--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But people didn't forgive you for doing…" description: "\"But people didn't forgive you for doing what felt right-that was the last thing they forgave you for.\" — Chad Harbach" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/chad-harbach-3109_forgive_but-people-didn-t-forgive-you-for-doing_2722893.png" --- # But people didn't forgive you for doing what felt… ![“But people didn't forgive you for doing what felt right-that was the last thing they forgave you for.” quote by Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/chad-harbach-3109_forgive_but-people-didn-t-forgive-you-for-doing_2722893.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/chad-harbach-3109_forgive_but-people-didn-t-forgive-you-for-doing_2722893.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/chad-harbach-3109_forgive_but-people-didn-t-forgive-you-for-doing_2722893.png) > “But people didn't forgive you for doing what felt right-that was the last thing they forgave you for.” [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People may forgive actions but not the underlying motives that felt right to the do. **In simple terms:** Forgiveness may not cover intentions. Key Takeaway Reflect on motives. Themes forgiveness morality intention Mood thoughtful somber Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - counseling - conflict resolution - personal growth - leadership Key Concepts ethical reflection relationship repair Questions to Reflect On - When are motives more important than actions? - How to reconcile right‑handed feelings with others? A Different Perspective May ignore context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [We have to remember, when we forgive we're not doing it just for the other person, we're doing it for our own good. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/we-have-to-remember-when-we-forgive-we-re-not-doing-it-just-for-the/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [My children forgave me at a time when I could barely forgive myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatum-o-neal/my-children-forgave-me-at-a-time-when-i-could-barely-forgive-myself/) [Tatum O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatum-o-neal/) > [“Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-ball/motherhood-is-a-choice-you-make-everyday-to-put-someone-else-s/) [Donna Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-ball/) > [“when you forgive someone, it doesn’t diminish or erase what was done to you. You don’t have to understand why they did it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-peterson/when-you-forgive-someone-it-doesn-t-diminish-or-erase-what-was-done/) [Andrew Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-peterson/) > [“Maybe I let other people influence how I saw Jesus. Maybe since they didn't forgive me, I thought He wouldn't either.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-g-stevens/maybe-i-let-other-people-influence-how-i-saw-jesus-maybe-since-they/) Amanda G. Stevens > [Just show him that I didn't need his apology, I guess. Show him that I was okay. Better than okay. I was happy, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/just-show-him-that-i-didn-t-need-his-apology-i-guess-show-him-that-i/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [“But she stopped herself. That wouldn't make it right. You didn't forgive because it was the only choice you thought you had. That didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/but-she-stopped-herself-that-wouldn-t-make-it-right-you-didn-t/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [For we did makeup. But we didn't forgive each other. And we didn't take steps. And it got to be too late and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/for-we-did-makeup-but-we-didn-t-forgive-each-other-and-we-didn-t-take/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [If I didn't forgive the people who took me into the barracks and beat me unconscious over a period of days during the period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-adams/if-i-didn-t-forgive-the-people-who-took-me-into-the-barracks-and-beat/) [Gerry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-adams/) > [“So all I have is the knowledge that I saw! That I saw without being afraid and without turning away, and that I didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/so-all-i-have-is-the-knowledge-that-i-saw-that-i-saw-without-being/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. - Ephesians 4:32](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/be-kind-to-one-another-tenderhearted-forgiving-one-another-as-god-in/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-the-apostle/be-kind-and-compassionate-to-one-another-forgiving-each-other-just-as/) [Paul the Apostle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-the-apostle/) > [“He was gone and did not have time to tell him what I had just now realized: that I forgave him, and that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-gone-and-did-not-have-time-to-tell-him-what-i-had-just-now/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [It's simple to say you forgave somebody but reality is you will never forgive anybody until you let go of the anger within you...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-mudau/it-s-simple-to-say-you-forgave-somebody-but-reality-is-you-will-never/) [Lawrence Mudau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-mudau/) > [“We are asked to forgive those who have injured us. Unless we have first judged and condemned them for what they did, there would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-anon-family-groups/we-are-asked-to-forgive-those-who-have-injured-us-unless-we-have/) [Al-Anon Family Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-anon-family-groups/) ## More by Chad Harbach > [Other things awaited. It was good to be young and to know it for once. So much unfolding to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/other-things-awaited-it-was-good-to-be-young-and-to-know-it-for-once/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [“The problem, like most problems in life, probably had to do with his footwork.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/the-problem-like-most-problems-in-life-probably-had-to-do-with-his/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [There are no whys in a person's life, and very few hows. In the end, in search of useful wisdom, you could only come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/there-are-no-whys-in-a-person-s-life-and-very-few-hows-in-the-end-in/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [“He wished that college required you to use your body more, forced you to remember that life was lived in four dimensions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/he-wished-that-college-required-you-to-use-your-body-more-forced-you/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [“The girl-women scampered around a beach house in various states of preparative undress, wriggled into sundresses, shook out their hair…They possessed a veneer of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/the-girl-women-scampered-around-a-beach-house-in-various-states-of/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [“After those four years, he returned to the Midwest. He'd turned twenty-five, the Age of Unfolding, and it was time to write a novel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/after-those-four-years-he-returned-to-the-midwest-he-d-turned-twenty/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [“It dawned on him—as it hadn’t