We pardon in the degree that we love.

Forgiveness tends to follow affection rather than reasoning. The same act is unforgivable in a stranger and manageable in someone you love, which looks like inconsistency and is the ordinary way people work. This is worth seeing clearly in both directions. It explains why you keep excusing one person, and why someone cannot let go of a fault in you that others overlook easily.

When you find yourself unable to forgive, ask honestly whether the trouble is the act or the state of the affection. And when you are being forgiven a great deal, recognise what is being spent on you rather than treating it as your due.