--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Forgiveness is first for you, the…" description: "\"Forgiveness is first for you, the forgiver...to release you from something that will eat you alive; that will destroy your joy and your ability to love..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/william-p-young-3038_ability_forgiveness-is-first-for-you-the-forgive_3195163.jpg" --- # Forgiveness is first for you, the forgiver...to release… ![“Forgiveness is first for you, the forgiver...to release you from something that will eat you alive; that will destroy your joy and your ability to love fully and openly. Do you think this man cares about the pain and torment you have gone through? If anything, he feeds on that knowledge. Don't you…” quote by William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/william-p-young-3038_ability_forgiveness-is-first-for-you-the-forgive_3195163.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/william-p-young-3038_ability_forgiveness-is-first-for-you-the-forgive_3195163.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a96/william-p-young-3038_ability_forgiveness-is-first-for-you-the-forgive_3195163.jpg) > “Forgiveness is first for you, the forgiver...to release you from something that will eat you alive; that will destroy your joy and your ability to love fully and openly. Do you think this man cares about the pain and torment you have gone through? If anything, he feeds on that knowledge. Don't you want to cut that off? And in doing so, you'll release him from a burden that he carries whether he knows it or not--acknowledges it or not.” [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Forgiveness frees both the giver and receiver from lingering pain, allowing love and joy to flourish. **In simple terms:** Forgiving lets go of hurt and opens heart. Key Takeaway Practice letting go of resentment. Themes forgiveness healing love emotional health Mood reflective hopeful Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - relationship conflict - personal trauma - grief recovery - family tension Key Concepts psychology spirituality empowerment Questions to Reflect On - What pain are you holding onto? - How could forgiving change your relationship? A Different Perspective Forgiveness may be difficult if the offender shows no remorse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Ability to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability-to-love/) [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Forgiver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiver/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Torment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torment/) ## Related quotes > [I am 100% in the camp that says forgiveness is mostly about the forgiver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-100-in-the-camp-that-says-forgiveness-is-mostly-about-the/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“Killing yourself might stop your problems at the moment, but it leaves everyone who cares about you in as much pain or more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apryl-baker/killing-yourself-might-stop-your-problems-at-the-moment-but-it-leaves/) [Apryl Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apryl-baker/) > [“The true forgiver will always look into your eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aniruddha-sastikar/the-true-forgiver-will-always-look-into-your-eyes/) [Aniruddha Sastikar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aniruddha-sastikar/) > [Jesus is my forgiver, my leader, and my friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/jesus-is-my-forgiver-my-leader-and-my-friend/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [It is a great thing to be a really good forgiver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-w-boreham/it-is-a-great-thing-to-be-a-really-good-forgiver/) Frank W. Boreham > [I'm a forgiver. I might not forget, but I forgive. My mother, father and older brother always told me: 'Don't hold grudges. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monte-irvin/i-m-a-forgiver-i-might-not-forget-but-i-forgive-my-mother-father-and/) [Monte Irvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monte-irvin/) > [Forgiving is a gift to the forgiver as well as to the perpetrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/forgiving-is-a-gift-to-the-forgiver-as-well-as-to-the-perpetrator/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Forgiveness frees the forgiver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-morrow/forgiveness-frees-the-forgiver/) [Lance Morrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-morrow/) > [Each human being can at once be a fighter and forgiver. When self-doubt tortures him, he most play the role of a fighter. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/each-human-being-can-at-once-be-a-fighter-and-forgiver-when-self/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [Forgiveness is empowering for the forgiver. Years of resentment, frustration, and pain are set FREE!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-arcuri/forgiveness-is-empowering-for-the-forgiver-years-of-resentment/) [Dana Arcuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-arcuri/) > [“Go to church to learn about forgiveness; come back to become a forgiver! Go to church and learn about kindness; come back to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/go-to-church-to-learn-about-forgiveness-come-back-to-become-a/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“The absent and inert girl hanging dreamless from my arms is no more foreign to me than the door or window through which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bataille/the-absent-and-inert-girl-hanging-dreamless-from-my-arms-is-no-more/) [Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bataille/) > [What makes us human is not our mind but our heart, not our ability to think but our ability to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-makes-us-human-is-not-our-mind-but-our-heart-not-our-ability-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In this universe we are given two gifts: the ability to love and the ability to question. Which are, at the same time, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/in-this-universe-we-are-given-two-gifts-the-ability-to-love-and-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“It is hardly necessary to stress the fact that the ability to love as an act of giving depends on the character development of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/it-is-hardly-necessary-to-stress-the-fact-that-the-ability-to-love-as/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) ## More by William P. Young > [I don't want my kids growing up with the image of God that I had -- Plato's white grandfatherly god -- because that god…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/i-don-t-want-my-kids-growing-up-with-the-image-of-god-that-i-had/) [William P. 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Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [Jesus was always challenging the dogma of religion. So, you know, it's not like I'm out there by myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/jesus-was-always-challenging-the-dogma-of-religion-so-you-know-it-s/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [If anything matters, then everything matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/if-anything-matters-then-everything-matters/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [I don't just want a piece of you and a piece of your life. Even if you were able, which you are not, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/i-don-t-just-want-a-piece-of-you-and-a-piece-of-your-life-even-if-you/) [William P. 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