiveness, which essentially means recognizing the insubstantiality of the past and allowing the present moment to be as it is, the miracle of transformation happens not only within but also without.

Forgiveness allows us to live in the sunlight of the present, not the darkness of the past. Forgiveness alone, of all our human actions, opens up the world to the miracle of infinite possibility.

The past can't be changed, can it? It can just be forgiven.

Love doesn't erase the past, but it makes the future different.

You can always forgive, you just can't really forget.

In one bold stroke, forgiveness obliterates the past and permits us to enter the land of new beginnings.

When you haven't forgiven those who've hurt you, you turn back against your future. When you do forgive, you start walking forward.

Whenever we forgive, in small ways at home, or in great ways between nations, we free ourselves from the past.

When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future.

We must forget the past.

The belief that we can be done with our past is a myth.

Forgiveness is a scalpel that removes emotional scars.

Forgiving is not forgetting. Forgiving is remembering without pain.

Forgiveness is a stunning principle, your ticket out of hate and fear and chaos. ... I know what regret feels like; I've earned my credentials. But I also know what forgiveness feels like, because God has so graciously forgiven me.

Whatever the reasons, when forgiveness happens it is always a miracle of grace. The obstacles in its way are immense

One can forgive but one should never forget.

It is hard to imagine a world without forgiveness. Without forgiveness life would be unbearable. Without forgiveness our lives are chained, forced to carry the sufferings of the past and repeat them with no release.