---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The people we choose not to forgive will…"
description: "\"“The people we choose not to forgive will move one. They'll get over it. meanwhile the person who refuses to forgive is like a tea bag steeping so long..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/marilyn-grey-10693_bitterness_the-people-we-choose-not-to-forgive-will_438014.jpg"
---

#  The people we choose not to forgive will move one. They'll…

![“The people we choose not to forgive will move one. They'll get over it. meanwhile the person who refuses to forgive is like a tea bag steeping so long that even 10 spoons of sugar wouldn't make the bitterness worth drinking.” quote by marilyn grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/marilyn-grey-10693_bitterness_the-people-we-choose-not-to-forgive-will_438014.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/marilyn-grey-10693_bitterness_the-people-we-choose-not-to-forgive-will_438014.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/marilyn-grey-10693_bitterness_the-people-we-choose-not-to-forgive-will_438014.jpg)

> ““The people we choose not to forgive will move one. They'll get over it. meanwhile the person who refuses to forgive is like a tea bag steeping so long that even 10 spoons of sugar wouldn't make the bitterness worth drinking.””

[marilyn grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

## About This Quote

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

Holding onto unforgiveness breeds bitterness, while forgiveness can temper emotional pain, though it may be difficult.

**In simple terms:** Unforgiveness creates bitterness; forgiveness eases pain.

Key Takeaway

Practice forgiveness to reduce personal bitterness.

Themes

forgiveness bitterness emotional health personal growth

Mood

somber hopeful

Type

self‑help psychological

When to use this quote

- counseling
- mindfulness practices
- conflict resolution
- self‑help literature

Key Concepts

psychology of resentment healing processes interpersonal dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What prevents you from forgiving?
- How can you protect yourself while seeking emotional peace?

A Different Perspective

Forgiveness is not always possible or safe in abusive contexts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bitterness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterness/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/)

## Related quotes

> [Despair has been called the unforgivable sin-not presumably because God refuses to forgive it, but because it despairs of the possibility of being forgiven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/despair-has-been-called-the-unforgivable-sin-not-presumably-because/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [I couldn't forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-couldn-t-forgive-him-or-like-him-but-i-saw-that-what-he-had-done/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [When you choose to forgive those who have hurt you, you take away their power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany/when-you-choose-to-forgive-those-who-have-hurt-you-you-take-away/)

[Brittany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany/)

> [Whenever you choose to not forgive, all of your relationships will suffer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nit/whenever-you-choose-to-not-forgive-all-of-your-relationships-will/)

Nit

> [It's a little too late for you to come back and say it was just a mistake, think I'd forgive you like that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-a-little-too-late-for-you-to-come-back-and-say-it-was-just-a/)

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

> [Not 'Don' in that I-m-sorry-and-now-you'll-forgive-me-like-you-always-do-way. Not this time, Keenan." (Donya)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/not-don-in-that-i-m-sorry-and-now-you-ll-forgive-me-like-you-always/)

[Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/)

> [Life is short so never hold back, forgive like you have amnesia, believe like a kid, love like crazy and never regret anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/life-is-short-so-never-hold-back-forgive-like-you-have-amnesia/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [Refusing to forgive someone is like drinking poison, and waiting for the other person to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishemo/refusing-to-forgive-someone-is-like-drinking-poison-and-waiting-for/)

[VishEmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishemo/)

> [I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-that-if-god-forgives-us-we-must-forgive-ourselves-otherwise/)

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

> [Words From My Heart, If it hurt you Please forgive me: '' I LIKE TO BE WITH YOU , IF YOU ARE HAPPY WITH…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subrat-kumar/words-from-my-heart-if-it-hurt-you-please-forgive-me-i-like-to-be/)

[Subrat Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subrat-kumar/)

> [“I forgive him and like water draining from the sand after a wave, the power he held over me disappears. A slow smile rises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-winfield/i-forgive-him-and-like-water-draining-from-the-sand-after-a-wave-the/)

