--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only unforgivable sin is to look into…" description: "\"“The only unforgivable sin is to look into the human heart without compassion.”\" — Nathaniel Hawthorne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_compassion_the-only-unforgivable-sin-is-to-look-int_2400288.jpg" --- # The only unforgivable sin is to look into the human heart… ![“The only unforgivable sin is to look into the human heart without compassion.” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_compassion_the-only-unforgivable-sin-is-to-look-int_2400288.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_compassion_the-only-unforgivable-sin-is-to-look-int_2400288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_compassion_the-only-unforgivable-sin-is-to-look-int_2400288.jpg) > ““The only unforgivable sin is to look into the human heart without compassion.”” [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compassion is essential; judging a heart without empathy is unforgivable. **In simple terms:** Judge with compassion, not coldness. Key Takeaway Practice empathy before judgment. Themes morality compassion human nature Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - conflict resolution - leadership - personal relationships Key Concepts ethical philosophy emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - Can compassion be blind? - How do we discern genuine empathy? A Different Perspective Compassion can be misused to excuse harmful behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Human heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-heart/) [Unforgivable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unforgivable/) [Unforgivable sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unforgivable-sin/) ## Related quotes > [All you have done is to be different from other women and you have made a little success of it. This is unforgivable sin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/all-you-have-done-is-to-be-different-from-other-women-and-you-have/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [The only unforgivable sin: Being unforgiving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/the-only-unforgivable-sin-being-unforgiving/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [Success is the only unforgivable sin against your neighbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faina-ranevskaya/success-is-the-only-unforgivable-sin-against-your-neighbor/) [Faina Ranevskaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faina-ranevskaya/) > [Beckett does not believe in God, though he seems to imply that God has committed an unforgivable sin by not existing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/beckett-does-not-believe-in-god-though-he-seems-to-imply-that-god-has/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Despair is the price one pays for setting himself an impossible aim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-setting-himself-an-impossible-aim/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Spoiling stories… is an unforgivable sin in this world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-baskerville-pandora-hearts/spoiling-stories-is-an-unforgivable-sin-in-this-world/) Leo Baskerville Pandora Hearts > [That is the one unforgivable sin in any society. Be different and be damned!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/that-is-the-one-unforgivable-sin-in-any-society-be-different-and-be/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [The unforgivable sin is the refusal to pardon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-unforgivable-sin-is-the-refusal-to-pardon/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [The only unforgivable sin is deliberate cruelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/the-only-unforgivable-sin-is-deliberate-cruelty/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [There is no word more "dangerous" than liberalism, because to oppose it is the new "unforgivable sin."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/there-is-no-word-more-dangerous-than-liberalism-because-to-oppose-it/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“In the eyes of his contemporaries, he was a man who had committed the one unforgivable sin; he was proud of his wealth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/in-the-eyes-of-his-contemporaries-he-was-a-man-who-had-committed-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [That we are capable only of being what we are remains our unforgivable sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/that-we-are-capable-only-of-being-what-we-are-remains-our/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [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/) > [The unforgivable sin of Hitler's Germany was to develop a new economic system by which the international bankers were deprived of their profits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-unforgivable-sin-of-hitler-s-germany-was-to-develop-a-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Punctuality comes high on my list of unforgivable sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-cannell/punctuality-comes-high-on-my-list-of-unforgivable-sins/) Dorothy Cannell ## More by Nathaniel Hawthorne > [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic-totalitarian-mind-is-that-any/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire, I longed to kindle one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/my-heart-was-a-habitation-large-enough-for-many-guests-but-lonely-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/wherever-there-is-a-heart-and-an-intellect-the-diseases-of-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Unfathomable to mere mortals is the lore of fiends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/unfathomable-to-mere-mortals-is-the-lore-of-fiends/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Possibly, he was in a state of second growth and recovery, and was constantly assimilating nutriment for his spirit and intellect from sights, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/possibly-he-was-in-a-state-of-second-growth-and-recovery-and-was/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“What wonder, then, should we be frightened by the aspect of a monster, which, after all,—though we can point to every feature of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-wonder-then-should-we-be-frightened-by-the-aspect-of-a-monster/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [As the architecture of a country always follows the earliest structures, American architecture should be a refinement of the log-house. The Egyptian is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/as-the-architecture-of-a-country-always-follows-the-earliest/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [What we call real estate - the solid ground to build a house on - is the broad foundation on which nearly all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-we-call-real-estate-the-solid-ground-to-build-a-house-on-is-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-are-many-things-in-this-world-that-a-child-must-not-ask-about/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) [Explore all 526 Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## More Compassion quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/) Segun Magbagbeola > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. 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