“We forgive when we give up attachment to…” (Great Work quote)
“We forgive when we give up attachment to our wounds.”
~ Lewis Hyde
I’m reading Hyde’s The Gift at the moment, a thoughtful if somewhat dense read on why the giving of gifts matters so much, which gifts matter the most, and in general the role of art in our society.
This little insight was tucked away in a footnote, but hooked me.
What a gift it is to ourselves to forgive others. We get to put down the burden of our own resentments, grudges and lingering dissatisfactions.
But the real power it seems is that happens not in the order I’ve just written it, but in the reverse. Give up on attachment to your wounds and you find forgiveness in its place.
What are the wounds you’re holding on to? And what if you gave them up?
- “care like hell and not give a damn at the same time” [Great Work Quote]
- “You cannot create experience. You must undergo it” (Great Work quote)
- “This is the strangest life I’ve ever known” (Great Work quote)
- “We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities” (Great Work quote)
- “If you knew how much work went into it…” (Great Work quote)


