Guilt Quotes | Beyond Motive

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Guilt Quotes

"Nothing is more wretched than the mind of a man conscious of guilt."

"Nothing is more wretched than the mind of a man conscious of guilt."

Titus Maccius Plautus, Roman Poet

Guilt, Man, Mind, Nothing

30

"I'm an Irish Catholic and I have a long iceberg of guilt."

"I'm an Irish Catholic and I have a long iceberg of guilt."

Edna O'Brien, Irish Novelist

29

"My guiding principle is this: Guilt is never to be doubted."

"My guiding principle is this: Guilt is never to be doubted."

Franz Kafka, Austrian Novelist

28

"Guilt is a weird thing to me. I don't have a lot of it."

"Guilt is a weird thing to me. I don't have a lot of it."

Andy Dick, American Actor

24

"Repentant tears wash out the stain of guilt."

"Repentant tears wash out the stain of guilt."

Saint Augustine, Algerian Saint

Guilt, Tears, Saint Aurelius Augustine, Roman

23

"Hard though it may be to accept, remember that guilt is sometimes a friendly internal voice reminding you that you're messing up."

"Hard though it may be to accept, remember that guilt is sometimes a friendly internal voice reminding you that you're messing up."

Marge Kennedy, American Author

Guilt, May, Voice

21

"Guilt is the price we pay willingly for doing what we are going to do anyway."

"Guilt is the price we pay willingly for doing what we are going to do anyway."

Isabelle Holland, Swiss Writer

20

"The worst guilt is to accept an unearned guilt."

"The worst guilt is to accept an unearned guilt."

Ayn Rand, Russian Writer

19

"What is guilt? Guilt is the pledge drive constantly hammering in our heads that keeps us from fully enjoying the show. Guilt is the reason they put the articles in Playboy."

"What is guilt? Guilt is the pledge drive constantly hammering in our heads that keeps us from fully enjoying the show. Guilt is the reason they put the articles in Playboy."

Dennis Miller, American Comedian

19

"I had told him I was searching for my keys, that's what had taken me so long in the car, and I squeezed him tighter, as if I could crush my little lie."

"I had told him I was searching for my keys, that's what had taken me so long in the car, and I squeezed him tighter, as if I could crush my little lie."

Mitch Albom, American Writer

Guilt, Deception, Lie, Trust

19

"What man ever openly apologizes for slander? It is not so much a feeling of slander as it is that of a massive lie, a misdeed not only to the slandered but also to those manipulated in the process. He has made them all, every one, his enemies, thereupon he is so overwhelmed with guilt that he will deny it until his grave."

"What man ever openly apologizes for slander? It is not so much a feeling of slander as it is that of a massive lie, a misdeed not only to the slandered but also to those manipulated in the process. He has made them all, every one, his enemies, thereupon he is so overwhelmed with guilt that he will deny it until his grave."

Criss Jami, American Philosopher

Guilt, Apology, Truth, Reputation

18

"I don't feel guilt. Whatever I wish to do, I do."

"I don't feel guilt. Whatever I wish to do, I do."

Jeanne Moreau, French Actress

17

"Whether they knew of didn't know is not the main issue; the main issue is whether a man is innocent because he didn't know. (...) by beating himself on the chest and proclaiming, "My conscience is clear! I did not know! I was a believer!" Isn't his "I did not know I was a believer!" at the very root of his irreparable guilt?"

"Whether they knew of didn't know is not the main issue; the main issue is whether a man is innocent because he didn't know. (...) by beating himself on the chest and proclaiming, "My conscience is clear! I did not know! I was a believer!" Isn't his "I did not know I was a believer!" at the very root of his irreparable guilt?"

Milan Kundera, Czechoslovakian Writer

Guilt, Belief, Innocence, Conscience

17

"I suffer from Irish-Catholic guilt. Guilt is a good reality check. It keeps that 'do what makes you happy' thing in check."

