206 Empowering Quotes On Leaving Abusive Relationships

Sometimes a quote can shed light on abusive relationships and give you the courage to leave.

Reviewed by Roma Williams, LMFT Roma Williams Roma WilliamsLMFT facebook_iconinsta_icon
Written by Sneha Tete, Integrated MA, Certified Relationship Coach Sneha Tete Integrated MA, Certified Relationship Coach linkedin_icon Experience: 4 years
Edited by Asmita De, MA (English) Asmita De MA (English) linkedin_icon Experience: 3 years
Last Updated on

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

Suffering alone due to abusive relationship
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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
Man being physically abusive towards family
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  1. “The abuse dies in a day, but the denial slays the life of the people, and entombs the hope of the race.” – Charles Bradlaugh
  2. “You can’t change someone who doesn’t see an issue in their actions.” – Anonymous
  3. “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
  4. “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
  5. “I’d lost myself in the abyss of someone else’s tyranny…again.” – Cassandra Giovanni
  6. “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
  7. “‘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
  8. “The moment you start to wonder if you deserve better, you do.” – Anonymous
  9. “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
  10. “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
  11. “Over time, anger can build up on the part of both abuser and victim, and emotional abuse can turn into physical violence.” – Beverly Engel
  12. “Do you feel alone in your relationship? Abusers isolate their partner from friends and family, and make them dependent financially, socially, and physically.” – Anonymous
  13. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” – Maya Angelou
  14. “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
  15. “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
  16. “It’s like one day you flipped a switch and became someone I never knew.” – Anonymous
  17. “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
  18. “If you walked away from a toxic, negative, abusive, one-sided, dead-end low vibrational relationship or friendship — you won.” – Lalah Delia
  19. “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
  20. “If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t they never were.” – Richard Bach
Emotional abuse in a relationship
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  1. “It’s so easy to look around and notice what’s wrong. It takes practice to see what’s right.” – Melody Beattie
  2. “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
  3. “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
  4. “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
  5. “She’d worn anxiety like a thick robe for so long that it was hard for her to take it off.” – Pernell Plath Meier
  6. “The scars you can’t see are the hardest to heal.” – Astrid Alauda
  7. “Emotional abuse cuts to the very core of a person, creating scars that may be longer lasting than physical ones.” – Beverly Engel
  8. “I trusted you but now your words mean nothing to me, because your actions spoke the truth.” – Anonymous
  9. “Worrying, obsessing, and controlling are illusions. They are tricks we play on ourselves.” – Melody Beattie
  10. “Being single and happy is better than being sad and afraid in an abusive relationship.” – Anonymous
  11. “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
  12. “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.
  13. “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
  14. “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
  15. “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
  16. “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
  17. “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
  18. “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
  19. “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
  1. “The quiet but inexorable breaking down of self-esteem is much more sinister – it’s violation of the soul.” – Rachel Abbott
An argument between a couple
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  1. “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
  2. “How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.” – Wayne Dyer
  3. “When you react, you are giving away your power. When you respond, you are staying in control of yourself.” – Bob Proctor
  4. “It’s not the situation, but whether we react, or respond, to the situation that’s important.” – Zig Ziglar
  5. “What happens is not as important as how you react to what happens.” – Ellen Glasgow
  6. “Respond; don’t react. Listen; don’t talk. Think; don’t assume.” – Raji Lukkoor
  7. “Respond from your strengths rather than react from your fears.” – Eric Allenbaugh
  8. “Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in the problem.” – Jonathan Mead
  9. “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
  10. “Get pissed because you deserve more than this abuse. Emotional abuse is the gateway to all abuse. Get out!” – Tracy Malone
  11. “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
  12. “Your abuser’s trauma does not justify them abusing you.” – Anonymous
  13. “A healthy relationship doesn’t drag you down. It inspires you to be better.” – Mandy Hale
  14. “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
  15. “Never make yourself feel like nothing to make someone else feel like everything.” – Anonymous
  16. “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coelho
  17. “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
  1. “There is no safe way to remain in a relationship with a person who has no conscience. The only solution is to escape.” – Anonymous
  2. “Overcoming abuse doesn’t just happen, It takes positive steps everyday. Let today be the day you start to move forward.” – Assunta Harris
  3. “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
Breaking an abusive relationship
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  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
  2. “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
  3. “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
  4. “Live your life from your heart. Share from your heart. And your story will touch and heal people’s souls.” – Melody Beattie
