Sometimes, life feels like an endless climb up a steep hill. You try and try, but the top seems farther away with each step. In these moments, giving up feels like a looming option. But before you make that choice, it can help to hear the wisdom of those who have faced similar struggles.
This list of quotes isn’t about defeat; it’s about understanding when it’s okay to let go. Maybe it’s the push you need or the sign you’ve been waiting for. Each quote is a small piece of advice wrapped in experience and empathy.
Finding Peace Quotes
“Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.” – Nicole Sobon
“You only lose what you cling to.” – Buddha
“Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be.” – Sonia Ricotti
“One of the happiest moments in life is when you find the courage to let go of what you cannot change.” – Unknown
“The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” – Steve Maraboli
“Sometimes, letting go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.” – Eckhart Tolle
“The art is not one of forgetting but letting go. And when everything else is gone, you can be rich in loss.” – Rebecca Solnit
“Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.” – Guy Finley
“There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.” – Unknown
“By letting it go, it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go.” – Lao Tzu
“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” – Raymond Lindquist
“You can’t move forward if you’re still hanging on.” – Sue Fitzmaurice
“Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.” – Steve Maraboli
“Letting go doesn’t mean that you don’t care about someone anymore. It’s just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself.” – Deborah Reber
“Change can be good but it’s always tough to let go of the past.” – Emily Giffin
“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell
“Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.” – Daphne Rose Kingma
“You don’t need strength to let go of something. What you really need is understanding.” – Guy Finley
“Sometimes you have to let things go. Sometimes you have to stop caring for a while.” – Heather Topham Wood
“The past always looks better than it was because it isn’t here.” – Finley Peter Dunne
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.” – Hermann Hesse
“Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain.” – Mary Manin Morrissey
“Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
“Life moves on and so should we.” – Spencer Johnson
“The only real battle in life is between hanging on and letting go.” – Shannon L. Alder
“Let go of your attachment to being right, and suddenly your mind is more open.” – Ralph Marston
Inspirational Quotes for Letting Go
“Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.” – Nicole Sobon
“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” – Steve Maraboli
“Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.” – Steve Maraboli
“You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy.” – C. JoyBell C.
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” – Hermann Hesse
“The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” – Steve Maraboli
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
“Letting go isn’t a one-time thing, it’s something you have to do every day, over and over again.” – Dawson’s Creek
“The art of letting go is simply the ability to let go of the past and welcome new beginnings.” – Unknown
“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” – Raymond Lindquist
“You don’t have to let that one thing be the thing that defines you.” – Jojo Moyes
“Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.” – Daphne Rose Kingma
“You can’t grasp the future if you’re still clinging to the past.” – Unknown
“Let go of your attachment to being right, and suddenly your mind is more open.” – Ralph Marston
“You can only lose what you cling to.” – Buddha
“The only real battle in life is between hanging on and letting go.” – Shannon L. Alder
“Letting go means to let go of all the thoughts that keep you stuck.” – Unknown
“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” – Dalai Lama
“We need to learn to let go as easily as we grasp and we will find our hands full and our minds empty.” – Leo F. Buscaglia
“Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain.” – Mary Manin Morrissey
“Sometimes, when one door closes, you find yourself in front of a window.” – Anonymous
“Letting go isn’t giving up, it’s understanding that the best is yet to come.” – Unknown
“Sometimes we have to fight to let go of the past, not for the sake of the future, but for the sake of ourselves.” – Original
“The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go.” – Steve Maraboli
“Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.” – Steve Maraboli
“Sometimes holding on does more damage than letting go.” – Unknown
“The more you try to control something, the more it controls you. Free yourself, and let things take their own natural course.” – Unknown
Quotes to Foster Positive Change
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Change is the end result of all true learning.” – Leo Buscaglia
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” – Oprah Winfrey
“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” – Robin Williams
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” – Viktor E. Frankl
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates
“Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.” – Mandy Hale
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” – Andy Warhol
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – André Gide
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass
“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” – John C. Maxwell
“We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are.” – Max Depree
“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” – Deepak Chopra
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
“Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” – Peter Marshall
“Change brings opportunity.” – Nido Qubein
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller
Quotes on Accepting Reality
“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” – Nathaniel Branden
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” – Philip K. Dick
“Happiness can exist only in acceptance.” – George Orwell
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.” – Lao Tzu
“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.” – William James
“To be truly radical is to make hope possible, rather than despair convincing.” – Raymond Williams
“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” – Søren Kierkegaard
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” – Albert Einstein
“It is easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.” – Alfred Adler
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” – Rumi
“The art of life is the art of avoiding pain.” – Thomas Jefferson