"I suffer from Irish-Catholic guilt. Guilt is a good reality check. It keeps that 'do what makes you happy' thing in check."

Edward Burns, American Actor

Guilt, Irish, Reality

17

"Feelings of guilt are the worst punishment. You are being punished by yourself."

"Feelings of guilt are the worst punishment. You are being punished by yourself."

Debasish Mridha, American Author

Guilt, Self, Punishment, Growth

17

"It's great to be recognized when I'm looking for a table at a crowded restaurant, but I still don't put it to best use. I'm such a lump. I won't cut the line. It's my Catholic guilt. I gotta get used to it."

"It's great to be recognized when I'm looking for a table at a crowded restaurant, but I still don't put it to best use. I'm such a lump. I won't cut the line. It's my Catholic guilt. I gotta get used to it."

Christopher Meloni, American Actor

16

"Out, damned spot! out, I say!"

"Out, damned spot! out, I say!"

William Shakespeare, English Dramatist

Guilt, Regret, Truth, Power, Life

14

"How now! Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." Lady Macbeth."

"How now! Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." Lady Macbeth."

William Shakespeare, English Dramatist

Guilt, Truth, Power, Regret, Life

14

"With a parent, it's always guilt. You want to be there, but you kind of also want to be here."

"With a parent, it's always guilt. You want to be there, but you kind of also want to be here."

Heather Locklear, American Actress

13

"Alas! how difficult it is not to betray one's guilt by one's looks."

"Alas! how difficult it is not to betray one's guilt by one's looks."

Ovid, Roman Poet

13

"At the same time I know that it's not really their fault, at least not completely. I did my part too. I did it on a hundred different days and in a thousand different ways, and I know it. But this makes the anger worse, not better."

"At the same time I know that it's not really their fault, at least not completely. I did my part too. I did it on a hundred different days and in a thousand different ways, and I know it. But this makes the anger worse, not better."

Lauren Oliver, American Author

Guilt, Anger, Blame, Responsibility

12

"There's no regret. You can't regret. I mean, I've felt regret but I've also refused to allow regret to sow a seed and live in me because I don't believe it. You feel it, it's like guilt, it's like jealousy, it's like all those horrible things. You've just got to snip them and get them out, because they're no good."

"There's no regret. You can't regret. I mean, I've felt regret but I've also refused to allow regret to sow a seed and live in me because I don't believe it. You feel it, it's like guilt, it's like jealousy, it's like all those horrible things. You've just got to snip them and get them out, because they're no good."

Jude Law, British Actor

Guilt, Jealousy, Regret

11

"Canon law itself says for one case of guilt, a priest can be dismissed from the clerical state. One."

"Canon law itself says for one case of guilt, a priest can be dismissed from the clerical state. One."

Roger Mahony, American Clergyman

Guilt, Law, State

10

"Vultures pick the meat clean off a bone. Guilt eats at the marrow, leaving a man hollow."

"Vultures pick the meat clean off a bone. Guilt eats at the marrow, leaving a man hollow."

Richelle E. Goodrich, American Poet

Guilt, Regret, Truth, Power, Wisdom

10

"Of course we're guilty!-That's what we've got pardons for!"

"Of course we're guilty!-That's what we've got pardons for!"

Anthony T. Hincks, British Writer

Guilt, Justice, Life, Truth

10

"How blunt are all the arrows of thy quiver in comparison with those of guilt."

"How blunt are all the arrows of thy quiver in comparison with those of guilt."

Robert Blair, American Poet

10

"There is no such thing as collective guilt."

"There is no such thing as collective guilt."

Kurt Waldheim, Austrian Politician

10

"This feeling of guilt is your conscience calling your attention to the higher road, and your heart wishing you had taken it."

"This feeling of guilt is your conscience calling your attention to the higher road, and your heart wishing you had taken it."

