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It may be an infinitely less evil to murder a man than to refuse to forgive him. The former may be the act of a moment of passion: the latter is the heart’s choice.

— George MacDonald Unspoken Sermons, First Series (1867)

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Forgiveness

More quotes by George MacDonald

Trust to God to weave your little thread into the great web, though the pattern shows it not yet.

A genuine work of art must mean many things; the truer its art, the more things it will mean.

The Fantastic Imagination (1893)

Never be discouraged because good things get on so slowly here; and never fail daily to do that good which lies next to your hand.

One difference between God's work and man's is, that, while God's work cannot mean more than he meant, man's must mean more than he meant.

The Fantastic Imagination (1893)

To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.

The Marquis of Lossie (1877)

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It is better for a leader to make a mistake in forgiving than to make a mistake in punishing.

Muhammad

Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt Thou indeed sweep away and not forgive the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

Abraham

It is better for a leader to make a mistake in forgiving than to make a mistake in punishing.

Al-Tirmidhi

I also am other than what I imagine myself to be. To know this is forgiveness.

Simone Weil Simone Weil : An Anthology (1986)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: George MacDonald (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.