--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Forgive them if you need to," description: "\"“Forgive them if you need to,”\" — Elisabeth Kübler-Ross" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_forgive_forgive-them-if-you-need-to-710852_710852.png" --- # Forgive them if you need to, ![“Forgive them if you need to,” quote by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_forgive_forgive-them-if-you-need-to-710852_710852.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_forgive_forgive-them-if-you-need-to-710852_710852.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_forgive_forgive-them-if-you-need-to-710852_710852.png) > ““Forgive them if you need to,”” [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages forgiveness, even if it feels difficult, as a compassionate act. **In simple terms:** Forgive even when hard. Key Takeaway Offer forgiveness despite personal pain. Themes compassion forgiveness healing Mood hopeful empathetic Type psychological inspirational When to use this quote - conflict resolution - personal loss - relationship repair Key Concepts psychology grief empathy Questions to Reflect On - Can you forgive without expecting apology? - What benefits arise from forgiving? A Different Perspective Forgiveness may not be reciprocated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forgive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive/) [Forgive Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive-need-790277/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) ## Related quotes > [“I need you to love yourself as much as I love you, and I need you to let me love you too. I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-finn/i-need-you-to-love-yourself-as-much-as-i-love-you-and-i-need-you-to/) [Elizabeth Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-finn/) > [“It’s not just other people we need to forgive. We also need to forgive ourselves. For all the things we didn’t do. All the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-s-not-just-other-people-we-need-to-forgive-we-also-need-to-forgive-2/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“To forgive, we may need to open our minds to a fuller exploration of the context in which the events occurred, and feel compassion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/to-forgive-we-may-need-to-open-our-minds-to-a-fuller-exploration-of/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) > [If you feel "stuck" today, you may want to examine what you're holding on to. Be willing let go of past disappointments by choosing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/if-you-feel-stuck-today-you-may-want-to-examine-what-you-re-holding/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [When I said I forgive you its just because I'm women with a kind-hearted not weak as u think I am. I forgive you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-louise/when-i-said-i-forgive-you-its-just-because-i-m-women-with-a-kind/) [Donna Louise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-louise/) > [Don't deny me, this pain I'm going through Please forgive me, if I need you like I do. Please believe me. Oh believe it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-adams/don-t-deny-me-this-pain-i-m-going-through-please-forgive-me-if-i-need/) [Bryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-adams/) > [“So If you're feelin' lonely.. don't You're the only one I'd ever want I only wanna make it good So if I love ya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-adams/so-if-you-re-feelin-lonely-don-t-you-re-the-only-one-i-d-ever-want-i/) [Bryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-adams/) > [“We don't forgive people because they deserve it. We forgive them because they need it--because we need it. I'm sure you felt much better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/we-don-t-forgive-people-because-they-deserve-it-we-forgive-them/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) > [Don't drag anchors of unforgiveness into your relationships. Forgive who you need to forgive. Reach out to someone who may be able to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ezell/don-t-drag-anchors-of-unforgiveness-into-your-relationships-forgive/) [Lee Ezell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ezell/) > [“I fucking need you and I need you to forgive me. I need that more than anything in the world! I need you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/i-fucking-need-you-and-i-need-you-to-forgive-me-i-need-that-more-than/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [“if somebody steals from you, you should forgive them because they might have been in need. If someone speaks behind your back, say nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zahed-haftlang/if-somebody-steals-from-you-you-should-forgive-them-because-they/) [Zahed Haftlang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zahed-haftlang/) > [It’s not just other people we need to forgive. We also need to forgive ourselves. For all the things we didn’t do. All the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-s-not-just-other-people-we-need-to-forgive-we-also-need-to-forgive/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [The very person you find it hardest to forgive is the one you need to let go of the most. Forgiveness means letting go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/the-very-person-you-find-it-hardest-to-forgive-is-the-one-you-need-to/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [It seems we need someone to know us as we are - with all we have done - and forgive us. We need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/it-seems-we-need-someone-to-know-us-as-we-are-with-all-we-have-done/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“We don't forgive people because they deserve it. We forgive them because they need itwe need it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/we-don-t-forgive-people-because-they-deserve-it-we-forgive-them-2/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) ## More by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross > [Watching a peaceful death of a human being reminds us of a falling star; one of a million lights in a vast sky that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/watching-a-peaceful-death-of-a-human-being-reminds-us-of-a-falling/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [Death is staring too long into the burning sun and the relief of entering a cool, dark room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/death-is-staring-too-long-into-the-burning-sun-and-the-relief-of/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [There is not much sense in suffering, since drugs can be given for pain, itching, and other discomforts. The belief has long died that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/there-is-not-much-sense-in-suffering-since-drugs-can-be-given-for/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [When I came to this country in 1958, to be a dying patient in a medical hospital was a nightmare. You were put in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/when-i-came-to-this-country-in-1958-to-be-a-dying-patient-in-a/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“La única finalidad de la vida es crecer. La lección última es aprender a amar y a ser amados incondicionalmente.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/la-nica-finalidad-de-la-vida-es-crecer-la-lecci-n-ltima-es-aprender-a/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“We need time to move through the pain of loss. We need to step into it, really to get to know it, in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/we-need-time-to-move-through-the-pain-of-loss-we-need-to-step-into-it/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [We have to ask ourselves whether medicine is to remain a humanitarian and respected profession or a new but depersonalized science in the service…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/we-have-to-ask-ourselves-whether-medicine-is-to-remain-a-humanitarian/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“The reality is people have always died in large numbers in natural disasters such as avalanches, earthquakes, and tornadoes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/the-reality-is-people-have-always-died-in-large-numbers-in-natural/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [Everything in this life has a purpose, there are no mistakes, no coincidences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/everything-in-this-life-has-a-purpose-there-are-no-mistakes-no/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [We run after values that, at death, become zero. At the end of your life, nobody asks you how many degrees you have, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/we-run-after-values-that-at-death-become-zero-at-the-end-of-your-life/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [In the so-called civilized world, children are physically, sexually and/or emotionally abused; they are the leaders of our future. When children are raised in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/in-the-so-called-civilized-world-children-are-physically-sexually-and/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [I look for mystery and try to decipher it while knowing it is an impossible task. I look for memory, where Mystery lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/i-look-for-mystery-and-try-to-decipher-it-while-knowing-it-is-an/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“Are we all destined to die as failures? Just”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/are-we-all-destined-to-die-as-failures-just/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“You can become a channel and a source of great inner strength. But you must give up everything in order to gain everything. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/you-can-become-a-channel-and-a-source-of-great-inner-strength-but-you/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [You have to temper the iron. Every hardship is an opportunity that you are given, an opportunity to grow. To grow is the sole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/you-have-to-temper-the-iron-every-hardship-is-an-opportunity-that-you/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) [Explore all 176 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) ## 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": "“Forgive them if you need to,”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elisabeth Kübler-Ross" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/forgive-them-if-you-need-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forgive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/forgive-them-if-you-need-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_forgive_forgive-them-if-you-need-to-710852_710852.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_forgive_forgive-them-if-you-need-to-710852_710852.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_forgive_forgive-them-if-you-need-to-710852_710852.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Forgive them if you need to,” — Elisabeth Kübler-Ross", "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": "Elisabeth Kübler-Ross", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Forgive them if you need to,”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/forgive-them-if-you-need-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/forgive-them-if-you-need-to/#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 } } ] } ```