Guilt

Guilt

Guilt (emotion) is an emotion that occurs when a person believes that they have violated a moral standard.

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Famous quotes containing the word guilt:

    When the masculine mystique is pulling boys and men out into the world to growl manly noises at one another, the only power with a stronger pull on the male psyche is maternally induced guilt. The guilt is quite necessary for our moral development, but it is often uncomfortable.
    Frank Pittman (20th century)

    Accuse. To affirm another’s guilt or unworth; most commonly as a justification of ourselves for having wronged him.
    Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914)

    The difference between guilt and shame is very clear—in theory. We feel guilty for what we do. We feel shame for what we are. A person feels guilt because he did something wrong. A person feels shame because he is something wrong. We may feel guilty because we lied to our mother. We may feel shame because we are not the person our mother wanted us to be.
    Lewis B. Smedes, U.S. psychologist, educator. Shame and Grace: Healing the Shame We Don’t Deserve, ch. 2, Harper (1993)