  5. “Believing that things happen too slowly or too quickly is an illusion. Timing is perfect.” – Melody Beattie
  6. “Whatever we try to control does have control over us and our life.” – Melody Beattie
  7. “We don’t just get our choice; we get the consequence that choice creates.” – Melody Beattie
  8. “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
  9. “Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul.” – Dave Pelzer
  10. “Emotional abuse is the leading reason of suicide victims.” – Anonymous
  11. “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
  1. “We survive by remembering. But sometimes we survive by forgetting.” – Silberling
  2. “There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” – Laurell K. Hamilton
  3. “Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than to hurt yourself putting it back together.” – Anonymous
  4. “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
  5. “Abuse changes your life… Fight back and change the life of your abusers by breaking your silence on abuse!” – Patty Rase Hopson
  6. “Being single is better than being lied to, cheated on and disrespected.” – Anonymous
  7. “Never forget that walking away from something unhealthy is brave even if you stumble a little on your way out the door.” – Mandy Hale
  8. “Emotional abuse is the silent marriage killer.” – Austin James
  9. “It’s hard to look for the light when you are lost in darkness.” – Anonymous
  10. “Bruises heal, but you don’t forget words and emotions, how an abuser makes you feel about yourself.” – Anonymous
  11. “Emotional abuse poisons a relationship and infuses it with hostility, contempt, and hatred.” – Beverly Engel
  12. “Emotional abuse is a nonphysical behavior or attitude that controls, demeans, punishes or isolates a person.” – Dee Brown
  13. “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
  14. “The biggest abuses in society happen when people are not able to communicate and not able to connect.” – Heather Brooke
  15. “When people conclude that anger causes abuse, they are confusing cause and effect…Abusers carry attitudes that produce fury.” – Lundy Bancroft
  16. “Right now, I’m following the Buddhist principle: Smile as abuse is hurled your way and this too shall pass.” – Aishwarya Rai
  17. “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
  18. “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
  19. “Every abuse ought to be reformed, unless the reform is more dangerous than the abuse itself.” – Voltaire
  20. “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
  21. “Psychological invalidation is one of the most lethal forms of emotional abuse. It kills confidence, creativity and individuality.” – Dr. Anne Brown
  22. “In emotionally abusive relationships there is a determined intent to formulate statements or actions which leave a person feeling awful.” – Dee Brown
  23. “The insidiousness and power of emotional abuse paralleled the invisibility, strength, and purpose of a spider’s web.”  – Jess Hill
  24. “Abuse is the means in which violence retards love.”  – Inga Muscio
  25. “Emotional abuse is a major epidemic in our culture.” – Beverly Engel
  26. “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
  27. “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.”  – Edmund Burke
  28. “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
  29. “Often things are as bad as they seem.” – Sheldon B. Kopp
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  1. “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
  2. “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
  3. “Emotional abuse is the least understood form of abuse.” – Beverly Engel
  4. “Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength.” – Henry Rollins
  5. “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
  6. “You survived the abuse. You’re going to survive the recovery.” – Mariska Hargitay
  7. “If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment.”  – Carlos Santana
  8. “It is impossible to correct abuses unless we know that they’re going on.” – Julian Assange
  9. “Don’t confuse “familiar” with “acceptable”. Toxic relationships can fool you like that.” – Steve Maraboli
  10. “When it comes to abuse, you believe there’s no way out. There is always help. There is always a way out.”  – Donna Mulvey
  11. “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
  12. “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
  13. “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
  14. “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
  15. “Abusive relationships shouldn’t have a key to your chambers of heart. Hold your key and keep it close.” – Sijdah Hussain
  16. “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
  17. “The presence of the person you hate is far more agonizing than the absence of the person you love.” – Shon Mehta
  18. “True and real friends don’t feel the need to be praised and worshiped.” – Michael Bassey Johnson
  19. “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
  20. “The hardest part of being in an emotionally abusive relationship, it’s actually admitting you’re in one.” – Anna Akana
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  1. “Emotional abuse is considered by many to be the most painful form of violence and the most detrimental to self-esteem.”  – Beverly Engel
  2. “I overcame my fear of loneliness when you showed me how lonely I can be when you’re around.” – Khadidja Megaache
  3. “Do not be blind in love and try not to suffer in silence.” – Alba Castillo
  4. “Abuse is the weakest expression of strength. It is weakness to destroy what you ought to protect, build and make better.” – Kingsley Opuwari Manuel
  5. “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
  6. “Being abused causes pain, outrage, hate, vengeance, confusion, and misery can only break what goodness remains.” – James Hilton
  7. “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
  8. “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
  9. “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
  10. “It’s never pretty when you leave an abusive and controlling relationship. The warden always protests when the prison gets shut-down.” – Steve Maraboli
  11. “So while I was busy saving you from hell, you were pushing me further to it; the poison murdering me well.” – Shannon Perry
