206 Empowering Quotes On Leaving Abusive Relationships

Toxic relationships are emotionally draining and may take a toll on a person’s mental wellbeing. Whether you are searching for a bit of help and healing or your loved one is under stress, these abusive relationship quotes may provide you with some comfort and hope. Arguments and fights will come up in every relationship at some point, but when things are out of control, devastation ensues. And that is why it is crucial to look out for the red flags, recognize the signs of a toxic relationship (like power imbalance, gaslighting, and codependency), and find the strength to end it. The following quotes may provide comfort in such difficult situations. Take a look.

206 Abusive Relationships Quotes

There are numerous types of bad relationships, and an abusive relationship is one of the most damaging. It can erode your self-esteem, sense of safety, and overall well-being. Here are some quotes that may help you find strength.

1. “The quiet but inexorable breaking down of self-esteem is much more sinister – it’s a violation of the soul.” – Rachel Abbott
2. “There’s nothing worse than being used, except for denying it and allowing it to continue.” – Anonymous
3. “A healthy relationship does not drag you down. It inspires you to be better.” – Mandy Hale
4. “So many people suffer from abuse, and suffer alone.” – Pamela Stephenson
5. “Domestic abuse happens only in intimate, interdependent, long-term relationships – in other words, in families – the last place we would want or expect to find violence.” – Leslie Morgan Steiner
6. “Mental abuse is much more painful than physical abuse because you are consumed by your own thoughts.” – Anonymous
7. “Family is supposed to be our safe haven. Very often, it’s the place where we find the deepest heartache.” – Iyanla Vanzant
8. “One of the obstacles to recognizing chronic mistreatment in relationships is that most abusive men simply don’t seem like abusers. They have many good qualities, including times of kindness, warmth, and humor, especially in the early period of a relationship. An abuser’s friends may think the world of him. He may have a successful work life and have no problems with drugs or alcohol. He may simply not fit anyone’s image of a cruel or intimidating person. So, when a woman feels her relationship spinning out of control, it is unlikely to occur to her that her partner is an abuser.” – Lundy Bancroft
9. “Most of us knew in our bones that things with the world weren’t right, long before it became a crisis.” – Pernell Plath Meier
10. “A healthy relationship will never require you to sacrifice your friends, your dream, or your dignity.” – Mandy Hale
11. “When dealing with a person or entity that gaslights, look at what they are doing rather than what they are saying. What they are saying means nothing; it is just talk. What they are doing is the issue.” – Stephanie A. Sarkis
12. “Periods of kindness, no matter how short, bond the victim to her abuser.” – Jess Hill
13. “Gaslighters know that people like having a sense of stability and normalcy. Their goal is to uproot this and make you constantly question everything.” – Stephanie A. Sarkis
14. “Playing the victim role: Manipulator portrays him- or herself as a victim of circumstance or of someone else’s behavior in order to gain pity, sympathy, or evoke compassion, and thereby get something from another. Caring and conscientious people cannot stand to see anyone suffering and the manipulator often finds it easy to play on sympathy to get cooperation.” – George K. Simon Jr.
15. “Controllers, abusers and manipulative people don’t question themselves. They don’t ask themselves if the problem is them. They always say the problem is someone else.” – Darlene Ouimet
16. “It is fine to commiserate with a man about his bad experience with a previous partner, but the instant he uses her as an excuse to mistreat you, stop believing anything he tells you about that relationship and instead recognize it as a sign that he has problems with relating to women.” – Lundy Bancroft
17. “No matter how much a couple once loved each other, once emotional abuse becomes a consistent aspect of the relationship, that love is overshadowed by fear, anger, guilt, and shame.” – Beverly Engel
18. “The disrespect and hatred each partner begins to feel leads to more and more emotional abuse and to each partner justifying inappropriate, even destructive, behavior.” – Beverly Engel
19. “Poisonous relationships can alter our perception. You can spend many years thinking you’re worthless… but you’re not worthless, you’re unappreciated.” – Steve Maraboli
20. “Sometimes we refuse to see how bad something is until it completely destroys us.” – Anonymous
21. “We should meet abuse by forbearance. Human nature is so constituted that if we take absolutely no notice of anger or abuse, the person indulging in it will soon weary of it and stop.” – Mahatma Gandhi
22. “Intimidation, even if it appears unintentional, is a sign that emotional abuse is on the way — or has already begun — and is a warning flag that physical violence may eventually follow.” – Lundy Bancroft
23. “As in all abusive relationships, the abused mistakenly assumes the kindest version of the abuser is the real one.” – Chris Holm

