Asking for forgiveness Quote by Jonathan Kozol
“The rich...should beg the poor to forgive us for the bread we bring them. Healthy people sometimes feel they need to beg forgiveness too, although there is no reason why. Maybe we simply ask forgiveness for not being born where these poor women have been born, knowing that if we lived here too, our fate might well have been the same.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Savage Inequalities, Jonathan Kozol, 1991
The wealthy should seek forgiveness for the inequities they benefit from, recognizing that poverty is often a matter of circumstance, not moral failing.
In simple terms: Ask forgiveness for unearned advantage.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and address systemic inequality.
Themes
justice
empathy
inequality
humility
Mood
reflective
somber
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- Policy debates
- community outreach
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
Social ethics
privilege
structural poverty
Questions to Reflect On
- What actions can accompany seeking forgiveness?
- How can privilege be used to help the poor?
A Different Perspective
Forgiveness alone does not solve systemic problems.
![“People in the world ask for forgiveness, but [true] ‘pratikraman’ does not happen by doing that. That is like when people casually say ‘sorry’ or ‘thank you’. There is no significance in that; the significance is of ‘alochana-pratikraman-pratyakhyan’ (acknowledgement of the mistake, repentance and…” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4f7/dada-bhagwan-31_acknowledment_people-in-the-world-ask-for-forgiveness_245419.jpg)
