Guilty Conscience Quotes

“Never judge someone's character based on the words of another. Instead, study the motives behind the words of the person casting the bad judgment. An honest woman can sell tangerines all day and remain a good person until she dies, but there will always be naysayers who will try to convince you otherwise. Perhaps this woman did not give them something for free, or at a discount. Perhaps too, that she refused to stand with them when they were wrong — or just stood up for something she felt was right. And also, it could be that some bitter women are envious of her, or that she rejected the advances of some very proud men. Always trust your heart. If the Creator stood before a million men with the light of a million lamps, only a few would truly see him because truth is already alive in their hearts. Truth can only be seen by those with truth in them. He who does not have Truth in his heart, will always be blind to her.”
― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

“I am stupid, am I not? What more can I want? If you ask them who is brave--who is true--who is just--who is it they would trust with their lives?--they would say, Tuan Jim. And yet they can never know the real, real truth....”
― Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim

“They did not greet us, nor did they smile; they seemed opressed not only by compassion but by a confused restraint, which sealed their lips and bound their eyes to the funeral scene. It was that shame we knew so well, the shame that drowned us after the selections, and every time we had to watch, or submit to, some outrage: the shame the Germans did not know, that the just man experiences at another man's crime; the feeling of guilt that such a crime should exist, that it should have been introduced irrevocably into the world of things that exist, and that his will for good should have proved too weak or null, and should not have availed in defense”
― Primo Levi, If This Is a Man • The Truce

“Very rarely can the entirety of fault be held by one person.”
― Hannah F. Whitten, For the Throne

“মনে পাপ থাকার এই একটা লক্ষণ। মনে হয়, সকলে বুঝি সব জানে। সাপ উঠিয়া পড়ার আশঙ্কায় কেঁচো খুঁড়িবার চেষ্টাতেও মানুষ ইতস্তত করে।”
― Manik Bandopadhyay, পুতুলনাচের ইতিকথা

“More than once, he had cleared his throat, and drawn in the long, deep, and tremulous breath, which, when sent forth again, would come burdened with the black secret of his soul.”
― Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

“He had striven to put a cheat upon himself by making the avowal of a guilty conscience, but had gained only one other sin, and a self-acknowledged shame, without the momentary relief of being self-deceived. He had spoken the very truth, and transformed it into the veriest falsehood.”
― Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

“An apology is usually a disguised request for a key to the cage of guilt or regret.”
― @Mokokoma Mokhonoana

“Guilt is an outward expression of self degradation. It is acceptance of one’s culpability, indiscretion, liability, sin, dereliction, and harm without resolving the crime, violation, or wrong. Guilt desires to remain hidden, hence, the paying for confessions to alleviate responsibility. Where shame separates you from social and cultural obedience, guilt brings you closer to the deceiver such as religion. Guilt is dancing with the devil and calling yourself good.”
― Deborah Bravandt

“It's always the guilty that have itchy bowels after chewing the truth.”
― Andrew-Knox B Kaniki

“Memory is most fickle among the guilty. Fine, no one steps forward, no one lives!”
― H.S. Crow, Lunora: A Book of Sand

“It was less a dream than his mind forcing him to relive events.”
― S.S. Fitzgerald, Sinner's Pass

“But every gasp strips my heart bare. The dying man is the master of these hours, he has an invisible dagger to stab me with: the dagger of time and my thoughts.”
― Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front

“Exaggeration of hurt tends to enhance the defaulter's guilt”
― BS Murthy

“I thought... I thought I heard you calling my name,' The crease between his brows deepened. 'Screaming for help.' Letting go of his sword, he ran a hand through his nearly white-blond hair. 'It must've been the wind.'

'Or your guilty conscience.'

'Probably the wind.'

I started toward him.

There it was, a flash of a grin. 'Sorry to interrupt.'

'Interrupt what? I'm stuck in this room. What could-?' I shrieked as the door closed and locked. 'Now I am yelling!'

