--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unforgiveness is like cancer; it will eat…" description: "\"“Unforgiveness is like cancer; it will eat you from the inside out. It is not about the other person and it does not diminish what he's done. But the f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/ryan-toohey-275119_forgive_unforgiveness-is-like-cancer-it-will-eat_2277333.jpg" --- # Unforgiveness is like cancer; it will eat you from the… ![“Unforgiveness is like cancer; it will eat you from the inside out. It is not about the other person and it does not diminish what he's done. But the forgiveness is for me.” “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” ~Lewis B. Smedes Ψ” quote by Ryan Toohey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/ryan-toohey-275119_forgive_unforgiveness-is-like-cancer-it-will-eat_2277333.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/ryan-toohey-275119_forgive_unforgiveness-is-like-cancer-it-will-eat_2277333.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/ryan-toohey-275119_forgive_unforgiveness-is-like-cancer-it-will-eat_2277333.jpg) > ““Unforgiveness is like cancer; it will eat you from the inside out. It is not about the other person and it does not diminish what he's done. But the forgiveness is for me.” “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” ~Lewis B. Smedes Ψ”” Ryan Toohey ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Holding resentment harms you internally; forgiveness frees you, not the offender. **In simple terms:** Resentment harms you; forgiveness frees you. Key Takeaway Practice forgiveness for personal peace. Themes forgiveness self‑healing emotional health Mood reflective hopeful Type advice spiritual When to use this quote - relationship conflict - personal trauma - daily stress Key Concepts psychology spirituality personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What resentment do you cling to? - How could release change you? A Different Perspective Forgiveness may feel unjust when harm is great. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) ## Related quotes > [Forgiveness is not something that you do for someone else; it's something you do for yourself, To forgive is not to condone, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/forgiveness-is-not-something-that-you-do-for-someone-else-it-s/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [Unforgiveness is like drinking poison yourself and waiting for the other person to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/unforgiveness-is-like-drinking-poison-yourself-and-waiting-for-the/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“I forgive you for not being the way I wanted you to be. I forgive you and I set you free.” This”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-l-hay/i-forgive-you-for-not-being-the-way-i-wanted-you-to-be-i-forgive-you/) [Louise L. Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-l-hay/) > [Understanding is often a prelude to forgiveness, but they are not the same, and we often forgive what we cannot understand (seeing nothing else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/understanding-is-often-a-prelude-to-forgiveness-but-they-are-not-the/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [I know from personal experience how damaging it can be to live with bitterness and unforgiveness. I like to say it's like taking poison…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/i-know-from-personal-experience-how-damaging-it-can-be-to-live-with/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-stunt/unforgiveness-is-like-drinking-poison-and-hoping-the-other-person-dies/) Margaret Stunt > [Harboring unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping your enemy will die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/harboring-unforgiveness-is-like-drinking-poison-and-hoping-your-enemy/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“Someone once said that unforgiveness was like a poison you drink while hoping for someone else to die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-heng/someone-once-said-that-unforgiveness-was-like-a-poison-you-drink/) Jennifer Heng > [“It often has been said that unforgiveness is like you drinking poison but expecting the other person to die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-alcorn/it-often-has-been-said-that-unforgiveness-is-like-you-drinking-poison/) Nancy Alcorn > [“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-forgive-is-to-set-a-prisoner-free-and-discover-the-prisoner-was-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To forgive is to set someone free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-selfors/to-forgive-is-to-set-someone-free/) [Suzanne Selfors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-selfors/) > [“I forgive you for not being the way I wanted you to be. I forgive you and I set you free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-l-hay/i-forgive-you-for-not-being-the-way-i-wanted-you-to-be-i-forgive-you-2/) [Louise L. Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-l-hay/) > [Forgiveness is a gift to myself. I forgive, and I set myself free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/forgiveness-is-a-gift-to-myself-i-forgive-and-i-set-myself-free/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/to-forgive-is-to-set-a-prisoner-free-and-discover-that-the-prisoner/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [“You must forgive but you must also set strong boundaries and assert yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bryans/you-must-forgive-but-you-must-also-set-strong-boundaries-and-assert/) [Bruce Bryans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bryans/) ## 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 > [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 > [“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 > [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 ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Unforgiveness is like cancer; it will eat you from the inside out. It is not about the other person and it does not diminish what he's done. But the forgiveness is for me.” “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” ~Lewis B. Smedes Ψ”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ryan Toohey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-toohey/unforgiveness-is-like-cancer-it-will-eat-you-from-the-inside-out-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forgive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-toohey/unforgiveness-is-like-cancer-it-will-eat-you-from-the-inside-out-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/ryan-toohey-275119_forgive_unforgiveness-is-like-cancer-it-will-eat_2277333.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/ryan-toohey-275119_forgive_unforgiveness-is-like-cancer-it-will-eat_2277333.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/ryan-toohey-275119_forgive_unforgiveness-is-like-cancer-it-will-eat_2277333.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Unforgiveness is like cancer; it will eat you from the inside out. It is not about the other person and it…” — Ryan Toohey", "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": "Ryan Toohey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-toohey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Unforgiveness is like cancer; it will...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-toohey/unforgiveness-is-like-cancer-it-will-eat-you-from-the-inside-out-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-toohey/unforgiveness-is-like-cancer-it-will-eat-you-from-the-inside-out-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 } } ] } ```