Hath any wronged thee, be bravely revenged. Slight it, and the work’s begun; forgive it, and ’tis finished. He is below himself that is not above an injury.
Nothing is more moving to man than the spectacle of reconciliation: our weaknesses are thus indemnified, and are not too costly – being the price we pay for the hour of forgiveness : and the archangel, who has never felt anger, has reason to envy the man who subdues it. When thou forgivest -the man, who has pierced thy heart, stands to thee in the relation of the sea worm that perforates the shell of the muscle, which straightway closes the wound with a pearl.
How does one know if she has forgiven? You tend to feel sorrow over the circumstance instead of rage, you tend to feel sorry for the person rather than angry with him. You tend to have nothing left to say about it all.
Forgiveness is a strange thing. It can sometimes be easier to forgive our enemies than our friends. It can be hardest of all to forgive people we love. Like all of life’s important coping skills, the ability to forgive and the capacity to let go of resentments most likely take root very early in our lives.