--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Will you ever forgive me? \" I shot back…" description: "\"“Will you ever forgive me? \" I shot back, leveling my gaze directly into his eyes. He stared into them for a few moments and then got up silently and h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fa/jennifer-brown-10248_forgiveness_will-you-ever-forgive-me-i-shot-back-lev_716813.jpg" --- # Will you ever forgive me? " I shot back, leveling my gaze… ![“Will you ever forgive me? " I shot back, leveling my gaze directly into his eyes. He stared into them for a few moments and then got up silently and headed for the door. He didn't turn around when he reached it. Just grabbed the doorknob and held it. "No," he said, without facing me. "Maybe it…” quote by Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fa/jennifer-brown-10248_forgiveness_will-you-ever-forgive-me-i-shot-back-lev_716813.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fa/jennifer-brown-10248_forgiveness_will-you-ever-forgive-me-i-shot-back-lev_716813.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fa/jennifer-brown-10248_forgiveness_will-you-ever-forgive-me-i-shot-back-lev_716813.jpg) > ““Will you ever forgive me? " I shot back, leveling my gaze directly into his eyes. He stared into them for a few moments and then got up silently and headed for the door. He didn't turn around when he reached it. Just grabbed the doorknob and held it. "No," he said, without facing me. "Maybe it makes me a bad parent, but I don't know if I can. No matter what the police found, you were involved in that shooting, Valerie. You wrote those names on that list. You wrote my name on that list. You had a good life here. You may not have pulled the trigger, but you helped cause the tragedy." Hate List”” [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A plea for forgiveness meets the weight of guilt and responsibility, showing how past actions haunt relationships. **In simple terms:** Seeking forgiveness while confronting guilt. Key Takeaway Acknowledge hurt, decide if forgiveness is possible. Themes guilt forgiveness family accountability Mood tense reflective Type dialogue dramatic When to use this quote - family conflict - legal aftermath - personal reckoning Key Concepts moral responsibility psychological trauma Questions to Reflect On - Can you forgive without justice? - What does accountability mean in family trauma? A Different Perspective Forgiveness may be impossible if accountability is denied. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-parent/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Good life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-life/) ## Related quotes > [“Because the truth was, and we both knew it, he'd gone long, long ago. I'd just made him stick around when he really wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/because-the-truth-was-and-we-both-knew-it-he-d-gone-long-long-ago-i-d/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“You may not have pulled the trigger, but you helped cause the tragedy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/you-may-not-have-pulled-the-trigger-but-you-helped-cause-the-tragedy/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“Sometimes, in my world where parents hated one another and school was a battleground, it sucked to be me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/sometimes-in-my-world-where-parents-hated-one-another-and-school-was/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“Life isn't fair. A fair's a place where you eat corn dogs and ride the ferris wheel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/life-isn-t-fair-a-fair-s-a-place-where-you-eat-corn-dogs-and-ride-the/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“Czas nigdy się nie kończy. - Tak, zawsze jest czas na ból i czas na uzdrowienie. To oczywiste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/czas-nigdy-si-nie-ko-czy-tak-zawsze-jest-czas-na-b-l-i-czas-na/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [You can forgive if the shot is not right, or the lighting is a bit off, but not if the writing is bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moran-atias/you-can-forgive-if-the-shot-is-not-right-or-the-lighting-is-a-bit-off/) [Moran Atias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moran-atias/) > [I'd hate to list our specialties. Wreck cars, eat doughnuts, create mayhem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/i-d-hate-to-list-our-specialties-wreck-cars-eat-doughnuts-create/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [Don't be the judge of my life I know in May be weird by I can handle my own life I don't people should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/destiny/don-t-be-the-judge-of-my-life-i-know-in-may-be-weird-by-i-can-handle/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/destiny/) > [I hate listening to things quietly. If I'm going to listen to something and fully enjoy it, I want the volume all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/i-hate-listening-to-things-quietly-if-i-m-going-to-listen-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [You talk about a hateful bunch of people. They have this hate list. Charles Murray. He has been victimized with riots on college campus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/you-talk-about-a-hateful-bunch-of-people-they-have-this-hate-list/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Throughout our history, there has been a long list of those we've been conditioned to hate. The British, French, Spanish, Germans, Japanese, Russians, Communists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/throughout-our-history-there-has-been-a-long-list-of-those-we-ve-been/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“The largest one laughed. Until Natalya's glass shard plugged his jugular. Regin aimed and pulled the trigger. The gun kicked as bullets sprayed. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/the-largest-one-laughed-until-natalya-s-glass-shard-plugged-his/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [Best friends means I pulled the trigger, best friends means you get what you deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/best-friends-means-i-pulled-the-trigger-best-friends-means-you-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This was in San Francisco, in 1987. A bunch of kids were camped out in the Riviera Hotel - boy hustlers and their sugar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-goldberg/this-was-in-san-francisco-in-1987-a-bunch-of-kids-were-camped-out-in/) [Jim Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-goldberg/) > [“Ishaan froze, his gaze flicking from her to the muzzle of the blaster and back again. “You wouldn’t… women don’t have the—” She pulled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-carter/ishaan-froze-his-gaze-flicking-from-her-to-the-muzzle-of-the-blaster/) [Mina Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-carter/) ## More by Jennifer Brown > [“I've been thinking a lot about the word "everything." Whenever something horrible happens, you hear people say they "lost everything." They lost their house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/i-ve-been-thinking-a-lot-about-the-word-everything-whenever-something/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“People hate. That's our reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/people-hate-that-s-our-reality/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“I couldn't make myself imagine Dad holding some creamy-faced baby, cooing at it, telling it he loved it. Taking it to baseball games. Living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/i-couldn-t-make-myself-imagine-dad-holding-some-creamy-faced-baby/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“Why are you so determined to make me out to be the bad guy all the time?” I stared at the side of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/why-are-you-so-determined-to-make-me-out-to-be-the-bad-guy-all-the/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“I didn't say anything at all, because somehow saying nothing seemed more humane than giving him all these reassurances.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/i-didn-t-say-anything-at-all-because-somehow-saying-nothing-seemed/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“...But would that be enough? Because at the moment it felt like it could never be enough. People needed more than a place to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/but-would-that-be-enough-because-at-the-moment-it-felt-like-it-could/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“I thought everything I knew about you might have been a lie, but since meeting him and your parents, I've realized that the parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/i-thought-everything-i-knew-about-you-might-have-been-a-lie-but-since/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“I don’t know if it’s possible to take hate away from people. Not even people like us, who’ve seen firsthand what hate can do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-possible-to-take-hate-away-from-people-not-even/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“Just concentrate on being in the moment”, he said. “Don’t read into things. See what’s really there ok?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/just-concentrate-on-being-in-the-moment-he-said-don-t-read-into/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“I understand that it would be easier for you to think of him as a hero. But, Valerie, he did kill a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/i-understand-that-it-would-be-easier-for-you-to-think-of-him-as-a/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“It was one of the constants of life. You are born, you die, you stand up when the bus doors open.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/it-was-one-of-the-constants-of-life-you-are-born-you-die-you-stand-up/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“Sometimes even stuff you expect to happen can still hurt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/sometimes-even-stuff-you-expect-to-happen-can-still-hurt/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“...we didn't know...the reality of who those people were.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/we-didn-t-know-the-reality-of-who-those-people-were/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“Just like there's always time for pain, there's always time for healing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/just-like-there-s-always-time-for-pain-there-s-always-time-for-healing/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“Some days making it to the end of the day is quite the victory. -- Bea”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/some-days-making-it-to-the-end-of-the-day-is-quite-the-victory-bea/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) [Explore all 67 Jennifer Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) ## More Bad parent quotes > [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [One thing I know is that it is a bad idea to marry someone who had bad parents. If they hated their mother, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/one-thing-i-know-is-that-it-is-a-bad-idea-to-marry-someone-who-had/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [“I wonder now about Demeter and Persephone. Maybe Persephone was glad to run off with the king of death to his underground realm, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-wonder-now-about-demeter-and-persephone-maybe-persephone-was-glad/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Bad emotions, bad parents, and bad feedback have more impact than good ones, and bad information is processed more thoroughly than good. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/bad-emotions-bad-parents-and-bad-feedback-have-more-impact-than-good/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [I'm not a bad parent and partner, even if I make a thousand mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-m-not-a-bad-parent-and-partner-even-if-i-make-a-thousand-mistakes/) [Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/) > [“I do not think God makes bad things happen just so that people can grow spiritually. Bad parents do that. Bad parents make things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-moon/i-do-not-think-god-makes-bad-things-happen-just-so-that-people-can/) [Elizabeth Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-moon/) > [“He wished he understood where they come from: all the terrorists, religious revolutionists and hate-criminals. Did terrorizing entire communities of people help them sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thisuri-wanniarachchi/he-wished-he-understood-where-they-come-from-all-the-terrorists/) [Thisuri Wanniarachchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thisuri-wanniarachchi/) > [Bad parents think it's everyone else's fault and responsibility when little Joey or Jane turns out to be a societal nightmare. Good parents do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bad-parents-think-it-s-everyone-else-s-fault-and-responsibility-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The men and women on death row have some combination of bad genes, bad parents, bad environments, and bad ideas (and the innocent, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-men-and-women-on-death-row-have-some-combination-of-bad-genes-bad/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [You can say I will be a bad parent, but at least I won't dress them in Aeropostale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-say-i-will-be-a-bad-parent-but-at-least-i-won-t-dress-them-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You take responsibility for your children but you're not always the taxi driver and that doesn't make you a bad parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karren-brady/you-take-responsibility-for-your-children-but-you-re-not-always-the/) [Karren Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karren-brady/) > [Stop blaming your child's behavioral problems on the media. You're just a bad parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-blaming-your-child-s-behavioral-problems-on-the-media-you-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are hundreds of millions of gun owners in this country, and not one of them will have an accident today. The only misuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/there-are-hundreds-of-millions-of-gun-owners-in-this-country-and-not/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [Sometimes I have really bad days of being a bad parent, but who doesn't? I know I'm not perfect nor ever will be, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-have-really-bad-days-of-being-a-bad-parent-but-who-doesn/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My guess is that good and bad parenting is spread fairly evenly across different social groups. But can you imagine Tony Blair lecturing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/my-guess-is-that-good-and-bad-parenting-is-spread-fairly-evenly/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) [Browse all 69 Bad parent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-parent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Will you ever forgive me? \" I shot back, leveling my gaze directly into his eyes. He stared into them for a few moments and then got up silently and headed for the door. He didn't turn around when he reached it. Just grabbed the doorknob and held it. \"No,\" he said, without facing me. \"Maybe it makes me a bad parent, but I don't know if I can. No matter what the police found, you were involved in that shooting, Valerie. You wrote those names on that list. You wrote my name on that list. You had a good life here. You may not have pulled the trigger, but you helped cause the tragedy.\" Hate List”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jennifer Brown" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/will-you-ever-forgive-me-i-shot-back-leveling-my-gaze-directly-into/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad parent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/will-you-ever-forgive-me-i-shot-back-leveling-my-gaze-directly-into/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fa/jennifer-brown-10248_forgiveness_will-you-ever-forgive-me-i-shot-back-lev_716813.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fa/jennifer-brown-10248_forgiveness_will-you-ever-forgive-me-i-shot-back-lev_716813.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fa/jennifer-brown-10248_forgiveness_will-you-ever-forgive-me-i-shot-back-lev_716813.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Will you ever forgive me? \" I shot back, leveling my gaze directly into his eyes. He stared into them for a…” — Jennifer Brown", "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": "Jennifer Brown", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Will you ever forgive me? \"...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/will-you-ever-forgive-me-i-shot-back-leveling-my-gaze-directly-into/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/will-you-ever-forgive-me-i-shot-back-leveling-my-gaze-directly-into/#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 } } ] } ```