As they say, breaking up is hard to do. But seriously, the pain of losing a romantic partner can be so profound that you feel physical pain—as if your heart is literally breaking into two pieces. I remember when I split from my first serious boyfriend in college and could barely eat or get out of bed for a week.
But to be real with you, while you’re probably deep in those feels right now and it may seem like the swirling anguish is impossible to emerge from, the truth is that this too shall pass. Almost everyone has endured a painful breakup and has come out on the other side all the better for their experience.
Still, we need support. And when you’ve talked your mom and bestie’s ear off on the subject and are lying in bed on your phone, scrolling through self-help articles in tears, the wise words of exceptional writers, incredible poets, proverbs, and experts can be quite handy. They have a knack for saying exactly the right thing to help you move through even the most difficult breakup and find your way back to yourself.
23 Quotes to Mend a Broken Heart
We’ve put together a list of quotes about enduring heartbreak, moving forward after cutting ties, and easing the pain of a shattered heart. We hope that reading through them might help you find solace in the fact that you’re experiencing, sadly, a rite-of-passage that so many others have navigated.
Yung Pueblo
We allow ourselves to love because it’s worth the risk. Even though there is the chance of loss or hurt, we take the leap again and again because love is one of the best parts of being alive. We don’t do it because it’s easy, we do it because connection makes everything brighter.
— Yung Pueblo
Steve Maraboli
Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.
— Steve Maraboli
Kentaro Miura
You’re going to be alright. You just stumbled over a stone in the road. It means nothing. Your goal lies far beyond this, doesn’t it? I’m sure you’ll overcome this. You’ll walk again…soon.
— Kentaro Miura
Viktor Frankl
When the situation is good, enjoy it. When the situation is bad, transform it. When the situation cannot be transformed, transform yourself.
— Viktor Frankl
Faraaz Kazi
Some people are going to leave, but that’s not the end of your story. That’s the end of their part in your story.
— Faraaz Kazi
Cheryl Strayed
You cannot convince people to love you. This is an absolute rule. No one will ever give you love because you want him or her to give it. Real love moves freely in both directions. Don’t waste your time on anything else.
— Cheryl Strayed
James Baldwin
You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.
— James Baldwin
Andrea Gibson
When your heart is broken, you plant seeds in the cracks and you pray for rain.
— Andrea Gibson
Brianna Wiest
This relationship affected you more than you are letting yourself believe. The ending hurt you more than you acknowledged, and you need to process that. Your continued interest in this person means there’s something about the relationship that is still unresolved, and it is probably some kind of closure or acceptance that you need to find for yourself.
— Brianna Wiest
S.C. Lourie
Be confused, it’s where you begin to learn new things. Be broken, it’s where you begin to heal. Be frustrated, it’s where you start to make more authentic decisions. Be sad, because if we are brave enough we can hear our heart’s wisdom through it. Be whatever you are right now. No more hiding. You are worthy. Always.
— S.C. Lourie
Golda Meir
Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart do not know how to laugh either.
— Golda Meir
Steve Maraboli
The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.
— Steve Maraboli
Dr. Seuss
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
— Dr. Seuss
Coco J. Ginger
When we are in love, we are convinced nobody else will do. But as time goes, others do do, and often do do, much much better.
— Coco J. Ginger
Elizabeth Gilbert
Someday you’re gonna look back on this moment of your life as such a sweet time of grieving. You’ll see that you were in mourning and your heart was broken, but your life was changing.
— Elizabeth Gilbert
Sophia Bush
You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously.
— Sophia Bush
Patti Roberts
Every time your heart is broken, a doorway cracks open to a world full of new beginnings, new opportunities.
— Patti Roberts
Ljeoma Umebinyeo
Healing comes in waves, and maybe today the wave hits the rocks. And that’s OK, that’s OK, darling. You are still healing. You are still healing.
— Ljeoma Umebinyeo
Glennon Doyle
Heartbreak delivers your purpose. If you are brave enough to accept that delivery and seek out the people doing that particular world-changing work, you find your people.
— Glennon Doyle
Stephanie Klein
What we wait around a lifetime for with one person, we can find in a moment with someone else.
— Stephanie Klein
Nicholas Sparks
The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it.
— Nicholas Sparks
Karen Salmansohn
Often, what feels like the end of the world is really a challenging pathway to a far better place.
— Karen Salmansohn
Why Quotes About Heartbreak Help
There’s something about quotes or love songs or books that bring us comfort and peace when we’re hurting? Let’s explore.
They Help Us Process: Quotes have a profound way of allowing us to feel and work through our grief. Have you ever listened to a sad song, maybe even on repeat, just so you could feel those emotions alongside the singer? It’s that same idea. According to research, these sorts of songs elicit a range of emotions, including positive ones like wonder, nostalgia, and peacefulness.
They Offer New Perspectives: When we’re in the thick of our feelings it can be difficult to see outside of our own bubble. Reading others’ thoughts on the topic opens our minds to new perspectives that may otherwise be difficult to view from where we’re sitting.
They Validate Us: Knowing that others have gone through similar experiences can help us find peace in knowing we’re not alone. These quotes about heartbreak articulate the emotions we’re experiencing and help us feel more understood.
They Motivate and Empower: Building awareness of this collective experience can motivate and empower us, too. Many heartbreak quotes highlight how this experience can actually lead to personal growth and self-discovery, and empower us to believe in our own resilience and capabilities.
Keep in Mind
As much as this hurts, and as impossible as getting to the other side of this breakup may seem, you’re going to be OK. Allow yourself to feel your grief and confusion, pour energy into yourself and your healing, and know that this door closing means many others will be revealed. The world has just opened up for you.
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