24. “The abuse dies in a day, but the denial slays the life of the people, and entombs the hope of the race.” – Charles Bradlaugh
25. “You can’t change someone who doesn’t see an issue in their actions.” – Anonymous
26. “Embedded in their psyche was the story of what had happened to the world, and the boys felt glorious to be on the other side of the madness” – Pernell Plath Meier
27. “The scars from mental cruelty can be as deep and long-lasting as wounds from punches or slaps but are often not as obvious. In fact, even among women who have experienced violence from a partner, half or more report that the man’s emotional abuse is what is causing them the greatest harm.” – Lundy Bancroft
28. “I’d lost myself in the abyss of someone else’s tyranny…again.” – Cassandra Giovanni
29. “The toxic behaviors were there before you decided to enter into relationships with them. The signs were there. You may have chosen to look the other way, but the signs were there.” – P.A. Speers
30. “‘Why does she stay?’ is code for some people for ‘It’s her fault for staying,’ as if victims intentionally choose to fall in love with men intent upon destroying us.” – Morgan Steiner
31. “The moment you start to wonder if you deserve better, you do.” – Anonymous
32. “Abusive people feel a surge of power when they discover a weakness. They exploit it, using it to gain more power. Crying or complaining confirms that they’ve poked you in the right spot.” – Christina Enevoldsen
33. “I am often asked whether physical aggression by women toward men, such as a slap in the face, is abuse. The answer is: “It depends.” Men typically experience women’s shoves or slaps as annoying and infuriating rather than intimidating, so the long-term emotional effects are less damaging. It is rare to find a man who has gradually lost his freedom or self-esteem because of a woman’s aggressiveness.” – Lundy Bancroft
34. “Over time, anger can build up on the part of both abuser and victim, and emotional abuse can turn into physical violence.” – Beverly Engel
35. “Do you feel alone in your relationship? Abusers isolate their partner from friends and family, and make them dependent financially, socially, and physically.” – Anonymous
36. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” – Maya Angelou
37. “You’re fat and you’re ugly and you always have been ugly. You think those words don’t have power? It’s funny when I say it in a joking sense, but when it comes from the mouth of someone I have given my all to… you think those words won’t stay longer than you, outlive you, outlast you? Those words will be there forever. Words have power.” – TD Jakes
38. “You may develop physical or emotional reactions to swallowing your anger, such as depression, nightmares, emotional numbing, or eating and sleeping problems, which your partner may use as an excuse to belittle you further or make you feel crazy.” – Lundy Bancroft
39. “It’s like one day you flipped a switch and became someone I never knew.” – Anonymous
40. “Emotional abuse is designed to undermine another’s a sense of self. It is deliberate humiliation, with the intent to seize control of how others feel about themselves.” – Lorraine Nilon
41. “If you walked away from a toxic, negative, abusive, one-sided, dead-end low vibrational relationship or friendship — you won.” – Lalah Delia
42. “Malignant narcissists and sociopaths use word salad, circular conversations, ad hominem arguments, projection and gas lighting to disorient you and get you off track should you ever disagree with them or challenge them in any way. They do this in order to discredit, confuse and frustrate you, distract you from the main problem and make you feel guilty for being a human being with actual thoughts and feelings that might differ from their own. In their eyes, you are the problem if you happen to exist.” – Shahida Arabi
43. “If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t they never were.” – Richard Bach