[Ryan Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-winfield/)

> [LIFE IS SHORT SO DONT HOLD BACK. FORGIVE LIKE YOU HAVE AMNESIA, BELIEVE LIKE A KID, LOVE LIKE CRAZY AND BE YOURSELF.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie/life-is-short-so-dont-hold-back-forgive-like-you-have-amnesia-believe/)

[Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie/)

> [“Parents always forgive you. Like sometimes, you see parents on the news, and their kid just got busted for murdering a 7-11 clerk, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-flinn/parents-always-forgive-you-like-sometimes-you-see-parents-on-the-news/)

[Alex Flinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-flinn/)

> [I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-couldn-t-forgive-him-or-like-him-but-i-saw-that-what-he-had-done-2/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [“Nothing says I forgive you like a punch in the face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/nothing-says-i-forgive-you-like-a-punch-in-the-face/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

## More by marilyn grey

> [“But what is love if the heart falls for someone else so fast? Was it real?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/but-what-is-love-if-the-heart-falls-for-someone-else-so-fast-was-it/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“Choices are one thing, though. And in my humble opinion... Every choice I make will lead me to the one, at the right time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/choices-are-one-thing-though-and-in-my-humble-opinion-every-choice-i/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“For the first time in my whole damn life I can look into a girls eyes and find her looking right back at me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/for-the-first-time-in-my-whole-damn-life-i-can-look-into-a-girls-eyes/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“Life isn't always about fireworks. Your fireworks will come, Sarah. And they'll fizzle out just as fast. Life's an experience, not a destination. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/life-isn-t-always-about-fireworks-your-fireworks-will-come-sarah-and/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“Life happened. You are mostly the guy who left. I'm not the same girl you left standing here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/life-happened-you-are-mostly-the-guy-who-left-i-m-not-the-same-girl/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“The heart can ignore the mind. Happens all the time. But the mind cannot ignore the heart. I tried, believe me. Doesn’t work. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/the-heart-can-ignore-the-mind-happens-all-the-time-but-the-mind/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“Sometimes when you take chances you lose chances. And sometimes when you lose chances, you gain something else. Don't live for chances. Sometimes it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/sometimes-when-you-take-chances-you-lose-chances-and-sometimes-when/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“Let’s love each other because we can’t help it, not because we deserve it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/let-s-love-each-other-because-we-can-t-help-it-not-because-we-deserve/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“Dear Sawyer and Quin, If you ever read this and I'm gone I want you to know something that has been weighing on me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/dear-sawyer-and-quin-if-you-ever-read-this-and-i-m-gone-i-want-you-to/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“Romance meant more to me now. More than laughter and longing. I couldn’t explain it. Romance, true romance, killed my childish dreams and replaced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/romance-meant-more-to-me-now-more-than-laughter-and-longing-i-couldn/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“He realized, you see, that he was stupid enough to fall in love with a woman he never saw with his eyes, but that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/he-realized-you-see-that-he-was-stupid-enough-to-fall-in-love-with-a/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“Dreams that die can live on in your heart, but dead dreams make dead hearts. I needed to live again. To feel life. Really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/dreams-that-die-can-live-on-in-your-heart-but-dead-dreams-make-dead/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“I so envied the world around me. Don't get me wrong, I loved my own life too, but that didn't stop me from wishing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/i-so-envied-the-world-around-me-don-t-get-me-wrong-i-loved-my-own/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“A person can want love all they want, but if they don't figure out who they are and learn to love their own self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/a-person-can-want-love-all-they-want-but-if-they-don-t-figure-out-who/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

> [“Have you ever thought for once that when you look in the mirror you are hyper aware of your flaws? When the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/have-you-ever-thought-for-once-that-when-you-look-in-the-mirror-you/)

[Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

[Explore all 64 marilyn grey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/)