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – J.K. Rowling
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts
“Sometimes accepting the truth is the most difficult step, but it is also the most liberating one.” – Unknown
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing that you will make one.” – Elbert Hubbard
“Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there’s got to be a way through it.” – Michael J. Fox
“Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form.” – Jean-Luc Godard
“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins
“There is a time for departure even when there’s no certain place to go.” – Tennessee Williams
“The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.” – Elisabeth Foley
Moving On from Difficult Times Quotes
“Coming out of hard times, we learn to cherish the softest moments.” – Original
“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” – Ernest Hemingway
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” – Seneca
“It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform.” – Roy T. Bennett
“Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending.” – Carl Bard
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus
“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” – Victor Hugo
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” – C.S. Lewis
“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” – J.K. Rowling
“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” – John Green
“Let go or be dragged.” – Zen Proverb
“The only real battle in life is between hanging on and letting go.” – Shannon L. Alder
“Life is tough, my darling, but so are you.” – Stephanie Bennett-Henry
“Sometimes life’s storms can be a blessing in disguise, as they clear the path for us to see the sun again.” – Original
“And now, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.” – J.K. Rowling
“Take a deep breath and let it go; all your troubles will flow.” – Original
“Courage doesn’t always roar, sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” – Mary Anne Radmacher
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
“Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.” – Jacques Prevert
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“This too shall pass.” – Persian Proverb
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher
“The comeback is always stronger than the setback.” – Original
“Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand.” – Hayley Williams
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Quotes to Inspire Fresh Beginnings
“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” – T.S. Eliot
“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” – Meister Eckhart
“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” – Plato
“What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” – Henry Ford
“Beginnings are always messy.” – John Galsworthy
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” – J.P. Morgan
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
“Each day is a new life. Seize it. Live it.” – David Guy Powers
“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” – C.S. Lewis
“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” – Lao Tzu
“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.” – Guy Finley
“Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.” – Dale Turner
“Embrace the new beginning, for it holds the promise of untold adventures.” – Anonymous
“The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.” – Josiyah Martin
“Your journey is much more important than the destination.” – Anonymous
“Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward.” – Erika Taylor
“Each new chapter of our lives requests an old part of us to fall and a new part of us to rise.” – Jenna Galbut
“Change is the essence of life; be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
“Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s the middle that counts. You have to remember that when you find yourself at the beginning.” – Sandra Bullock
“The best time for new beginnings is now.” – Anonymous
Self-Love and Moving On Quotes
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” – Oscar Wilde
“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha
“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them. Time will reveal everything.” – Ernest Hemingway
“If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” – RuPaul
“You are very powerful, provided you know how powerful you are.” – Yogi Bhajan
“Do not wait for someone else to come and speak for you. It’s you who can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzai
“Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.” – Nicole Sobon
“Know your worth, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” – Unknown
“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” – Nora Ephron
“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball
“You are allowed to let go of all those that do not set you free anymore.” – Dhiman
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.” – Brené Brown
“Sometimes you have to give up on people, not because you don’t care, but because they don’t.” – Unknown
“You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” – Unknown
“Learning to love yourself is like learning to walk—essential, life-changing, and the first step to any other love.” – Unknown
“Self-love is not selfish; you cannot truly love another until you know how to love yourself.” – Unknown
“Sometimes the only way to win is to stop playing.” – Unknown
“Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you.” – Katie Reed
“The only one you should worry about pleasing is yourself.” – Charlene Ross
“Letting go has nothing to do with giving up, and everything to do with moving on.” – Unknown
“Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have.” – Robert Holden
“It’s not about giving up. It’s about letting go of what’s no longer right for you.” – Unknown
“Be enough for yourself first, the rest of the world can wait.” – Unknown
“Remember, you’ve been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” – Louise L. Hay
“Life is too short to waste it on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you.” – Roy T. Bennett
“The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die.” – Juliette Lewis
“Sometimes you have to forget what’s gone, appreciate what remains, and look forward to what’s coming next.” – Unknown
Conclusion
Letting go is often a tough but necessary part of life. The quotes we’ve shared remind us that giving up isn’t always a sign of weakness; sometimes, it’s the strongest choice we can make for our well-being. These quotes offer comfort, wisdom, and a new perspective when you’re facing difficult decisions.
Whether you’re dealing with a challenging job, a draining relationship, or a personal struggle, these words can provide a guiding light. Pause, reflect, and let these quotes inspire you to make decisions that best serve your future. Sometimes, moving forward means knowing when to step back.