44. “It’s so easy to look around and notice what’s wrong. It takes practice to see what’s right.” – Melody Beattie
45. “Letting go means we stop trying to force outcomes and make people behave. It means we give up resistance to the way things are, for the moment. It means we stop trying to do the impossible-controlling that which we cannot-and instead, focus on what is possible-which usually means taking care of ourselves. And we do this in gentleness, kindness, and love, as much as possible.” – Melody Beattie
46. “Letting go helps us to live in a more peaceful state of mind and helps restore our balance. It allows others to be responsible for themselves and for us to take our hands off situations that do not belong to us. This frees us from unnecessary stress.” – Melody Beattie
47. “Accept yourself. Love yourself just as you are. Your finest work, your best moments, your joy, peace, and healing come when you love yourself. You give a great gift to the world when you do that. You give others permission to do the same: to love themselves. Revel in self love. Roll in it. Bask in it, as you would the sunshine.” – Melody Beattie
48. “She’d worn anxiety like a thick robe for so long that it was hard for her to take it off.” – Pernell Plath Meier
49. “The scars you can’t see are the hardest to heal.” – Astrid Alauda
50. “Emotional abuse cuts to the very core of a person, creating scars that may be longer lasting than physical ones.” – Beverly Engel
51. “I trusted you but now your words mean nothing to me, because your actions spoke the truth.” – Anonymous
52. “Worrying, obsessing, and controlling are illusions. They are tricks we play on ourselves.” – Melody Beattie
53. “Being single and happy is better than being sad and afraid in an abusive relationship.” – Anonymous
54. “A woman should never invest in a relationship she wouldn’t want for her daughter, nor allow any man to treat her in a way she would scold her son for.” – Charles J. Orlando
55. “You can have a pet zebra and put that zebra into a small cage every day and tell the zebra that you love it, but no matter how you and the zebra love each other, the fact remains that the zebra should be let out of that cage and should belong to someone who can treat it better, the way it should be treated, someone who can make it happy.” – C. JoyBell C.
56. “Life is always moving, changing, shifting into its next shape. The movement is natural. It is how we evolve. Let the shifts happen. Take responsibility for yourself each step of the way. Trust the new shape and form of your world.” – Melody Beattie
57. “Well, I went through some emotionally abusive relationships and allowed myself to not be properly respected as a lady, as a human being even, though I tried everything I knew to be a lady.” – Gloria Gaynor
58. “You’re in a relationship to be happy, to smile, to laugh, and to make good memories, not to be constantly upset, to feel hurt, and to cry.” – Anonymous
59. “There are far too many silent sufferers. Not because they don’t yearn to reach out, but because they’ve tried and found no one who cares.” – Richelle E. Goodrich
60. “Bullies may be the perpetrators of evil, but it is the evil of passivity of all those who know what is happening and never intervene that perpetuates such abuse.” – Philip Zimbardo
61. “With emotional abuse, the insults, insinuations, criticism, and accusations slowly eat away at the victim’s self-esteem until he or she is incapable of judging a situation realistically. He or she may begin to believe that there is something wrong with them or even fear they are losing their mind. They have become so beaten down emotionally that they blame themselves for the abuse.” – Beverly Engel
62. “Sometimes, no matter how hard we try for someone and hope that they will get better in time – they never do. Abusive relationships shouldn’t have a key to your chambers of heart. Hold your key and keep it close. Don’t end up getting addicted to such pain or human beings – for that matter. You might not be Thor but they can surely be Loki & hold you prisoner to their trickster nature.” – Sijdah Hussain

63. “The quiet but inexorable breaking down of self-esteem is much more sinister – it’s violation of the soul.” – Rachel Abbott

