Toxic Relationships Quotes That Will Encourage You to Love Yourself
February 27, 2023 5:00 AM EST
Do you feel like you’re in a bad relationship?
If any of this sounds familiar, these toxic relationships quotes will remind you it’s time to make some big changes.
If you’re reading this, you might be wondering “What is a toxic relationship?”.
Maybe you already recognize that you are involved in one and are questioning how you end a toxic relationship.
Maybe, you have recently gotten out of a bad relationship and are feeling shattered and need a reminder that you a wonderfully unique human being deserving of love and kindness.
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According to a study by the American Psychological Association, 50% of marriages end in divorce, indicating that many individuals experience the pain and difficulty of ending a toxic relationship.
Reading Toxic Relationship Quotes can provide comfort and inspiration to those in this situation.
What should you do if you’re involved in a toxic relationship?
The toxic relationship quotes below will help you spot a disastrous relationship, embolden you to do what seems impossible, and inspire you to find the love you were meant to have.
Take a deep breath, wipe your eyes, lift your head and carry on.
Reach out to someone if you need help leaving someone that is detrimental to your safety and sanity.
Also check out these misery loves company quotes to help you move forward.
Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.
If you enjoy this collection, check out our inspirational quotes category page.
Toxic relationship quotes that will encourage you to love yourself
The National Domestic Violence Hotline reports that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
This sobering statistic highlights the prevalence of toxic and abusive relationships, and reading Toxic Relationship Quotes can empower survivors to seek help and support.
1. “Toxic relationships are like a good pasta that has been overcooked.” ― Asa Don Brown
![“Toxic relationships are like a good pasta that has been overcooked.” ― Asa Don Brown Toxic Relationships Quotes about pasta](images/toxic-relationship-quotes-that-will-encourage-you-to-love-yourself.png)
You will also enjoy our article on break-up quotes.
2. “Don’t light yourself on fire trying to brighten someone else’s existence.” ― Charlotte Eriksson
![“Don’t light yourself on fire trying to brighten someone else’s existence.” ― Charlotte Eriksson wise Toxic Relationships Quotes](images/toxic-relationship-quotes-that-will-inspire-to-make-some-big-changes.png)
You will also enjoy our article on best relationship quotes.
3. “Thinking of you is a poison I drink often.” ― Atticus
![“Thinking of you is a poison I drink often.” ― Atticus Toxic Relationships Quotes about poison](images/how-to-handle-a-toxic-relationship-quotes.png)
You will also enjoy our article on bad relationship quotes.
4. “You make me feel like a firefly. Trapped in a bell jar; starved for love.” ― Ayushee Ghoshal
![“You make me feel like a firefly. Trapped in a bell jar; starved for love.” ― Ayushee Ghoshal Toxic Relationships Quotes about love](images/leaving-a-toxic-relationship-quotes.png)
You will also enjoy our article on liar quotes.
5. “Stop setting yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.” ― Unknown
!["Stop setting yourself on fire to keep someone else warm." ― Unknown Toxic Relationships Quotes and sayings](images/meaningful-toxic-relationship-quotes.png)
You will also enjoy our article on toxic people quotes.
6. “I mean, if the relationship can’t survive the long term, why on earth would it be worth my time and energy for the short term.” ― Nicholas Sparks
7. “A bad relationship can do that, can make you doubt everything good you ever felt about yourself.” ― Dionne Warwick
You will also enjoy our article on long distance relationship quotes.
8. “When he’s the last thing you need, he’ll drain you. He’ll exhaust you. He’ll destroy you. And you won’t see it that way. In fact, you won’t notice it at all. But everyone else will.” ― Kirsten Corley
You will also enjoy our article on bad habits quotes.
9. “Toxic relationships are dangerous to your health; they will literally kill you. Stress shortens your lifespan. Even a broken heart can kill you. There is an undeniable mind-body connection. Your arguments and hateful talk can land you in the emergency room or in the morgue. You were not meant to live in a fever of anxiety; screaming yourself hoarse in a frenzy of dreadful, panicked fight-or-flight that leaves you exhausted and numb with grief. You were not meant to live like animals tearing one another to shreds. Don’t turn your hair gray. Don’t carve a roadmap of pain into the sweet wrinkles on your face. Don’t lay in the quiet with your heart pounding like a trapped, frightened creature. For your own precious and beautiful life, and for those around you — seek help or get out before it is too late. This is your wake-up call!” ― Bryant McGill
You will also enjoy our article on getting over someone quotes.