before; he was dense, he was slow—that his parents were five hundred miles away. They could make him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/it-dawned-on-him-as-it-hadn-t-before-he-was-dense-he-was-slow-that/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [For many years I didn't have health insurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/for-many-years-i-didn-t-have-health-insurance/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [“Though his classmates supposedly hailed form "all fifty states, Guam, and twenty-two foreign lands," as President Affenlight said in his convocation address, they all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/though-his-classmates-supposedly-hailed-form-all-fifty-states-guam/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [A lot of my close friends had tolerantly washed their hands of the whole idea of me writing a book. They had said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/a-lot-of-my-close-friends-had-tolerantly-washed-their-hands-of-the/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [“Ella was nineteen," Pella interrupted to say. She hated the namelessness of women in stories, as if they lived and died so that men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/ella-was-nineteen-pella-interrupted-to-say-she-hated-the-namelessness/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [“Neither had said so, but she could tell. Unless she was just paranoid, living in her head again, but you always lived in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/neither-had-said-so-but-she-could-tell-unless-she-was-just-paranoid/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [I feel like every time I start up, it's like a truck you have to get into 15th gear, so you very solely crank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/i-feel-like-every-time-i-start-up-it-s-like-a-truck-you-have-to-get/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [“It was easy enough to write a sentence, but if you were going to create a work of art, the way Melville had, each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/it-was-easy-enough-to-write-a-sentence-but-if-you-were-going-to/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [“Life was long, unless you died, and he didn’t intend to spend the next sixty years talking about the last twenty-two.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/life-was-long-unless-you-died-and-he-didn-t-intend-to-spend-the-next/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) [Explore all 138 Chad Harbach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) ## More Forgive quotes > [“So in practicing blanket forgiveness you first assume that in any current condition of pain or discomfort there is some anger involved, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-kahili-king/so-in-practicing-blanket-forgiveness-you-first-assume-that-in-any/) Serge Kahili King > [Do what is given to you, and do it well, and you will have done enough...live together in the forgiveness of your sins. Forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-what-is-given-to-you-and-do-it-well-and-you-will-have-done-enough/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The public, more often than not, will forgive mistakes, but it will not forgive trying to wiggle out of one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-grizzard/the-public-more-often-than-not-will-forgive-mistakes-but-it-will-not/) [Lewis Grizzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-grizzard/) > [Im so sorry,i screwed up again.i didnt meant hurting you.please,forgive me,again?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/redeyeen/im-so-sorry-i-screwed-up-again-i-didnt-meant-hurting-you-please/) Redeyeen > [“He fell back. He had cried out so loud that even if there had been no breach in the wall, I should have heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-barbusse/he-fell-back-he-had-cried-out-so-loud-that-even-if-there-had-been-no/) [Henri Barbusse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-barbusse/) > [Forgive us our trespasses," says Margarethe, "and get out of our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/forgive-us-our-trespasses-says-margarethe-and-get-out-of-our-way/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [Ive learned¦ that no matter how good a friend is, theyre going to hurt you every once in a while, and you must forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ive-learned-that-no-matter-how-good-a-friend-is-theyre-going-to-hurt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you can't forgive and forget, pick only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brault/if-you-can-t-forgive-and-forget-pick-only-one/) [Robert Brault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brault/) > [I feel people relate with your entire journey and forgive your mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-feel-people-relate-with-your-entire-journey-and-forgive-your/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [More courage is required to forgive than is required to take up arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ramos-horta/more-courage-is-required-to-forgive-than-is-required-to-take-up-arms/) [Jose Ramos-Horta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ramos-horta/) > [“The Bible says, “You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/the-bible-says-you-must-make-allowance-for-each-other-s-faults-and/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [“By choosing to forgive, you are choosing to love. By choosing to operate in love, you are choosing to operate in an unconditional state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-watterson/by-choosing-to-forgive-you-are-choosing-to-love-by-choosing-to/) Eric Watterson > [The most important thing about being a father is being able to forgive yourself. If you don't forgive yourself, you're not going to forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/the-most-important-thing-about-being-a-father-is-being-able-to/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) Browse all 3,381 Forgive quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But people didn't forgive you for doing what felt right-that was the last thing they forgave you for.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chad Harbach" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/but-people-didn-t-forgive-you-for-doing-what-felt-right-that-was-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forgive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/but-people-didn-t-forgive-you-for-doing-what-felt-right-that-was-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/chad-harbach-3109_forgive_but-people-didn-t-forgive-you-for-doing_2722893.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/chad-harbach-3109_forgive_but-people-didn-t-forgive-you-for-doing_2722893.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/chad-harbach-3109_forgive_but-people-didn-t-forgive-you-for-doing_2722893.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But people didn't forgive you for doing what felt right-that was the last thing they forgave you for.” — Chad Harbach", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Chad Harbach", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But people didn't forgive you for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/but-people-didn-t-forgive-you-for-doing-what-felt-right-that-was-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/but-people-didn-t-forgive-you-for-doing-what-felt-right-that-was-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```