64. “Friends say: ‘Leave him.’ But she knows it won’t be that easy. He will promise to change. He’ll get friends and relatives to feel sorry for him and pressure her to give him another chance. He’ll get severely depressed, causing her to worry whether he’ll be all right. And, depending on what style of abuser he is, she may know that he will become dangerous when she tries to leave him. She may even be concerned that he will try to take her children away from her, as some abusers do.” – Lundy Bancroft
65. “How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.” – Wayne Dyer
66. “When you react, you are giving away your power. When you respond, you are staying in control of yourself.” – Bob Proctor
67. “It’s not the situation, but whether we react, or respond, to the situation that’s important.” – Zig Ziglar
68. “What happens is not as important as how you react to what happens.” – Ellen Glasgow
69. “Respond; don’t react. Listen; don’t talk. Think; don’t assume.” – Raji Lukkoor
70. “Respond from your strengths rather than react from your fears.” – Eric Allenbaugh
71. “Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in the problem.” – Jonathan Mead
72. “The emotionally cold or distant trait also rears its head during arguments when one person is experiencing and expressing significant emotion and the narcissistic person just checks out and does not respond—or does so in a cold and clipped manner.” – Ramani Durvasula
73. “Get pissed because you deserve more than this abuse. Emotional abuse is the gateway to all abuse. Get out!” – Tracy Malone
74. “The results of any traumatic experience, such as abuse, can only be resolved by experiencing, articulating, and judging every facet of the original experience within a process of careful therapeutic disclosure.” – Alice Miller
75. “Your abuser’s trauma does not justify them abusing you.” – Anonymous
76. “A healthy relationship doesn’t drag you down. It inspires you to be better.” – Mandy Hale
77. “Women tend to work hard to avoid being hurt or to stop their partners from abusing them, but they aren’t successful. You cannot make your partner abuse you and you can’t make him not abuse you. These are his choices and his alone. The task is to refocus on yourself and your recovery.” – Carol A. Lambert
78. “Never make yourself feel like nothing to make someone else feel like everything.” – Anonymous
79. “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coelho
80. “I am done looking for love where it doesn’t exist. I am done coughing up dust in attempts to drink from dry wells.” – Maggie Young

81. “There is no safe way to remain in a relationship with a person who has no conscience. The only solution is to escape.” – Anonymous
82. “Overcoming abuse doesn’t just happen, It takes positive steps everyday. Let today be the day you start to move forward.” – Assunta Harris
83. “Don’t let your loyalty become slavery. If they don’t appreciate what you bring to the table, then let them eat alone.” – Jordan Hoechlin

84. “It is better to break your own heart by leaving an abusive relationship, rather than having that person breaking your heart every day.” – Anonymous
85. “If he makes you lose your family, lose your friends, lose your confidence, lose your self-esteem, or lose your happiness, then you need to lose him.” – Anonymous
86. “Today I will stop trying to control my relationships. I will participate at a reasonable level and let the other person do the same. I can let go, knowing that the relationship will find its own life-or not-and that I don’t have to do all the work, only my share.” – Melody Beattie
87. “Live your life from your heart. Share from your heart. And your story will touch and heal people’s souls.” – Melody Beattie
88. “Believing that things happen too slowly or too quickly is an illusion. Timing is perfect.” – Melody Beattie
89. “Whatever we try to control does have control over us and our life.” – Melody Beattie
90. “We don’t just get our choice; we get the consequence that choice creates.” – Melody Beattie
91. “I used to spend so much time reacting and responding to everyone else that my life had no direction. Other people’s lives, problems, and wants set the course for my life. Once I realized it was okay for me to think about and identify what I wanted, remarkable things began to take place in my life.” – Melody Beattie
92. “Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul.” – Dave Pelzer
93. “Emotional abuse is the leading reason of suicide victims.” – Anonymous
94. “All too often women believe it is a sign of commitment, an expression of love, to endure unkindness or cruelty, to forgive and forget. In actuality, when we love rightly we know that the healthy, loving response to cruelty and abuse is putting ourselves out of harm’s way.” – Bell Hooks