Toxic relationship quotes that will inspire to make some big changes
A survey conducted by OnePoll found that 60% of respondents have stayed in a toxic relationship longer than they wanted to, indicating that many individuals struggle to break free from unhealthy relationships.
Reading Toxic Relationship Quotes can provide a much-needed push towards self-love and healing.
10. “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
11. “Like arsenic, toxic people will slowly kill you. They kill your positive spirit and play with your mind and emotions. The only cure is to let them go.” — Dennisse Lisseth
12. “If you’re in a relationship and all you do is cry, you need to stop and ask yourself, are you dating a human or an onion?” ― Karen Salmansohn
13. “A bad relationship is like standing on broken glass, if you stay you will keep hurting. If you walk away, you will hurt but eventually, you will heal.” ― Autumn Kohler
If you’re enjoying these quotes, check out our Atticus quotes from the New York Tikes best selling poet.
14. “No partner in a love relationship… should feel that he has to give up an essential part of himself to make it viable.” ― May Sarton
15. “A good relationship is when someone accepts your past, supports your present and encourages your future.” ― Karen Salmansohn
16. “We can deeply love our poison. We can love the taste of it, the scent of it, the comforting weight of it in our belly and find ourselves woken in the night with stabbing cramps, arms around porcelain toilet bowls, hurling every last bit until collapsing on bathroom tile, limp from dehydration. Sometimes parting with love is essential for survival. I’ve found the most tragic aspect of losing loved ones wasn’t the big boom of the fallout, but realizing later how much healthier I was without them.” ― Maggie Young
You might also like these ex quotes and sayings for when you’re going through a break-up.
How to handle a toxic relationship quotes
17. “Fire False Friends as early as possible. Do it before they dig out the dream seeds you’ve planted! The earlier, the better; the quicker, the safer!” ― Israelmore Ayivor
18. “Forgiveness is a personal process that doesn’t depend on us having direct contact with the people who have hurt us.” ― Sharon Salzberg
19. “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
20. “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
21. “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 announcement, but little by little, you should spend less time with them. ― Joel Osteen
22. “Dear Self: Stop re-opening your doors for toxic people, then calling it ‘seeking closure.’ Certain things don’t work out in life . . . and that’s ok.” — Reyna Biddy
23. “Don’t allow someone not worth it to have the power to occupy your thoughts.” ― Donna Lynn Hope
24. “Don’t settle for a relationship that won’t let you be yourself.” ― Oprah Winfrey
25. “When it comes to abuse, you believe there’s no way out. There is always help. There is always a way out.” ― Rev. Donna Mulvey
26. “Losing will not always amount to a loss, sometimes you have to lose those toxic relationships and bad habits to create a space for better things.” ― Gift Gugu Mona
You might also like these disappointment quotes to inspire you to bounce back.
Leaving a toxic relationship quotes
27. “When being in a toxic relationship in life at times you may have to step outside yourself, to see yourself, so you can find yourself and love yourself again.” ― Angel Moreira
28. “I burned my bridges so the devil couldn’t follow me.” ― L.M. Browning
29. “We all have that toxic people around us that make our lives miserable… The day we take them out from our lives, we will all become better people; including them…” ― Rodolfo Peon
30. “You don’t ever have to feel guilty about removing toxic people from your life.” ― Unknown
31. “It’s one thing if a person owns up to their behavior and makes an effort to change. But if a person disregards your feelings, ignores your boundaries, and continues to treat you in a harmful way, they need to go.” — Daniell Koepke
32. “Letting go of toxic people in your life is a big step in loving yourself.” — Hussein Nishah
33. There must come a time when your love for yourself becomes more important than your need to hold onto the pain of your past. ― Karen Salmansohn
34. “I seem to be torn between ‘I wish we’d met earlier’ and ‘I wish we’d never met’.” ― Ahmed Mostafa
Also, read these manipulation quotes and sayings to keep toxic people away.
