30 Forgiveness Quotes That’ll Show You the Power of Letting Go

What comes to your mind when you say the words “I forgive you”? Does it feel like a healing moment, or does it just feel like it's the right thing to do? In a TEDx talk event, screenwriter, writer, and public speaker Sarah Montana bravely shared her tragic experience of losing her family to gun violence; the trigger was pulled by her brother's friend. Her exact words were "Forgiveness is designed to set you free. When you say, "I forgive you," what you're really saying is 'I know what you did is not okay, but I recognize that you are more than that. I don't want to hold us captive to this thing anymore. I can heal myself, and I don't need anything from you.'"

When recently reflecting on the subject of forgiveness, Oprah offered her own words of wisdom. "Forgiveness is giving up the hope that what would have, could have, should have happened, in fact…it did not happen. It's accepting the reality of what did happen, and moving on,"

Tired of letting anger from past mistakes, hurtful breakups, toxic family relationships, or lies occupy space in your heart and mind? There's an extraordinary healing power in taking the steps to forgive someone, or even yourself.

Oprah shared in one of her weekly intention videos: "This truth has been fundamental in allowing me to live my best life. It was transformative. You have to come to the realization that what might have been is not what is." So whichever phase you're at on this journey of healing and moving on, these forgiveness quotes from leaders like Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. may inspire you to move forward instead of reliving the past.