95. “We survive by remembering. But sometimes we survive by forgetting.” – Silberling
96. “There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” – Laurell K. Hamilton
97. “Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than to hurt yourself putting it back together.” – Anonymous
98. “When someone isn’t treating you right, no matter how much you love them, you’ve got to love yourself more and walk away.” – Anonymous
99. “Abuse changes your life… Fight back and change the life of your abusers by breaking your silence on abuse!” – Patty Rase Hopson
100. “Being single is better than being lied to, cheated on and disrespected.” – Anonymous
101. “Never forget that walking away from something unhealthy is brave even if you stumble a little on your way out the door.” – Mandy Hale
102. “Emotional abuse is the silent marriage killer.” – Austin James
103. “It’s hard to look for the light when you are lost in darkness.” – Anonymous
104. “Bruises heal, but you don’t forget words and emotions, how an abuser makes you feel about yourself.” – Anonymous
105. “Emotional abuse poisons a relationship and infuses it with hostility, contempt, and hatred.” – Beverly Engel
106. “Emotional abuse is a nonphysical behavior or attitude that controls, demeans, punishes or isolates a person.” – Dee Brown
107. “Your abusive partner doesn’t have a problem with his anger; he has a problem with your anger. One of the basic human rights he takes away from you is the right to be angry with him. No matter how badly he treats you, he believes that your voice shouldn’t rise and your blood shouldn’t boil.” – Lundy Bancroft
108. “The biggest abuses in society happen when people are not able to communicate and not able to connect.” – Heather Brooke
109. “When people conclude that anger causes abuse, they are confusing cause and effect…Abusers carry attitudes that produce fury.” – Lundy Bancroft
110. “Right now, I’m following the Buddhist principle: Smile as abuse is hurled your way and this too shall pass.” – Aishwarya Rai
111. “There isn’t a single human in history with a past misfortunate enough to excuse beating the person you’re supposed to protect.” – Colleen Hoover
112. “As the emotional abuse takes its toll and each partner becomes less and less self-assured, each clings to the relationship even more.” – Beverly Engel
113. “Every abuse ought to be reformed, unless the reform is more dangerous than the abuse itself.” – Voltaire
114. “I met a lot of amazing people whose lives were changed (for the better) by the power of music. Music gave them strength to get out of abusive relationships or to just pick up a musical instrument and learn to play.” – Lita Ford
115. “Psychological invalidation is one of the most lethal forms of emotional abuse. It kills confidence, creativity and individuality.” – Dr. Anne Brown
116. “In emotionally abusive relationships there is a determined intent to formulate statements or actions which leave a person feeling awful.” – Dee Brown
117. “The insidiousness and power of emotional abuse paralleled the invisibility, strength, and purpose of a spider’s web.”  – Jess Hill
118. “Abuse is the means in which violence retards love.”  – Inga Muscio
119. “Emotional abuse is a major epidemic in our culture.” – Beverly Engel
120. “I’ve heard that people stand in bad situations because a relationship like that gets turned up by degrees. It is said that a frog will jump out of a pot of boiling water. Place him in a pot and turn it up a little at a time, and he will stay until he is boiled to death. Us frogs understand this.” – Deb Caletti
121. “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.”  – Edmund Burke
122. “Sometimes telling ourselves ‘Everything happens for a reason’ or ‘It made me stronger’ is a way to avoid our grief, our vulnerability, and our helplessness.” – Jordan Pickell
123. “Often things are as bad as they seem.” – Sheldon B. Kopp

124. “Ultimately, given enough time, most victims of emotional abuse come not only to blame themselves for all the problems in the relationship but also to believe that they are inadequate, contemptuous, and even unlovable.”  – Beverly Engel
125. “It is not the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind.”  – Aisha Mirza
126. “Emotional abuse is the least understood form of abuse.” – Beverly Engel
127. “Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength.” – Henry Rollins
128. “When a toxic person can no longer control you, they will try to control how others see you. The misinformation will seem unfair but rise above it, trusting that others will eventually see the truth, just as you did.”  – Jill Blakeway
129. “You survived the abuse. You’re going to survive the recovery.” – Mariska Hargitay
130. “If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment.”  – Carlos Santana
131. “It is impossible to correct abuses unless we know that they’re going on.” – Julian Assange
132. “Don’t confuse “familiar” with “acceptable”. Toxic relationships can fool you like that.” – Steve Maraboli
133. “When it comes to abuse, you believe there’s no way out. There is always help. There is always a way out.”  – Donna Mulvey
134. “I have loved you. I have trusted you. Part of me will always belong to you. But not all of me. You saw that I was afraid and worked to keep me that way. You saw that I was lonely and reminded me of it every time I thought of leaving you.” – Claire Legrand
135. “If you cannot find a good companion to walk with, walk alone, like an elephant roaming the jungle. It is better to be alone than to be with those who will hinder your progress.” – Buddha
136. “Walking away from someone you love is not an immoral thing. If that person isn’t good for your wellbeing in any way, it’s important to step away from that relationship.” – Arien Smith
137. “Toxic and abusive people love sending you emotional bills for debts you’ve already paid. I call them Plungers… because they love to bring up old shit.” – Steve Maraboli
138. “Abusive relationships shouldn’t have a key to your chambers of heart. Hold your key and keep it close.” – Sijdah Hussain
139. “When a bird is released from its cage, it flies away and never returns. Like a bird, fly away to power and freedom.” – Michael Bassey Johnson
140. “The presence of the person you hate is far more agonizing than the absence of the person you love.” – Shon Mehta
141. “True and real friends don’t feel the need to be praised and worshiped.” – Michael Bassey Johnson
142. “He’s proven to me that I’m not safe when I’m alone with him, so that privilege is over.” – Colleen Hoover, It Starts with Us
143. “The hardest part of being in an emotionally abusive relationship, it’s actually admitting you’re in one.” – Anna Akana