'It's the wind,' he yelled back through the door.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire

“Scars are not guilt marks,
Scars are mark of gallantry.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Yaralardan Yangın Doğar: Explorers of Night are Emperors of Dawn

“War guilt can lead to ever more militant acts of self-justification. Once blood has been shed in dubious circumstances, those involved often try to brazen it out: first, through blaming the injured party for forcing them to act thus; and second, through affirming the validity of their violence by persisting with it.”
― Julia Lovell, The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China

“The question of guilt rankles. She knows what she’s done is wrong. Unethical, deceitful – however
labelled, it is wrong. Yet the pesky little voice that has wormed its way inside her head continues to insist that her actions were sensible.”
― Lisa Medved, The Engraver's Secret

“The question of guilt rankles. She knows what she’s done is wrong. Unethical, deceitful – however labelled, it is wrong. Yet the pesky little voice that has wormed its way inside her head continues to insist that her actions were sensible.”
― Lisa Medved, The Engraver's Secret

“Only guilt can give one the highest pain.”
― Bharani Kumar Buyakar, Once Again Beautiful And Pure: A Tale of Strength and Redemption

“The world watches all our activities. We may close our guilty eyes, but we can’t close the questioning eyes of the world.”
― Anuradha Bhattacharyya, Light Inspired

“Shame whispers lies about your worth.”
― Zara Hairston

“Scars are not guilt marks,
Scars are mark of gallantry.
Scars are proof of resilience,
Scars are testament to bravery.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Yaralardan Yangın Doğar: Explorers of Night are Emperors of Dawn

“Guilt is no longer an abstract notion, but something under the bed and in the dark.”
― Byrd Nash, Delicious Death

“Anytime you hear words that exalt your past above what God has already done for you, that is the voice of condemnation and not the Holy Ghost.”
― IyanuOluwa Olorode, Love's Direction

“Why did parents perform all these un-repayable acts? Was it because they felt guilty for bringing us here in the first place?”
― Rachel Khong, Real Americans

“It was difficult sometimes, this job. It’s easy to think of the enemy as a shadowy figure until he’s a man bleeding on a cellar floor.”
― Ashley Weaver, Locked in Pursuit

“When God's Word is spoken, it can convict people of their sin (John 16:8). This conviction can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and defensiveness. Instead of acknowledging their sin and repenting, they may lash out at the messenger. This reaction is often a result of the person's inner struggle to come to terms with their wrongdoing. As messengers of God's Word, it's crucial to approach these situations with empathy and compassion, while still conveying the truth.”
― Shaila Touchton

“It’s the guilt that never ends.
I believe it could be devil-sent.”
― Jayant Chopra

“There are many upsides to guilt, one of which is that the anticipation of guilt can guide your behavior in such a way that it makes you more trustworthy and successful. It can lead to self-control in situations where you’d rather give up (like when you want to hit snooze and call in sick). It can cause you to uphold the goals of your employer and look out for their best interests (which can lead to promotions, recognition, and raises). It can cause you to give to those in need (a habit that leads to happiness and fulfillment). So while it can appear that guilt is a negative emotion that always steals our joy, the anticipation of guilt if we don’t live up to expectations can actually lead us to make choices that meet others’ expectations. And those choices often come with positive rewards and success. This is the upside of guilt: it can be a guide that makes you better. For example:

•GUILT PROMPTS YOU TO DO THE RIGHT THING. Over time, doing the right thing builds positive relationships, helps you reach important goals, and makes you trustworthy.

•GUILT HELPS YOU STAY TRUE TO YOUR VALUES. Staying true to your values brings peace. It also means being authentic, a necessary skill for resilience.

•GUILT IS AN INVITATION TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. It’s healthy to own up to it when you are wrong. Guilt invites you to take responsibility for your actions.

•GUILT CAN TRIGGER POSITIVE CHANGE. If you want to align your actions with your values and be at peace, then guilt, or the anticipation of it, can motivate you to take action to change.

•GUILT CONTROLS GREED. Guilt can trigger fairness when excesses tip out of balance.”
― Valorie Burton, Let Go of the Guilt