Meaningful toxic relationship quotes
35. “The wise do not consider the chains and shackles of jail to be the toughest restraints. The chains of attachment are the strongest of the ties that bind.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh
36. “Oh what an ill fate it was that has made me love that man.” ― Iris Murdoch
37. “How you choose to feel today should not be dependent on others.” ― Anthon St. Maarten
38. “I know people can be awful dooms for each other.” ― Iris Murdoch
39. “Sometimes there are things in life that aren’t meant to stay. Sometimes change may not be what we want. Sometimes change is what we need.” — Don Bolena Jr.
40. “We teach people how to treat us.” — Dr. Phil
41. “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche
42. “It’s better to be healthy alone than sick with someone else.” ― Dr. Phil
43. “The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.” ― Ernest Hemingway
44. “It’s amazing how someone can break your heart and you can still love them with all the little pieces.” ― Ella Harper
45. “It was strange, really. A couple of months ago, I had thought I couldn’t live without him. Apparently I could.” ― Gabrielle Zevin
You will also enjoy our article on ride or die quotes.
More toxic relationship quotes to help you through it
46. “Some people live in cages with bars built from their own fears and doubts. Some people live in cages with bars built from other people’s fears and doubts; their parents, their friends, their brothers and sisters, their families. Some people live in cages with bars built from the choices others made for them, the circumstances other people imposed upon them. And some people break free.” ― C. JoyBell C.
If you’re enjoying this article, you might also like these break up quotes that will help you overcome the pain of separation.
47. “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” ― C.G. Jung
48. One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered.” ― Michael J. Fox
49. “Don’t judge yourself by what others did to you.” ― C. Kennedy
50. “Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never got.” ― Robert Brault
51. “When you get out of it, you realize how toxic it actually was.” – Steve Maraboli
52. “Love cannot live where there is no trust.” – Edith Hamilton
53. “Don’t stay in an unhealthy relationship because you think it’ll get better eventually. Know your worth and move on.” – Unknown
54. “It is better for someone to break your heart once by leaving your life, than for them to stay in your life and break your heart continually.” –Terry Mark
55. “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
For additional reading, be sure to also check out these letting go quotes for finally moving on.
56. “You don’t let go of a bad relationship because you stop caring about them. You let go because you start caring about yourself.” – Charles Orlando
You will also enjoy our article on walk away quotes.
Short toxic relationship quotes about letting go and heartbreak
57. “A broken heart bleeds tears.” — Steve Maraboli
58. “The hottest love has the coldest end.” — Socrates
59. “Relationships based on obligation lack dignity.” — Wayne Dyer
60. “A toxic lover is someone damaged beyond repair.” — Unknown
61. “The only way to win with a toxic partner is not to play.” — Unknown
62. “Sometimes, we just fall in love with the wrong people.” — Unknown
63. “We’ve all loved someone way too freaking much.” — Karen Salmonsohn
64. “The one who loves the least, controls the relationship.” — Robert Anthony
65. “Break free of toxic people and relationships, they erode your quality of life.” — Unknown
66. “Just because someone desires you, does not mean that he values you.” — Julianne Cantarella
You will also enjoy our article on fake friends quotes.
Toxic relationship quotes when you need a sign to dump him or her
67. “When you notice someone does something toxic the first time, don’t wait for the second time before you address it or cut them off. ― Shahida Arabi
68. “Removing toxic people (including Naysayers) from your life can repay you in scores of holistic wealth.” ― Keisha Blair
69. “If you keep pretending you’re not hurt, how can you heal? True love doesn’t expect you to deny you’re in pain.” ― Zara Hairston
70. “Make sure you’re not saying ‘It’s complicated’ when it’s actually TOXIC. The more words it takes you to explain your relationship, the less healthy it probably is.” ― Steve Maraboli
71. “When you are finally able to see and understand the toxicity you have been surrounding yourself with, they will do everything in their power to make you out to be the evil one.”
― Christine E. Szymanski
72. “Just because someone is your family doesn’t mean you have to keep them around if they are toxic or abusive. Don’t let people guilt you.” ― Winnie Nantongo
73. “In order to reach your highest potential, it is imperative that you remove all negative people from your life.” ― Germany Kent
74. “He would hurt me and make the hurt my fault. So no matter who got hurt, I was to be blamed, always.” ― Namrata Gupta
75. “Consistency is genuinely improving yourself to become a good match for those with whom you are in relationships while distancing yourself from people when their actions become too toxic.” ― Dexter A. Daniels
76. “Keeping bad company is like being in a germ-infested area. You never know what you’ll catch.” ― Frank Sonnenberg,
You will also enjoy our article on cheating quotes.