144. “Emotional abuse is considered by many to be the most painful form of violence and the most detrimental to self-esteem.”  – Beverly Engel
145. “I overcame my fear of loneliness when you showed me how lonely I can be when you’re around.” – Khadidja Megaache
146. “Do not be blind in love and try not to suffer in silence.” – Alba Castillo
147. “Abuse is the weakest expression of strength. It is weakness to destroy what you ought to protect, build and make better.” – Kingsley Opuwari Manuel
148. “It took me a long time to realize the difference between the people we are drawn to and the people who are good for us.” – Steve Maraboli
149. “Being abused causes pain, outrage, hate, vengeance, confusion, and misery can only break what goodness remains.” – James Hilton
150. “Self-sacrifice can sometimes be a well-honed weapon that the fanatic wields for destructive emotional purposes. Moreover, those who are eager to sacrifice themselves will not find it difficult to sacrifice others.” – Amos Oz
151. “An emotionally abusive relationship, in very simplistic terms, is much like standing up in a too hot bath and sinking back in so as not to feel so dizzy.” – Jackie Haze
152. “Sometimes I cry, wondering how it was possible that I could have been so goddamn weak, so freaking spineless. Without you around, I can finally see all the ways you’d kept my heart shackled to yours.” – Heather Demetrios
153. “It’s never pretty when you leave an abusive and controlling relationship. The warden always protests when the prison gets shut-down.” – Steve Maraboli
154. “So while I was busy saving you from hell, you were pushing me further to it; the poison murdering me well.” – Shannon Perry
155. “Once you learn to be happy, you won’t tolerate being around people who make you feel anything less.” – Germany Kent
156. “If they are hurting your feelings, it probably started on day one, you were just too blind to notice it, find someone else.” – Andrew Trucker
157. “You are aggressive”, says the emotional abusive.” – Mark Brightlife
158. “If your partner has ever humiliated you.. he can never respect you all over again…” – Himmilicious
159. “Like a constant ringing in the ears or background noise, the frequency of emotional abuse has caused us to try to ignore it since we can’t ever seem to get away from it. And if we can ignore it, we can deny not only its existence but also its effects” – Gregory L. Jantz
160. “Each time he came he would twist my defenseless body into a different pose, as if I were his very own doll” –  Rachel Abbott
161. “Abusers manipulate victims into abandoning their own reality, forcing them to accept the abuser’s version.”  – Amy Marlow-MaCoy
162. “Revenge is surviving, getting out, and being a better person than you were, and breaking the cycle.”  – Kristy Green
163. “Emotional abuse is the demolition of someone’s identity. And it’s an abuse of their psychological and emotional self.” – Dr. Liz Hale

