The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.
Marianne Williamson
Practice of Forgiveness
Topic: Virtue, Morality, & Ethics
The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world. The war in Southeast Asia or the Middle East is not separate from the war in our own backyards. The anger we hold toward a brother, a parent, or a child is the same energy that, on a larger scale, creates war. We cannot have peace in the world until we have peace in our own hearts. Forgiveness is the way we bring that peace about. It is the shift in perception that allows us to see the light in someone else, regardless of what they have done. By releasing our grievances, we release the world from the prison of our own judgment.
Marianne Williamson, born on July 8, 1952, in Houston, Texas, grew up in a Jewish family that valued education and community. After attending Bellaire High School, she studied theater and philosophy at Pomona College in California but left before completing her degree. Her early adulthood was marked by a search for meaning, which she later called her "wasted decade." In 1976, a transformative encounter with A Course in Miracles helped her address challenges like depression and substance abuse, setting her on a path of personal and spiritual awakening.
By the early 1980s, Williamson had begun lecturing on the principles of A Course in Miracles, focusing on love and forgiveness. After moving to Los Angeles in 1983, her teachings gained attention for their unique blend of spiritual traditions and practical wisdom. Her 1992 book, A Return to Love, became a New York Times bestseller, solidifying her role as a spiritual leader. In addition to her writings, Williamson founded Project Angel Food in 1989, delivering meals to individuals with HIV/AIDS, and co-founded The Peace Alliance in 2004 to promote peace-building initiatives. Her philosophy emphasizes the transformative power of love for both personal growth and social healing.
Williamson’s efforts to integrate spirituality and activism extended into her political career. She ran for office in 2014 and later pursued the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 and 2024, aiming to infuse public policies with compassion and justice. Though her campaigns were brief, they reflected her vision of spirituality as a foundation for societal change. As a mother and grandmother, Williamson continues to inspire through her books and teachings, encouraging individuals and communities to embrace love as a force for transformation.
A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles
Williamson, Marianne. A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles. HarperPerennial, 1992.
Marianne Williamson
Theme: Forgiving
About This Marianne Williamson Quotation [Commentary]
Marianne Williamson begins with a direct claim: “The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.” She then refuses to split “out there” from “in here”: “The war in Southeast Asia or the Middle East is not separate from the war in our own backyards.” She links global conflict to everyday life, saying that “the anger we hold toward a brother, a parent, or a child is the same energy that, on a larger scale, creates war.” In this sequence, forgiveness is not a private preference; it is a contribution to healing.
She presses the inner requirement for outer peace: “We cannot have peace in the world until we have peace in our own hearts.” And she names the means: “Forgiveness is the way we bring that peace about.” Forgiveness, as Marianne Williamson frames it, is not about pretending nothing happened. It is “the shift in perception” that makes it possible “to see the light in someone else, regardless of what they have done.” This shift changes how we meet one another—across households, workplaces, communities, and nations—so peace becomes more workable.
Finally, she describes what is released when we forgive: “By releasing our grievances, we release the world from the prison of our own judgment.” The emphasis stays on practice—what we “hold,” what we “release,” and what that does to the world we help shape. In the theme of Forgiving, Marianne Williamson’s words return to a single movement: from anger and judgment toward peace of heart, so that peace in the world becomes more than an idea.
A Course In Miracles
Resources
Related Quotes
Copyright © 2017 – 2026 LuminaryQuotes.com About Us