## More Bitterness quotes

> [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [If Japanese tea 'stands,' it acquires a coarse bitterness and an unwholesome astringency. Milk and sugar are not used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-bird/if-japanese-tea-stands-it-acquires-a-coarse-bitterness-and-an/)

[Isabella Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-bird/)

> [Stronger than alcohol, vaster than poetry, Ferment the freckled red bitterness of love!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rimbaud/stronger-than-alcohol-vaster-than-poetry-ferment-the-freckled-red/)

[Arthur Rimbaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rimbaud/)

> [“What?" I ask. I try not to get snappy with her. She hasn't really done anything wrong. Falling in love with Turner isn't a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/what-i-ask-i-try-not-to-get-snappy-with-her-she-hasn-t-really-done/)

[C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/)

> [“The fairest things have fleetest end, Their scent survives their close: But the rose’s scent is bitterness To him that loved the rose. —Francis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rule/the-fairest-things-have-fleetest-end-their-scent-survives-their-close/)

[Ann Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rule/)

> [Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/)

[Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [“No," I say. "I didn't know that," and as I say it I feel flooded with bitterness at all the things Ingrid kept secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/no-i-say-i-didn-t-know-that-and-as-i-say-it-i-feel-flooded-with/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [Forgiving someone who've done you wrong or didn't treat you right could mean that you are allowing yourself to end up away from bitterness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-t-pascua/forgiving-someone-who-ve-done-you-wrong-or-didn-t-treat-you-right/)

[April T Pascua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-t-pascua/)

> [You cannot be inspired if you are surrounded with negativity, open the door and step into the inspirational garden of nature. Do not let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/you-cannot-be-inspired-if-you-are-surrounded-with-negativity-open-the/)

[Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/)

> [It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it. Carry it by the comfortable handles of gratitude for what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-horne/it-s-not-the-load-that-breaks-you-down-it-s-the-way-you-carry-it/)

[Lena Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-horne/)

> [Not forgiving prolongs hurt and anger and leads to smoldering resentment, which will make us miserable until it kills us. Resentment destroys the perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-walters/not-forgiving-prolongs-hurt-and-anger-and-leads-to-smoldering/)

Richard Walters

> [Let us not give in to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil offers us every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/let-us-not-give-in-to-pessimism-to-that-bitterness-that-the-devil/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [“Sometimes it is good to remind ourselves how bitterness tastes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rin-chupeco/sometimes-it-is-good-to-remind-ourselves-how-bitterness-tastes/)

[Rin Chupeco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rin-chupeco/)

> [What folly made young people, even those in middle age, think they were immortal? How much better, their lives, if they could remember the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/what-folly-made-young-people-even-those-in-middle-age-think-they-were/)

[Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/)

> [Be sure there is something waiting for you after much patience, to astonish you to a degree, that you forget the bitterness of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/be-sure-there-is-something-waiting-for-you-after-much-patience-to/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

[Browse all 1,210 Bitterness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The people we choose not to forgive will move one. They'll get over it. meanwhile the person who refuses to forgive is like a tea bag steeping so long that even 10 spoons of sugar wouldn't make the bitterness worth drinking.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "marilyn grey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/the-people-we-choose-not-to-forgive-will-move-one-they-ll-get-over-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bitterness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/the-people-we-choose-not-to-forgive-will-move-one-they-ll-get-over-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/marilyn-grey-10693_bitterness_the-people-we-choose-not-to-forgive-will_438014.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/marilyn-grey-10693_bitterness_the-people-we-choose-not-to-forgive-will_438014.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/marilyn-grey-10693_bitterness_the-people-we-choose-not-to-forgive-will_438014.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The people we choose not to forgive will move one. They'll get over it. meanwhile the person who refuses to…” — marilyn grey",
                "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": "marilyn grey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The people we choose not to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/the-people-we-choose-not-to-forgive-will-move-one-they-ll-get-over-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/the-people-we-choose-not-to-forgive-will-move-one-they-ll-get-over-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