  12. “Once you learn to be happy, you won’t tolerate being around people who make you feel anything less.” – Germany Kent
  13. “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
  14. “You are aggressive”, says the emotional abusive.” – Mark Brightlife
  15. “If your partner has ever humiliated you.. he can never respect you all over again…” – Himmilicious
  16. “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
  17. “Each time he came he would twist my defenseless body into a different pose, as if I were his very own doll” –  Rachel Abbott
  18. “Abusers manipulate victims into abandoning their own reality, forcing them to accept the abuser’s version.”  – Amy Marlow-MaCoy
  19. “Revenge is surviving, getting out, and being a better person than you were, and breaking the cycle.”  – Kristy Green
  20. “Emotional abuse is the demolition of someone’s identity. And it’s an abuse of their psychological and emotional self.” – Dr. Liz Hale
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  1. Abuse grows from attitudes and values, not feelings. The roots are ownership, the trunk is entitlement, and the branches are control.” – Lundy Bancroft
  2. “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
  3. “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
  4. “Some scars don’t hurt. Some scars are numb. Some scars rid you of the capacity to feel anything ever again.” – Joyce Rachelle
  5. “I’m still coping with my trauma, but coping by trying to find different ways to heal it rather than hide it.”  – Clemantine Wamariya
  6. 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
  7. “Part of the healing process is sharing with other people who care.” – Jerry Cantrell
  8. “Hoping for something to change in the icy parts of our lives is not foolish. Springtime does come, and buds always bloom” – Christa Hesselink
  9. “If you don’t like the hand that fate’s dealt you, fight for a new one.” – Masashi Kishimoto
  10. “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
  11. “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
  12. “In argument, truth always prevails finally; in politics, falsehood always.”  – Walter Savage Landor
  13. “Peace is not just mere absence of violence.” – Dalai Lama
  14. “An abusive relationship is worse than being in prison. I mean literally, not figuratively.” – Joe Biden
  15. “Domestic violence is an epidemic, and yet we don’t address it. Until it happens to celebrities.” – Nelsan Ellis
  16. “The biggest abuses in society happen when people are not able to communicate and not able to connect.” – Heather Brooke
  17. “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
  18. “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
  19. “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
  20. “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
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  1. “Check your moves well, because it can cost one pawn or losing a lot of just from three moves!” – Deyth Banger
  2. “Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.” – Thomas Moore
  3. “An abusive relationship should be easy to identify though often one of the most difficult to end.” – Desmond Tutu
  4. “Lies don’t end relationships, the truth does.” – Shannon L. Alder
  5. “I feel very sorry for people who are trapped in an abusive relationship and keep making excuses for their abuser. “ – Jill Stein
  6. “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
  7. “Never talking to strangers. Saying nasty things about the neighbors.” – Paulo Coelho
  8. “More than 90 percent of all the prisoners in our American prisons have been abused as children.” – John Powell
  9. “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
  10. “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
  11. “An abusive relationship is like a cancer of the spirit.”  – Lorraine Nilon
  12. “An abusive relationship doesn’t just affect the two people involved; it affects everyone around them.” – Marti Noxonl
  13. “Only a man who doesn’t love himself, mistreats the woman who loves him.” – R. H. Sin
  14. “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
  15. “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
  16. “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
  17. “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
  18. “In a controlling relationship, one person is the warden and the other is the prisoner.” – Mike Mchargue
  19. “A good test of a relationship is how a person responds to the word ‘no’. Love respects ‘no’ control does not.” – Henry Cloud
  20. “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
  21. “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
  22. “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
  23. “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

Key Takeaways

  • Toxic relationships can negatively affect one’s emotional health and mental well-being.
  • It is important to keep an eye on the actions of toxic individuals as their actions speak louder than their words.
  • Healthy relationships will never keep you away from your family and friends and make you question your self-worth.
  • While leaving an abusive relationship may not be easy, it is the only way to ensure your safety and start your healing.

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.

10 powerful quotes to help you move on from an abusive relationship (infographic)

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Abusive or toxic relationships can be emotionally exhausting and hurt a person’s mental health. Hence, these abusive relationship quotes may provide you with some solace, hope, and motivation – whether you’re seeking guidance and healing or your loved one is in distress. Every relationship has disagreements and disputes, but heartbreak occurs when things spiral out of hand. That’s why it’s important to be on the lookout for red flags, recognize the indicators of an abusive relationship, and summon the courage to stop it. Choose your health, sanity, and sense of self-worth over your deteriorating relationship. Take a breather and concentrate on yourself because you deserve love and safety.

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

abusive relationship quotes

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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Roma Williams
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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