Toxic relationships quotes on why being alone can sometimes be a better alternative
77. “You can love them, forgive them, want good things for them…but still move on without them.” – Mandy Hale
78. “If there is a particular person in your life that is repeatedly choosing not to honor you and is causing you more sadness or pain than they are joy – it might be time to release that friendship back to God and trust that it is not where you belong.” – Mandy Hale
79. “Even if toxic people are right about what is “good,” they are wrong if the approach is not healthy.” – John Lewis Lund
80. “Do not hold your breath for anyone, do not wish your lungs to be still, it may delay the cracks from spreading, but eventually they will. Sometimes to keep yourself together, you must allow yourself to leave, even if breaking your own heart is what it takes to let you breathe.” – Erin Hanson
81. “My encouragement: delete the energy vampires from your life, clean out all complexity, build a team around you that frees you to fly, remove anything toxic, and cherish simplicity. Because that’s where genius lives.” – Robin S. Sharma
82. “Toxic people defy logic. Some are blissfully unaware of the negative impact that they have on those around them, and others seem to derive satisfaction from creating chaos and pushing other people’s buttons.” – Travis Bradberry
83. “Many people get into a relationship as a way to compensate for something they lack or hate within themselves. This is a one-way ticket to a toxic relationship because it makes your love conditional – you will love your partner as long as they help you feel better about yourself.” – Mark Manson
84. “Who has time for toxic relationships? If someone isn’t honoring your feelings, it’s not a real relationship. If you feel drained after spending time with someone, that’s a red flag!” – Doreen Virtue
85. “Clutter is not just physical stuff. It’s old ideas, toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support your better self.” – Eleanor Brown
86. “Know your worth and please don’t invest in toxic people or relationships, because any bond that requires servicing is not worth your time.” – Masaba Gupta
You will also enjoy our article on I’m done quotes.
Toxic relationships quotes on how to identify and correct them
87. “If you walked away from a toxic, negative, abusive, one-sided, dead-end, low vibrational, relationship or friendship – you won.” – Lalah Delia
88. “Release the toxic and infectious spreaders of misery, souls destroying souls and poisonous liars. Awaken from the hallucinations and take back your heart. Reclaim your self-esteem and leave the toxic be.” – Giorge Leedy
89. “Ego is probably one of the biggest poisons we can have – it’s toxic to any environment.” – Jonny Kim
90. “Don’t let Negative and Toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out.” – Zig Ziglar
91. “It is only when we no longer compulsively need someone that we can have a real relationship with them.” – Anthony Storr
92. “Forgiveness does not create a relationship. Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their mind and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible. When you forgive someone you certainly release them from judgment, but without true change, no real relationship can be established.” – William P. Young
93. “A real relationship is two-way.” – Sophie Kinsella
94. “Couples often live out years of falsehood trying to protect and save a relationship, all the while destroying any chance of real relationship.” – Henry Cloud
95. “Real relationships – the kind that were supposed to last but never did – were more trouble than they were worth.” – Lauren Conrad
96. “A good friend will help you to discover the potentials you haven’t uncovered. A bad friend will help you to cover up the potentials you have already recovered. Make your choice!” – Israelmore Ayivor
Toxic Relationship Quotes To Let Go of Negativity
97. “Just say NO to complicated, dead-end, unhealthy, and toxic relationships.” ― Stephanie Lahart
98. “As you begin to walk away from negativity and toxic people, it will inspire you to embrace positivity and your life will become more rewarding and fulfilling.” ― Germany Kent
99. “You take your power back by letting people go.” ― Emma Xu
100. “Don’t confuse “familiar” with “acceptable”. Toxic relationships can fool you like that.” ― Steve Maraboli
101. “Cut the toxic ties that force you to mask your true feelings.” ― Linda Greyman
102. “You are in control of your life. Set new boundaries by removing all of the toxic people from your inner circle.” ― Germany Kent
103. “Toxicity at work, relationship or in life works as a slow poison which often ends its survivors as disillusioned or embittered.” ― Abhysheq Shukla
104. “Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.” ― Steve Maraboli
105. “At some point you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life.” ― Tara Westover