164. Abuse grows from attitudes and values, not feelings. The roots are ownership, the trunk is entitlement, and the branches are control.” – Lundy Bancroft
165. “Stop telling yourself you can fix him. He’s been this way for a long, long time and he doesn’t intend to change. Save yourself instead, get out while there’s still time.”  – John Mark Green
166. “Staying in an unhealthy relationship that robs you of peace of mind, is not being loyal. It is choosing to hurt yourself mentally, emotionally and sometimes, physically.” – Kemi Sogunie
167. “Some scars don’t hurt. Some scars are numb. Some scars rid you of the capacity to feel anything ever again.” – Joyce Rachelle
168. “I’m still coping with my trauma, but coping by trying to find different ways to heal it rather than hide it.”  – Clemantine Wamariya
169. Abusers who engage in gaslighting tactics often project onto you things that they have done, such as telling you that you’re confused, crazy, or intoxicated if you say what you know to be true or question their version of the facts.”  – Theresa Comito
170. “Part of the healing process is sharing with other people who care.” – Jerry Cantrell
171. “Hoping for something to change in the icy parts of our lives is not foolish. Springtime does come, and buds always bloom” – Christa Hesselink
172. “If you don’t like the hand that fate’s dealt you, fight for a new one.” – Masashi Kishimoto
173. “This is an empirical claim: Look closely enough at your own mind in the present moment, and you will discover that the self is an illusion.” – Sam Harris
174. “The only person that deserves a special place in your life is someone that never made you feel like you were an option in theirs.” – Shannon L. Alder
175. “In argument, truth always prevails finally; in politics, falsehood always.”  – Walter Savage Landor
176. “Peace is not just mere absence of violence.” – Dalai Lama
177. “An abusive relationship is worse than being in prison. I mean literally, not figuratively.” – Joe Biden
178. “Domestic violence is an epidemic, and yet we don’t address it. Until it happens to celebrities.” – Nelsan Ellis
179. “The biggest abuses in society happen when people are not able to communicate and not able to connect.” – Heather Brooke
180. “We do learn so much about ourselves in our experiences. But also, know that it shouldn’t have happened. This was not a lesson you needed to learn.” – Jordan Pickell
181. “Poisonous relationships can alter our perception. You can spend many years thinking you’are worthless but you’re not worthless, you’re unappreciated.” – Steve Maraboli
182. “The remedy for life’s broken pieces is not classes, workshops, or books. Don’t try to heal the broken pieces. Just forgive.” – Iyanla Vanzant
183. “To make a difference in someone’s life you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful or perfect. You just have to care.” – Mandy Hale

184. “Check your moves well, because it can cost one pawn or losing a lot of just from three moves!” – Deyth Banger
185. “Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.” – Thomas Moore
186. “An abusive relationship should be easy to identify though often one of the most difficult to end.” – Desmond Tutu
187. “Lies don’t end relationships, the truth does.” – Shannon L. Alder
188. “I feel very sorry for people who are trapped in an abusive relationship and keep making excuses for their abuser. “ – Jill Stein
189. “Abusive relationships exist because they provide enough rations of warmth, laughter, and affection to clutch onto like a security blanket in the heap of degradation. The good times are the initial euphoria that keeps addicts draining their wallets for toxic substances to inject into their veins. Scraps of love are food for an abusive relationship.” – Maggie Young
190. “Never talking to strangers. Saying nasty things about the neighbors.” – Paulo Coelho
191. “More than 90 percent of all the prisoners in our American prisons have been abused as children.” – John Powell
192. “Trauma is personal. It does not disappear if it is not validated. When it is ignored or invalidated the silent screams continue internally heard only by the one held captive. When someone enters the pain and hears the screams, healing can begin. “ – Danielle Bernock
193. “There is no excuse for domestic violence and abuse, and no one should have to live in fear of the person they love.” – David Cameron
194. “An abusive relationship is like a cancer of the spirit.”  – Lorraine Nilon
195. “An abusive relationship doesn’t just affect the two people involved; it affects everyone around them.” – Marti Noxonl
196. “Only a man who doesn’t love himself, mistreats the woman who loves him.” – R. H. Sin
197. “Abusive language and swearing are a legacy of slavery, humiliation, and disrespect for human dignity, one’s own and that of other people.” – Leon Trotsky
198. “If you are in an abusive relationship, establishing boundaries may not be possible, as assertiveness in sharing your boundaries may not be even safe. And because the other person has a distinct agenda of controlling or even hurting you – you’ll just get laughed at – if you try to voice your limits. You may need to consider leaving that relationship safely.” – Dr. Margaret Rutherford
199. “The toxic behaviors were there before you decided to enter into relationships with them. The signs were there. You may have chosen to look the other way, but the signs were there.” – P.A. Speers
200. “I can’t control your behavior; nor do I want that burden… but I will not apologize for refusing to be disrespected, to be lied to, or to be mistreated. I have standards; step up or step out.” – Steve Maraboli
201. “In a controlling relationship, one person is the warden and the other is the prisoner.” – Mike Mchargue
202. “A good test of a relationship is how a person responds to the word ‘no’. Love respects ‘no’ control does not.” – Henry Cloud
203. “When it comes to my interpersonal relationships with men, of course, a lifetime of abuse vastly affected everything I did. I always came from a place of abuse, actually wanting, welcoming, and accepting it because that was my language. It never seemed strange to me.” – Karrine Steffans
204. “Show respect even to people who don’t deserve it; not as a reflection of their character, but as a reflection of yours.” – Dave Willis
205. “Any relationships that would reject you for being true to yourself are – by definition – abusive relationships. You’ll be much better off when you let them go.” – Steve Pavlina
206. “I wouldn’t give him the credit of naming him, if he ever reads this. But he was older, in the music business – or so he said.” – Lisa Snowdon

