---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: after all, the identity of the one who…"
description: "\"“after all, the identity of the one who must forgive is actually founded on the very fact of having been wounded.”\" — David Whyte"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/david-whyte-3502_forgiveness_after-all-the-identity-of-the-one-who-mu_892792.jpg"
---

#  after all, the identity of the one who must forgive is…

![“after all, the identity of the one who must forgive is actually founded on the very fact of having been wounded.” quote by David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/david-whyte-3502_forgiveness_after-all-the-identity-of-the-one-who-mu_892792.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/david-whyte-3502_forgiveness_after-all-the-identity-of-the-one-who-mu_892792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/david-whyte-3502_forgiveness_after-all-the-identity-of-the-one-who-mu_892792.jpg)

> ““after all, the identity of the one who must forgive is actually founded on the very fact of having been wounded.””

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Forgiveness stems from personal hurt; the one who forgives is shaped by their own wounds.

**In simple terms:** Our wounds enable us to forgive.

Key Takeaway

Recognize pain as a basis for compassion.

Themes

forgiveness pain compassion

Mood

thoughtful empathetic

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- personal healing
- relationships

Key Concepts

psychology spirituality

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your own pain inform your capacity to forgive?
- Can you forgive without personal hurt?

A Different Perspective

Forgiveness may be hindered if wounds are unacknowledged.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Forgive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive/) [Forgive Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive-actually-1166205/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Having Wounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-wounded-1166206/) [Identity Forgive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity-forgive-1166204/) [Wounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wounded/)

## Related quotes

> [“Having wounded each other thus, deeply, almost mortally, the two sat quietly side by side on someone’s sunny grave, haemorrhaging.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/having-wounded-each-other-thus-deeply-almost-mortally-the-two-sat/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [“I had cooperated. I could not have refused. I was smitten with her, half in love but also afraid, because in my life (and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-had-cooperated-i-could-not-have-refused-i-was-smitten-with-her-half/)

[Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/)

> [“Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves to release us from the shackles of our past. The pain of those who wounded us may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaeda-dewalt/forgiveness-is-a-gift-we-give-ourselves-to-release-us-from-the/)

[Jaeda DeWalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaeda-dewalt/)

> [PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR WHAT I DO WHEN I DONT REMEMBER YOU.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/please-forgive-me-for-what-i-do-when-i-dont-remember-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The Bible says forgive your debtors; the world says "sue them for their dough."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sunday/the-bible-says-forgive-your-debtors-the-world-says-sue-them-for-their/)

[Billy Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sunday/)

> [The more you rejoice in your own forgiveness, the quicker you will be to forgive others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-more-you-rejoice-in-your-own-forgiveness-the-quicker-you-will-be/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-watterson/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-kahili-king/)

## More by David Whyte

> [“The poet lives and writes at the frontier between deep internal experience and the revelations of the outer world. There is no going back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/the-poet-lives-and-writes-at-the-frontier-between-deep-internal/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [I returned to poetry as a more precise way to describe the world, more precise than science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/i-returned-to-poetry-as-a-more-precise-way-to-describe-the-world-more/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [What if the world is holding its breath - waiting for you to take the place that only you can fill?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/what-if-the-world-is-holding-its-breath-waiting-for-you-to-take-the/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [What you plan is too small for you to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/what-you-plan-is-too-small-for-you-to-live/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [“It is not the thing you fear that you must deal with, it is the mother of the thing you fear. The very thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/it-is-not-the-thing-you-fear-that-you-must-deal-with-it-is-the-mother/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [Heartbreak is our indication of sincerity: in a love relationship, in a work, in trying to learn a musical instrument, in the attempt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/heartbreak-is-our-indication-of-sincerity-in-a-love-relationship-in-a/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [The frail, vulnerable sounds of which we are capable seem to be essential to a later ability to roar like a lion without scaring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/the-frail-vulnerable-sounds-of-which-we-are-capable-seem-to-be/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [A good poem has its own life. It's like bringing a child into the world. You, the poet, birthed the child, but the child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/a-good-poem-has-its-own-life-it-s-like-bringing-a-child-into-the/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [“Work, like marriage, is a place you can lose yourself more easily perhaps than finding yourself. It is a place full of powerful undercurrents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/work-like-marriage-is-a-place-you-can-lose-yourself-more-easily/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [The moment you’ve uttered the exact dimensionality of your exile, you’re already turning towards home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/the-moment-you-ve-uttered-the-exact-dimensionality-of-your-exile-you/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [“...wanting soul life without the dark, warming intelligence of personal doubt is like expecting an egg without the brooding heat of the mother hen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/wanting-soul-life-without-the-dark-warming-intelligence-of-personal/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [It's my contention that there is no sincere path a human being can take without breaking his or her heart...so it can be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/it-s-my-contention-that-there-is-no-sincere-path-a-human-being-can/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [“FINISTERRE The road in the end taking the path the sun had taken, into the western sea, and the moon rising behind you as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/finisterre-the-road-in-the-end-taking-the-path-the-sun-had-taken-into/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [“We can never know in the beginning, in giving ourselves to a person, to a work, to a marriage or to a cause, exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/we-can-never-know-in-the-beginning-in-giving-ourselves-to-a-person-to/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [“When your eyes are tired the world is tired also. When your vision has gone no part of the world can find you. Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/when-your-eyes-are-tired-the-world-is-tired-also-when-your-vision-has/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

[Explore all 129 David Whyte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“after all, the identity of the one who must forgive is actually founded on the very fact of having been wounded.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Whyte"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/after-all-the-identity-of-the-one-who-must-forgive-is-actually/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Forgive"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/after-all-the-identity-of-the-one-who-must-forgive-is-actually/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/david-whyte-3502_forgiveness_after-all-the-identity-of-the-one-who-mu_892792.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/david-whyte-3502_forgiveness_after-all-the-identity-of-the-one-who-mu_892792.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/david-whyte-3502_forgiveness_after-all-the-identity-of-the-one-who-mu_892792.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“after all, the identity of the one who must forgive is actually founded on the very fact of having been…” — David Whyte",
                "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": "David Whyte",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“after all, the identity of the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/after-all-the-identity-of-the-one-who-must-forgive-is-actually/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/after-all-the-identity-of-the-one-who-must-forgive-is-actually/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