106. “When dealing with toxic people, they always choose distance over disrespect.” ― Germany Kent
Toxic Relationship Quotes To Set You Free
107. “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coelho
108. “Overcoming abuse doesn’t just happen, It takes positive steps everyday. Let today be the day you start to move forward.” — Assunta Harris
109. “ I’ve had a few semi-toxic relationships, but it’s not what I look for when I’m seeing someone.” — Taylor Swift
110. “Just because you forgive someone, doesn’t mean they’re not still toxic. You’re allowed to not rebuild relationships… You’re allowed to just forgive and move on.” ― Steve Maraboli
111. “The creative process is lost in a toxic environment. The risk of staying is too great because in it you may never reach your full destiny.” ― Germany Kent
112. “The hardest part of being in an emotionally abusive relationship, it’s actually admitting you’re in one.” ― Anna Akana
113. “I felt an inner peace and softness. My Berlin Wall had been cracked; the toxic relationship between me and that critical voice had been severed.” ― Penny De Villiers
114. “Sometimes it’s better to end something & try to start something new than imprison yourself in hoping for the impossible.” ― Karen Salmansohn
115. “Manage your relationships. Great relationships may not be profitable, but bad ones always result in losses.” — Tarun Sharma
116. “When you do not know how to focus your thoughts effectively, they can become scattered, miscellaneous, and fixated on “stuff negative notions, toxic relationships, and situations from the past.” — Darren Johnson
Toxic Relationship Quotes When You Feel Heartbroken
117. “Poisonous relationships can alter our perception. You can spend many years thinking you’re worthless. But you’re not worthless. You’re underappreciated.” — Steve Maraboli
118. “How starved you must have been that my heart became a meal for your ego.” — Amanda Torroni
119. “So it’s true when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.” — E. A. Bucchianeri
120. “You flew off with the wings of my heart and left me flightless.” — Stelle Atwater
121. “You cannot heal in the same place where you got sick.” — William Goldman
122. “Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, however, is for those who are substantial enough to move on.” — Criss Jami
123. “A relationship without trust is like a car without gas, you can stay in it all you want, but it won’t go anywhere.” — Michael J Herbert
124. “You have to believe that you’re better than the fountain of abuse that’s been spewing hurt and pain at you. You just are.” — Sara Li
125. “A deadness occurs in relationships when people are no longer willing to tell each other how they really feel.” — Shakti Gawain
126. “Problems in relationships occur because each person is concentrating on what is missing in the other person.” — Wayne Dyer
Toxic Relationship Quotes To Walk Away When Its Out of Control
127. “Unhealthy relationships often develop into love-hate relationships.” ― H. Norman DMin Wright
128. “We don’t have a love/hate relationship! We have a hate/hate relationship.” ― Arne Olsen
129. “Now I was in a real bad abusive relationship / Knowing that, that was no way for me to live.” ― Robert S. Kelly
130. “It’s amazing how you can not only know it’s a relationship, but that it’s a bad relationship based on nothing but nothing.” ― David Shore
131. “Some couples, of course, are better off splitting up, but far too many of them sabotage a relationship that could have worked.” ― John Tierney
132. “This is so all bad, nothing good can come from this / Sweet but sad, I don’t know love ruins a relationship / It will never last but it feels so good, guess I gotta deal with it.” ― Kimberly Pate
133. “We are all potentially demons to each other, but some close relationships are saved from this fate.” ― Iris Murdoch
134. “You see, I’ve had some bad relationships already and / I’ve fooled around goin’ steady / But this time when I reach out, it may be my last try.” ― Phoebe Snow
135. “There is no in between, we all have to touch our own bottom.” ― Liz Thebart
136. “Some relationships just move from one unresolved conflict to another.” ― H. Norman DMin Wright
What did you learn from these toxic relationship quotes?
Toxic relationships are not always romantic relationships, sometimes, they are present in our friendships and even familial dynamics.
One of the most difficult aspects of these relationships is that, as humans, we want someone else to admit that they hurt us.
This doesn’t always happen, and there is a resilience in moving on and knowing that is ok.
It is more than acceptable for you to demand respect in these relationships.
So many of these quotes refer to loving who you are and knowing the joy you bring to the world around you.
I hope you felt that.
What’s your biggest takeaway from these toxic relationships quotes and sayings?
Leave a comment below with your favorite quote, or any advice for someone who might need to find themselves again.