The 21 Best Quotes to Read After a Breakup

Hi, my name is Tamara, and I'm addicted to quotes, quotations, motivational words of wisdom, etc. I love quotes for all occasions—quotes that make me feel lucky to be alive, quotes that allow me to indulge in my darkest, most frightening thoughts, quotes that support my experience as a woman in the world, quotes that make me think of my childhood, of lost loves, quotes that motivate me to do better in my life and with myself.

As a child, sometime between middle and high school, the door to my room morphed from a standard, beige entrance to a portal bursting with color and font variations featuring all my favorite quotes. I liked to read them on my way out the door heading to school in the morning, and in bed before I fell asleep. Every time I'd find a new one, I'd grab a pen and embellish the backside of the door with it.

Something I haven't shared with anyone before is that at the bottom of that quote door I wrote the words in teeny, tiny lettering "Afraid to Shine" in reference to my shy teenaged self. You couldn't read the writing unless you were really looking for it and literally had your face on the floor, so no one else ever found it. Right before I graduated high school, I went in with a pen and penciled in "Not" before the word "Afraid."

I believe that literature, stories, quotations, plays, TV shows and movies all possess the ability to change lives because of their potential to make people feel, to feel connected, feel heard/understood, feel validated, feel worthy. That's what quotes for me offer, a potential to strike a chord and resonate with my own life, and in making that connection, I no longer feel so alone in my experience in this world.

The collection I present you with today is a collection of quotes for breakups, for broken souls and hearts, for those who feel they've drifted so far from themselves they don't know who they are anymore. Breakups, in my opinion, are some of the most awful moments in life. Much like death, in breakups a real loss is felt and it often permeates our every moment, everything reminding us of them, everything you used to understand now not making any sense. It's a senseless, painful time and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. And yet, they happen. I'm still recovering from a very impactful, recent breakup myself. So I wanted to share with you these words of wisdom from those wiser than myself, that have guided me through these dark times...

1. "And yes, you do deserve someone who loves you, but what you deserve most is happiness. Whether you are alone or not. You deserve to know your smile when no one is around." ~R.M. Drake
2. "I am here, I am strong, I am exactly where I belong." ~ Unknown
3. "You come home, make some tea, sit down in your armchair, and all around there's silence. Everyone decides for themselves whether this is loneliness or freedom." ~Unknown
4. "You've got to do what's right for you because in the end, life goes on, people lose interest and you deserve to live your life to the fullest everyday." ~ R.M. Drake
5. "We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." ~ Joseph Campbell
6. "The woman (man) you are becoming will cost you people, relationships, spaces, and material things. Choose her (him) or everything." ~The Good Quote
7. "Had I not created my whole world, I would certainly have died in other people’s." ~Anais Nin
8. "If you don't love yourself, you cannot love others. You will not be able to love others." ~ Dalai Lama
9. "A woman (man) is unstoppable once she (he) realizes she (he) deserves better." ~Unknown
10. "It is okay to not be okay." ~Unknown
11. "Don’t you dare, for one more second, surround yourself with people who are not aware of the greatness that you are." ~Jo Blackwell-Preston
12. "And you tried to change, didn’t you? Closed your mouth more. Tried to be softer, prettier, less volatile, less awake… You can’t make homes out of human beings. Someone should have already told you that. And if he wants to leave, then let him leave. You are terrifying, and strange, and beautiful. Something not everyone knows how to love." ~Warsan Shire
13. "If it hurts your soul, let go of it." ~ Najwa Zebian
14. "The longer you ignore what's truly bothering you, the deeper the wound becomes." ~ Scottie Waves
15. "Ever loved someone so much, you would do anything for them? Yeah, well make that someone yourself and do whatever the hell you want." ~Harvey Specter
16. "Just because you miss them doesn't mean you need them." ~The Good Quote
17. "You CANNOT give another human being the responsibility of your happiness." ~The Good Quote
18. "Stay away from people that make you feel like you're hard to love." ~The Good Quote
19. "If your heart hurts a little after letting go of someone or something, that's okay. It just means that your feelings were genuine. No one likes ends. And no one likes pain. But sometimes we have to put things that were once good to an end after they turn toxic to our wellbeing. Not every new beginning is meant to last forever, And not every person who walks into your life is meant to stay." ~Najwa Zebian
20. "Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." ~ Marilyn Monroe
21. "When we’re incomplete, we’re always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we’re still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on—series polygamy—until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us, and to believe otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously and to program for eventual failure every relationship we enter." ~ Tom Robbins

I hope these quotes provide you with some insight, healing and reflection whether you're recovering from a breakup, in the midst of a breakup, or considering what you really want out of a relationship. It's essential to consistently ask ourselves, "Is this contributing to the life I ultimately want for myself," whether that question is directed at a relationship, job, friend group, etc. Don't ever get too comfortable if you're unhappy inside, if your soul knows you need different. Remember that pain, unbearable, heart-breaking, world-shattering pain, does eventually too end. And as much as it sucks to hear it, it truly will only make you stronger, better prepared for everything your future will throw at you, and wiser for everything that is to come.

I know it hurts. But I also know it will get better. With that, I'd like to end with a bonus quote from Yoko Ono. The quote goes like this:

“Healing yourself is connected with healing others.”

I want to let this quote be the purpose behind my compiling of this collection of quotes. Through healing myself, I hope to help heal others. And in a larger sense—in working on myself, improving, and becoming the most thoughtful, kind, understanding person I can be, I am positively affecting the rest of the world. Let us all remember that and let it guide us through difficult times.

Stay strong, friends.