Article image

11 Quotes on the Power of Letting Go

Sometimes the hardest thing in life is letting go of what’s holding you back. It could be a painful situation you have to overcome, the loss of someone you love, the consequences of a poor choice, a deflating job, or even just a negative mindset you can’t shake. We can get stuck in a holding pattern where we focus on the things that we struggle with, and wind up in a cycle of stress, frustration, and sadness.

But there’s good news: Once you let go of whatever hurt, anger, or regret you’re holding on to, you’re able to move forward freely. You have the ability to start out on a new path, unencumbered by the weight of what you’ve left behind. If you’re standing on the precipice of that new start, these 11 quotes will inspire you to let go, and move forward.

Forgiveness is a reflection of loving yourself enough to move on.
Steve Maraboli

Share Quote

You only struggle because you're ready to grow but aren't willing to let go.
Drew Gerald

Share Quote

Forgiveness is just another name for freedom.
Byron Katie

Share Quote

Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future. The past is closed and limited; the future is open and free.
Deepak Chopra

Share Quote

The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.
Steve Maraboli

Share Quote

To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds.
Gerald G. Jampolsky

Share Quote

You can’t go back and make a new start, but you can start right now and make a brand new ending.
James R. Sherman

Share Quote

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.
John A. Shedd

Share Quote

Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Share Quote

You have two choices: to control your mind or to let your mind control you.
Paulo Coelho

Share Quote

What we find in life is based on where we put our attention. When we focus on the small worlds our thoughts create, we miss out on the beauty and possibilities we are meant to enjoy.
Guy Finley

Share Quote

Featured image credit: Obradovic/ iStock

Author image
About the Author
Jennifer Billock
Jennifer is a writer, traveler, witch, and unapologetic Chicagoan. @jenniferbillock
Play more header background
Play more icon
Daily Question
Fill in the blank: "___ is the honoring of others in a way that grants them the grace of their own autonomy." - Anne Truitt

More Inspiration

happiness theme icon

Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.

separator icon
Oprah Winfrey
motivation theme icon

"Enough" is a feast.

separator icon
Buddhist proverb
hope theme icon

Judge nothing, you will be happy. Forgive everything, you will be happier.

separator icon
Sri Chinmoy
love theme icon

Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.

separator icon
Bruce Lee
wisdom theme icon

Every noble work is at first impossible.

separator icon
Thomas Carlyle
happiness theme icon

A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.

separator icon
Frank Capra
motivation theme icon

Art is a spiritual function of man, which aims at freeing him from life's chaos.

separator icon
Kurt Schwitters
hope theme icon

The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.

separator icon
Carl Jung
love theme icon

The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.

separator icon
William Blake
wisdom theme icon

Travel is the traveler. What we see isn't what we see but what we are.

separator icon
Fernando Pessoa
happiness theme icon

Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.

separator icon
Epictetus