Infographic: 10 Powerful Quotes To Help You Move On From An Abusive Relationship

An abusive relationship is hard to leave, but staying back can be detrimental to anyone’s life. It never can be easy – as the desire to go back to it is always present. However, it is essential to remove the rosy glasses and see the relationship for what it is. In the following infographic, we have listed 10 powerful quotes that can help you face the truth and take that step towards freedom. Check them out.

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an example of relationship abuse?

Relationship abuse can be physical or emotional. Physical abuse involves force, violence, restricting movement, invading private spaces, non-consensual physical advances, etc. Emotional abuse involves blackmail, threats, insults, condescension, manipulation, and so on.

Is abuse a form of love?

No. Abuse should never be mistaken for, or justified, as a form of love. Abuse, be it verbal abuse, psychological abuse, or domestic violence, takes away a person’s individuality, hurts and breaks them, and damages their self-esteem in irreparable ways. It should never be overlooked as a toxic trait, as it is one of the top signs to walk away from a relationship.

What are the 5 signs of emotional abuse?

There are many ways in which emotional abuse manifests in a relationship. We can broadly categorize them as follows:
• Manipulation
• Dismissive behavior
• Possessive or controlling behavior
• Disrespectful against boundaries
• Constant monitoring and judging

Can you still love an abuser?

It is possible to still be in love with an abusive partner. After all, the abuse was not obvious in the beginning or you wouldn’t have stuck around. It is only when you are too deep in love that an abuser can take more advantage of you. However, you must remember that while it is not as easy to leave them, it is essential that you distance yourself from them to recover from the ill effects of such a relationship.

Why do abusers give gifts?

When abusers give you gifts or follow up their abusive behavior with exaggerated apologies, they are grooming you. They are using this kind of superficial kindness to manipulate you into believing that they aren’t abusive, and instead, it is you who has problematic patterns that warrant such abusive treatment. This type of reinforcement that uses rewards and punishment to make you feel attached to your abuser is termed ‘trauma bonding’.

How do you respond to abusive comments?

If your partner is making abusive comments against you, you need to find out if they are doing so intentionally. If it wasn’t intended, you need to tell them that you find such comments twisted, hateful, abusive, and you will not tolerate them. If they care for you, they will be mindful about this.

What type of person is an abuser?

Abusers are people who often do not see the fault in their ways. They dismiss the effects their behavior is having on others and downplay the severity of their actions. They are often people who were abused. As a result, they may harbor insecurities and anger against the personal hardships they had and often take their anger out on their victims.

Illustration: Quotes On Recognizing True Nature Of Abusive Relationships

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team

Protect yourself from the trap of toxic narcissistic abuse! This video shows the ways you can speak up and be stronger. Watch the full video.

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Reviewer Author Editor

Roma WilliamsLMFT

   

Roma Williams is a marriage, mental health, and family therapist and the Founder and Clinical Director at Unload It Therapy. She has 5 years of experience, and through her strategy-based and compassionate approaches, she helps her clients excel as individuals, life partners, and professionals and develop healthy mindset shifts by enabling them to deal with burnout, emotions, crisis/trauma, and navigate complex relationships.

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Sneha TeteBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

 

Sneha has a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hyderabad, a professional Relationship Coach diploma, and over four years of experience in writing. She writes about relationships and lifestyle.Sneha began her career as an instructional designer, shifted to freelance technical and research writing, and self-published a novella on the theme of adolescent mental health.

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Asmita DeAssociate Editor

Asmita De is an associate editor with over three years of experience. She graduated in English Literature from the University of Calcutta. She has collaborated with several digital companies and reputed publishing houses as an editor.

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