109 Meaningful Toxic Relationship Quotes To Help You Move On

Sometimes you need sharp and honest words to shake yourself out of a toxic relationship.

Reviewed by Ronald Hoang, Relationship & Family Counselor Ronald Hoang Ronald HoangRelationship & Family Counselor linkedin_iconyoutube_icon
Written by Sneha Tete, Integrated MA, Certified Relationship Coach Sneha Tete Integrated MA, Certified Relationship Coach linkedin_icon Experience: 4 years
Edited by Madhumati Chowdhury, MA (English Literature) Madhumati Chowdhury MA (English Literature) linkedin_icon Experience: 7 years
Fact-checked by Gracia Odile, MA Gracia Odile MA linkedin_icon Experience: 3 years
Last Updated on

Toxic relationships

can affect you emotionally and mentally. It feels like a constant struggle. However, our collection of toxic relationship quotes may provide you with some comfort and hope, whether you are looking for help and healing or your loved one is in pain.

You feel down when you are in unhealthy relationships. You may feel like you are fighting for nothing. In that case, we hope the following quotes will provide you with the strength to break out of the relationship, instill hope, and inspire you to rise above it. Scroll down and take a look.

109 Meaningful Toxic Relationship Quotes

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  1. “Healthy love never requires you to sacrifice your dreams, your dignity, or your happiness.” – Vironika Tugaleva
  2. A healthy relationship doesn’t drag you down. It inspires you to be better. – Unknown
  1. “Love should not make you feel like walking on eggshells.” – Emma Xu
  1. “Sometimes your heart needs more time to accept what your mind already knows.” – Anonymous
protip_icon Pro Tip
Toxic partners can do anything to lure you back in relationships. Hence, it is very important to stop all forms of communication with them.
  1. “Don’t let your loyalty become slavery.” – Anonymous
  1. “It’s better to be healthy alone than sick with someone else.” – Dr. Phil
  1. “Toxic people attach themselves like cinder blocks tied to your ankles, and then invite you for a swim in their poisoned waters.” – John Mark Green
  1. “You are not a rehab. It’s not your job to fix everyone.” – Anonymous
  1. “Just because someone desires you does not mean that he values you.” – Anonymous
  1. “A toxic lover is someone damaged beyond repair.” – Anonymous
  1. “We teach people how to treat us.” – Dr. Phil
  1. “A healthy relationship will never require you to sacrifice your friends, your dream, or your dignity.” – Anonymous
  1. “Sometimes your heart needs more time to accept what your mind already knows.” – Anonymous
  1. “I seem to be torn between ‘I wish we’d met earlier’ and ‘I wish we’d never met’.” – Ahmed Mostafa
  1. “At some point, you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life.” – Anonymous
  1. “Never make yourself feel like nothing to make someone else feel like everything.” – Anonymous
  1. “You can’t change someone who doesn’t see an issue in their actions.” – Anonymous
  1. “If it is destroying you, it is not love.” – Anonymous
  1. “People who can’t communicate think everything is an argument.” – Anonymous
  1. “Mental abuse is much more painful than physical abuse because you are consumed by your own thoughts.” – Anonymous
  1. “Some people don’t want to be fixed because being broken gets them attention.” – Anonymous
  1. “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
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  1. “They never want to discuss what triggered you.” – Anonymous
  1. “The wrong one will find you in peace and leave you in pieces, but the right one will find you in pieces and lead you to peace.” – Anonymous
  1. “Never trust a man that tries to destroy you when mad. That’s weak.” – Anonymous
  1. “Stay away from people who think you’re arguing every time you try to express yourself.” – Anonymous
  1. “Stop setting yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.” – Anonymous
  1. “You’re not broken. Someone who didn’t love you convinced you that you are.” – Anonymous
  1. “Remove yourself from people who treat you like your time doesn’t matter, like your feelings are worthless, or like your soul is replaceable.” – S. Mcnutt
  1. “If they do it often, it’s not a mistake; it’s just their behavior.” – Dr. Steve Maraboli
  1. “How they treat you is how they feel about you.” – Anonymous
  1. “A woman should never invest in a relationship she wouldn’t want for her daughter.” – Anonymous
  1. “There are only two kinds of people who can drain your energy: those you love and those you fear. In both instances, it is you who let them in. They did not force their way into your aura, or pry their way into your reality experience.” – Anthon St. Maarten
  1. “Don’t ask why people keep hurting you. Ask yourself why you keep allowing it to happen.” – Robert Tew
  1. “Never let someone who contributes so little to a relationship control so much of it.” – Anonymous
  1. “Life is too short to hang around people who are causing you to compromise. Pulling you down. Your time is too valuable to waste it with people who don’t have a dream. People that aren’t going anywhere. You don’t need to make some big announcements, but little by little, you should spend less time with them.”
    – Joel Osteen
  1. “I trusted you, but now your words mean nothing to me because your actions spoke the truth.” – Anonymous
  1. “Don’t settle for a relationship that won’t let you be yourself.” – Oprah Winfrey
  1. “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.” – Anonymous
  1. “Give the gift of your absence to those who do not appreciate your presence.” – Anonymous
  1. “Stay away from people who make you feel like you are hard to love.” – Anonymous
  1. “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
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  1. “The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.” – Ernest Hemingway
  1. “Divorce is okay. Breaking up is okay. Starting over is okay. Moving on is okay. Being alone is okay. What is not okay is staying somewhere you’re not valued and appreciated.” – Anonymous
  1. “If they are not making you glow, glow alone.” – Anonymous
