How to forgive yourself
April 10, 2026
Vox
It’s easy to forgive other people because you don’t have to live inside their head. Forgiving yourself is different and much, much harder. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Sean Illing is joined by philosopher Myisha Cherry to talk about what it actually means to forgive yourself without letting yourself off the hook. They discuss the difference between guilt and shame (one can push you to repair, while the other just makes you want to hide), why even small screwups can leave a lingering moral aftertaste, and how regret can either trap you in self-reproach or become fuel for doing better.
Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling) Guest: Myisha Cherry (@myishacherry) 1:53 The value of forgiveness 5:18 The differences between forgiveness and self-forgiveness 7:32 What gives you the right to forgive yourself? 11:02 We're hard on ourselves because we have standards for ourselves 14:50 Guilt vs. shame 16:00 A horrible person vs. someone who does horrible things 28:43 Is anything unforgivable? 35:11 What does your life look like if you cannot forgive yourself? 35:50 Forgiving yourself vs. letting yourself off the hook Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H
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