None of us are perfect, and we all make mistakes. But the American people are a very forgiving people.
Central to living a life that is good is a life that's forgiving. We're creatures of contact, regardless of whether we kiss or we wound.
I forgive very easily, and I suppose, in the same way, I expect to be forgiven very easily as well. I grew up with that.
A wonderful quality about America is that we love redemption stories. We're quick to lash out and assign blame, but we also draw from deep reservoirs of forgiveness.
To forgive a fault in another is more sublime than to be faultless one's self.
Now, America is a land of second chances, and I gather you have room for the estimated 6 million of us who know we got it wrong in 2008 and who want to fix it.
Do you realize, when Mandela was inaugurated president, he invited as his special guests the white jailers from his Robben Island prison? He literally did forgive everybody.
Teens have a sensational narcissism and genuinely believe that their experiences are unique and can't be explained to adults. But we forgive them for their mistakes and naivete.
In China, much of life involves skirting regulations, and one of the basic truths is that forgiveness comes easier than permission.
In families, there are no crimes beyond forgiveness.
There is a kind of sense of truth and reconciliation that is non-formalized, but it's understood and accepted. Haitians are Haitians and there is an inherent loyalty that forgives an awful lot.