  1. “Sometimes the best revenge is to smile and move on.” – Anonymous
  1. “Sometimes you need to give up on people, not because you don’t care but because they don’t.” – Anonymous
  1. “If love can fade, so can pain.” – Anonymous
  1. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
  1. “My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife, you’ll be happy; if not, you’ll become a philosopher.” – Socrates
  1. “You can keep your love, I will keep my respect.” – Amit Kalantri
  1. “Sometimes you have to accept the truth and stop wasting time on the wrong people.” – Anonymous
  1. “Letting go of toxic people in your life is a big step in loving yourself.” – Hussein Nishah
  1. “Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never got.” – Robert Brault
  1. “It’s like one day you flipped a switch and became someone I never knew.” – Anonymous
  1. “You create more space in your life when you turn your excess baggage to garbage.” – Chinonye J. Chidolue
  1. “Let things come and go. Stay calm, don’t let anything disturb your peace, and carry on.” – Germany Kent
  1. “May you reach that level within, where you no longer allow your past or people with toxic intentions to negatively affect or condition you.” – Lalah Delia
  1. “It is better to break your own heart by leaving an abusive relationship, rather than having that person breaking your heart every day.” – Anonymous
  1. “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.” – Anonymous
  1. “Go where you are celebrated – not tolerated. If they can’t see your true value and worth, then it’s time for a new start.” – Anonymous
  1. “The moment that you start to wonder if you deserve better, you do.” – Anonymous
protip_icon Pro Tip
A toxic relationship can be quickly recognized with the ABCD formula, which stands for accusations, blames, criticisms and demands. You may be in a toxic relationship if these factors are rampant in your relationship.
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  1. “Don’t judge yourself by what others did to you.” – C. Kennedy
  1. “Sometimes bad things fall apart so good things can fall together.” – Anonymous
  1. “You don’t deserve someone who comes back, you deserve someone who never leaves.” – Anonymous
  1. “If life can remove someone you never dreamed of losing, it can replace them with someone you never dream of having.” – Anonymous
  1. “You deserve to be with somebody who makes you happy.” – Anonymous
  1. “Sometimes we refuse to see how bad something is until it completely destroys us.” – Anonymous
  1. “I’m guilty of giving people more chances than they deserve, but when I’m done, I’m done.” – Turcois Ominek
  1. “Because this is my life. And that’s the only explanation you need.” – Anonymous
  1. “Being single and having peace of mind is much better than being in a relationship where you feel single and have no peace of mind.” – Anonymous
  1. “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
  1. “A woman is a reflection of how you treat her. If you don’t like how she’s acting, look at how you are treating her.” – Anonymous
  1. “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Anonymous
  1. “I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.” – Groucho Marx
  1. “Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.” – Hermen Hesse
  1. “I know the bible talks about forgiveness and all, but I am pretty sure Jesus will hold my purse while I kicked your ass.” – Anonymous
  1. “You’re jelly to my burger, knife to my soup, glitter to my sushi, and the ketchup to my ice cream. My point is you are worthless.” – Anonymous
  1. “I am so miserable without you, it’s almost as if you’re here.” – Billy Ray Cyrus
  1. “Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts. Others come into our lives and make us want to leave footprints on their face.” – Anonymous
  1. “If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, set them on fire.” – Anonymous
  1. “The secret of a successful marriage is not to be at home too much.” – Colin Chapman
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  1. “As a man in a relationship, you have a choice: you can be right or you can be happy.” – Anonymous
  1. “It’s not you, it’s me finally realizing you’re terrible for me.” – Anonymous
  1. “When your ex says, “You will never find anyone like me again.” Tell him, “That’s the point, you idiot.” – Anonymous
  1. “Your ex asking you to be friends after a breakup is like kidnappers asking you to keep in touch after letting you go.” – Anonymous
  1. “The key to a good relationship is the key. Give me back the key.” – Ronnie Edwards
  1. “Letting go means to realize that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.” – Steve Maraboli
  1. “Until you let go of all the toxic people in your life you will never be able to grow into your fullest potential. Let them go so you can grow.” – Anonymous
  1. “Maybe the most that you can expect from a relationship that goes bad is to come out of it with a few good songs.” – Marianne Faithfull
  1. “You don’t have to let that one thing be the thing that defines you.” – Jojo Moyes
  1. “Finally, she regains herself with pride that she deserves better and she do. All you need is, give yourself a second chance to love, laugh, and live again.” – Anonymous
  1. “Girls you’ve gotta know when it’s time to turn the page.” – Tori Amos
  1. “It wasn’t love, just heavy manipulation.” – R.H.Sin
  1. “Our breakup was due to religious differences. He thought he was God. I didn’t.” – Anonymous
  1. “The best revenge against a woman who steals your man from you is to let her keep him.” – Anonymous
  1. “Failed relationships can be described as so much wasted make-up.” – Anonymous
  1. “Remove your heart from his hand. He is not man enough to care for it.” – R.H.Sin
  1. “Never lower your worth to get somebody’s attention.” – Anonymous
  1. “You made me realized that everything comes with an expiry date.” – Anonymous
  1. “When you truly don’t care what anyone thinks of you, you have reached a dangerously awesome level of freedom.” – Anonymous
  1. “You not wanting me was the beginning of me wanting myself.” – Nayyirah Waheed
  1. “Celebrate endings, for they precede new beginnings.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie

A toxic partner can negatively impact your mental health and self esteem. Here are some toxic relationship quotes for him to help you identify a toxic partner better.

Toxic Relationship Quotes For Him

  1. “A bad relationship can do that, can make you doubt everything good you ever felt about yourself.” – Dionne Warwick
  1. “Sometimes, the people who are thousands of miles away from you can make you feel better than the people who are right beside you.” – Rashida Rowe
  1. “Don’t let someone who did you wrong make you think there’s something wrong with you.” – Oprah Winfrey
  1. “Toxic people will pollute everything around them. Don’t hesitate. Fumigate.” – Mandy Hale
  1. “A toxic partner is an expert at disguising their poison as love, making it difficult to escape their clutches.” – Lily Anderson
  1. “Don’t confuse “familiar” with “acceptable”. Toxic relationships can fool you like that.” – Steve Maraboli

Mikhail Alfon, a blogger, describes how a motivational quote kept his spirits lifted and helped him find a way in tough times. He shares the quote from author Jay Shetty’s book “Think Like a Monk”, “Don’t let your loneliness make you reconnect with toxic people. You shouldn’t drink poison just because you’re thirsty (i).”

If you find yourself stuck in a toxic relationship, you must take time to decide for yourself whether it is really worth it to stay in it. You should weigh your reasons, circumstances, and physical and mental well-being carefully to help you make a decision. The quotes about toxic relationships mentioned above may help you express your feelings in a balanced and neutral way to let your partner know of your feelings about it. Whether it is physical or mental abuse, you must take a step toward a respectful, safe, and stable life for yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a toxic relationship like?

Any relationship that constantly makes you feel uncomfortable, unsupported, misunderstood, attacked, controlled, or unhappy is a toxic relationship.

Is a toxic relationship real love?

No, a toxic relationship is not real love. It is just the fear of being alone wrapped in an illusion of love.

What are the 5 signs of a toxic relationship?

Disrespect, envy, controlling behaviors, lack of support, and dishonesty are some of the 5 common signs of toxic relationships.

Key Takeaways

  • Toxic relationships may drain you emotionally and make you feel unsupported, controlled, and unhappy. Such relationships can hinder your personal growth and well-being.
  • Confide in your family, let your trusted friends know, and build a support group. This will help you move on easily and reduce your stress as well.
  • Cut all communication with your toxic partner, preventing them from blackmailing you. Reach out to professionals or the authorities for help.
  • Focus on healing and avoid blaming yourself. Prioritize your mental and physical well-being, indulge in hobbies and anything you always wanted to do.


Toxic relationships are easy for no one. Navigate the complexities of such relationships with these powerful quotes, as they offer insights and emotional resonance, and maybe help you break free from toxic connections. Check it out.

Personal Experience: Source

 

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Ronald Hoang
Ronald HoangRelationship & Family Counselor
Ronald Hoang is a clinical counselor/psychotherapist based in Sydney, Australia, with close to a decade of experience. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Macquarie University and a postgraduate degree in counseling from the Australian College of Applied Professions.

Read full bio of Ronald Hoang
Sneha Tete
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.

Read full bio of Sneha Tete
Madhumati Chowdhury
Madhumati ChowdhuryAssociate Editor
Madhumati is an associate editor with seven years of professional experience. She has previously worked as an editor, proofreader, and a writer with various organizations, helping her navigate through the various facets of content creation and refinement with ease.

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Gracia Odile
Gracia OdileBeauty & Lifestyle Writer
Gracia Odile is a teacher-turned-beauty and lifestyle writer with three years of professional experience. She has a bachelor's degree in English from St. Stephen's College, a master's in Anthropology from the University of Madras, and a degree in education from GGSIPU.

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