Richelle E. Goodrich, American Poet

Guilt, Regret, Truth, Wisdom, Power

9

"A pang of guilt, like a blaring siren, should never be ignored."

"A pang of guilt, like a blaring siren, should never be ignored."

Richelle E. Goodrich, American Poet

Guilt, Truth, Wisdom, Life

8

"Consider guilt like a street sign that warns of rough roads ahead if you don't make a u-turn."

"Consider guilt like a street sign that warns of rough roads ahead if you don't make a u-turn."

Richelle E. Goodrich, American Poet

Guilt, Regret, Truth, Wisdom, Today

8

"When a man admits guilt we have to believe him. We cannot set ourselves to proving to him that he is wrong. Otherwise the law courts would never function."

"When a man admits guilt we have to believe him. We cannot set ourselves to proving to him that he is wrong. Otherwise the law courts would never function."

Hilary Mantel, British Novelist

Guilt, Law, Justice, Trust

8

"It was something quite special, that feeling: an oppressive, hideous constraint as if I were sitting with the small ghost of somebody I had just killed."

"It was something quite special, that feeling: an oppressive, hideous constraint as if I were sitting with the small ghost of somebody I had just killed."

Vladimir Nabokov, American Novelist

Guilt, Memory, Emotion, Truth

7

"Maybe time would not feel as heavy if I didn't have this guilt - the guilt of knowing the truth and stuffing it down where no one can see it."

"Maybe time would not feel as heavy if I didn't have this guilt - the guilt of knowing the truth and stuffing it down where no one can see it."

Veronica Roth, American Author

Guilt, Truth, Regret, Time

7

"That I was sleeping at a time when my husband was dying is so horrible a thought, I can't confront it."

"That I was sleeping at a time when my husband was dying is so horrible a thought, I can't confront it."

Joyce Carol Oates, American Novelist

Guilt, Regret, Truth, Emotion

6

"In many criminals, especially youthful ones, it is possible to detect a very powerful sense of guilt which existed before the crime, and is therefore not its result but its motive. It is as if it was a relief to be able to fasten this unconscious sense of guilt on to something real and immediate."

"In many criminals, especially youthful ones, it is possible to detect a very powerful sense of guilt which existed before the crime, and is therefore not its result but its motive. It is as if it was a relief to be able to fasten this unconscious sense of guilt on to something real and immediate."

Sigmund Freud, Austrian Psychologist

Guilt, Psychology, Crime, Motive

6

"It's a terrible thing, what we did, said Francis abruptly. "I mean, this man was not Voltaire we killed. But still. It's a shame. I feel bad about it."

"It's a terrible thing, what we did, said Francis abruptly. "I mean, this man was not Voltaire we killed. But still. It's a shame. I feel bad about it."

Donna Tartt, American Novelist

Guilt, Regret, Violence, Conscience

6

"Perhaps it was as well that she had been unconscious for four weeks. She had missed the aftermath, the SO-1 reports, the recriminations, Snood and Tamworth's funerals. She missed everything...except the blame. It was waiting for her when she awoke..."

"Perhaps it was as well that she had been unconscious for four weeks. She had missed the aftermath, the SO-1 reports, the recriminations, Snood and Tamworth's funerals. She missed everything...except the blame. It was waiting for her when she awoke..."

Jasper Fforde, British Novelist

Guilt, Blame, Trauma, Responsibility

5

"The Wrong we have Done, Thought, or Intended Will wreak its Vengeance onOur SOULS."

"The Wrong we have Done, Thought, or Intended Will wreak its Vengeance onOur SOULS."

Carl Jung, Swiss Psychologist

Guilt, Conscience, Consequence, Morality

5

"I nod, because I do understand. I'm just not sure how to go about divorcing myself from the evil I've already accepted."

"I nod, because I do understand. I'm just not sure how to go about divorcing myself from the evil I've already accepted."

Ellen Hopkins, American Novelist

Guilt, Acceptance, Evil, Self-Reflection

4

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