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135 Divorce Quotes To Help You (Or A Friend) Heal After Divorce

July 17, 2019 / Dr. Karen Finn /

You can find comfort in these positive and supportive quotes about divorce.

Sometimes in the midst of the struggle to heal from divorce, all you want are a few little tidbits of inspiration. That’s exactly what divorce quotes can provide.

Below is a collection of grief, moving on with life, and divorce quotes to help inspire and comfort you (or a friend). When all you need is a little encouragement to know that you can and will get through the difficulties of your divorce, skim through this collection. And chances are that you’ll likely find at least one helpful quote.

I still have sadness and complicated feelings about my divorce. But how beneficial is it to keep hanging onto those feelings? If someone lives through an accident, his aim is to become better and healthy. My aim is always to progress – to make better decisions and be a better father, a better boyfriend, a better husband if it happens again. ~Ryan Phillippe
Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. ~Mary Manin Morrissey
Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. ~Christopher Reeve
If at first you don’t succeed you’re running about average. ~M.H. Anderson
Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change. ~Mary Shelley
At the end of your marriage, your job, at least in part, is to let go and move away from the wreckage to create something better. ~Karen Finn
Sometimes a hug says more than any words ever could. ~Unknown
When you forgive, you in no way change the past – but you sure do change the future. ~Bernard Meltzer
Crying is not a sign of weakness, but a cleansing. ~Unknown
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. ~Theodore Roosevelt
Having a great support team when you get divorced can make all the difference in your outcome. ~Anonymous
Divorce is stressful. It’s natural to feel disoriented and wish for things to be “normal” again. ~Karen Finn
The only person you’re ever going to be with forever is YOU. ~Unknown
We cannot change the past, but we can start a new chapter with a happy ending. ~Nishan Panwar
Don’t carry a grudge. While you’re carrying a grudge, the other guy is out dancing. ~Buddy Hackett
Endure the storm for a little longer. When tomorrow comes, you’ll be stronger. ~Raghib Clitso
You must imagine what could be in your life to have a shot of making the changes necessary to achieve it. ~Unknown
We don’t have the power to change the facts of divorce, but divorce definitely gives us the power to change ourselves. ~Karen Finn
The unfortunate truth is that not all marriages last a lifetime. ~Karen Finn
Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. ~John Wooden
To make progress in any difficult situation, you have to start with what’s right about it and build on that. ~Norman Vincent Peale
Just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean you are a mistake. ~Georgette Mosbacher
Human beings are not hopeless. They have never been helpless. They have only been deflected or deceived or dispirited. ~Norman Cousins
If you’re still looking for a happy ending, I suggest you start searching for a new beginning. ~Unknown
Negative emotions are often catalysts of great change. ~Unknown
You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be. ~Wayne Dyer
Divorce is just a part of your life. It doesn’t define who you are. You decide that. ~Karen Finn
It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure. ~Joseph Campbell
Baby step by baby step, you have what you need right now to start moving in the direction of your happiest dreams. ~Marta Davidovich Ockuly
Most friendships change when one of the friends divorces. Some friendships can’t weather the changes and others become stronger. ~Karen Finn
Crisis leads us into emotional waters where we feel in over our head, and it calls upon us to explore unfamiliar spiritual terrain. ~D.R. Kingma
Divorce isn’t always the best answer. And sometimes it’s the only answer. ~Karen Finn
Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. ~Francis Bacon
Some people are like clouds. When they disappear, it’s a brighter day. ~Unknown
When I got divorced, I eventually came to the painful realization that I had trusted my ex-husband to be someone I wanted him to be instead of who he was. ~Karen Finn
All blame is a wast of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him/her, it won’t change you. ~Wayne Dyer
Although no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending. ~Carl Bard
Experiencing a great change, like divorce, has the power to change us greatly. ~Unknown
What you resist, persists. ~Werner Erhard
In the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity. ~Albert Einstein
People are only mean when they are threatened. ~Morrie Schwartz
Life is a DIY project – no one else can live it for you. You need to know what you want and when to ask for help. ~Karen Finn
Grief shared is grief abated. ~Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Wherever you are right now is the starting point for where you will be tomorrow, next month, next year, and at the end of your life. ~Unknown
Experience is a good teacher, but her fees are very high. ~Unknown
You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens. ~Mandy Hale
Remember, a closed mouth gathers no foot. ~Steve Post
Always laugh when you can. It’s cheap medicine. ~Lord Byron
The past must no longer be used as an anvil for beating out the present and the future. ~Paul-Emile Borduas
Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start. ~Nido Qubein
Sometimes you have to forget what’s gone, appreciate what still remains and look forward to what’s coming next. ~Unknown
Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. ~Unknown
Lord, either lighten my burden or strengthen by back. ~Thomas Fuller
Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. ~Henry Ford
A hug is the perfect gift; one size fits all, and nobody minds if you exchange it. ~Anonymous
You may be disappointed if you fail but doomed if you don’t try. ~Beverly Sills
Grief is a long and complicated journey. ~Daphne Rose Kingma
The pain now is part of the happiness then. That’s the deal. ~C.S. Lewis
Divorce is hardest at the beginning, most chaotic in the middle and best at the end. ~Anonymous
Experience is the toughest teacher. She gives you the test first and then the lesson. ~Unknown
Grief is a time when we try to find our wholeness again after all has been lost. ~E. Kubler-Ross
We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us. ~Joseph Campbell
I will release the old, embrace the new and grow a vision of hope. ~Shive Adhikari
Love, the quest; marriage, the conquest; divorce, the inquest. ~Helen Rowland
Grief can make a liar out of you. You say you are doing fine, when really your heart is shattered into a 1000 tiny pieces. ~Maria Shriver
Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. ~Benjamin Franklin
Despite the pain, if minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, you keep going, you will get through your divorce. ~Karen Finn
Things happen when you least expect them – things that can change your whole life. ~Lesley Kagen
Where there’s life, there’s hope. ~Cicero
Co-parenting means you are not always going to get what you want. ~Ed Farber
Major life events are profound opportunities for emotional healing and spiritual development. ~Daphne Rose Kingma
Forgiveness is making a conscious decision to live in the present … even if the past still hurts. ~Unknown
Love is like war; easy to begin but hard to stop. ~Fortune Cookie
Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make peace with that and all will be well. ~ Buddha
Divorced ≠ Unlovable ~Karen Finn
Strong is what happens when you run out of weak. ~Anonymous
There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning. ~Louis L’Amour
Trouble is opportunity in work clothes. ~W. Clement Stone
Divorce is a process, not an event. ~Karen Finn
When a deep injury is done to us, we never heal until we forgive. ~Nelson Mandela
Many people feel numb when starting down the path of divorce – it’s a protective mechanism. ~Karen Finn
Every difficult situation in our life makes us bitter or better. The choice is ours to become the victim or the victor. ~Unknown
I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains. ~Anne Frank
Crying holds the power of healing. ~Daphne Rose Kingma
You wouldn’t believe that so much could change just because a relationship ended. ~Nick Hornby
Change takes but an instant. It’s the resistance to change that can take a lifetime. ~Hebrew Proverb
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience. ~Unknown
Constructive and appropriate anger puts distance between you and your ex. It will also allow you to move on with your life after divorce. ~Karen Finn
Sometimes when you hurt too much to cry, laughter is the best response. ~Unknown
When you allow yourself to express depression, it will leave as soon as it has served its purpose in your loss. ~E. Kubler-Ross
The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. ~Dolly Parton
The words we attach to our experience become our experience. ~Tony Robbins
My only advice is to stay aware, listen carefully, and yell for help if you need it. ~Judy Blume
Our job is not merely to discover ourselves, but to create new selves in the new context. ~Micki McWade
There is glory in a great mistake. ~Nathalia Crane
The future needs your attention. It has something beautiful to offer you, but first you must let go of the past in order to receive it. ~Israa Ali
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. ~James Neil Hollingworth
Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better. ~Unknown
Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. ~Paul Boese
If you try to get rid of fear and anger without knowing their meaning, they will grow stronger and return. ~ Deepak Chopra
The world doesn’t stop for the personal grief of divorce. ~Karen Finn
Live a life you’re proud of and if you need to, have the strength to start all over again. ~Unknown
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. ~C.S. Lewis
Forgive yourself for the blindness that put you in the path of those who betrayed you. Sometimes a good heart doesn’t see the bad. ~Unknown
There’s always a way to begin again. ~Unknown
Divorce sets off a tidal wave of changes – physical, mental, emotional, social and existential. ~Karen Finn
Knowing when it is over is the beginning of a new life and the end of an old one! ~Unknown
Fear wins or freedom wins. ~Brendon Burchard
Those who attempt to hold onto the past sign up for a lifetime of frustration. ~Micki McWade
I can courageously handle anything so long as I take it one moment at a time. ~Sue Patton Theole
Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune. ~William James
Adaptability is the powerful difference between changing to cope and changing to grow. ~Unknown
Do you se your divorce as a set-back or a do-over? It took time and effort, but I now see mine as a do-over. ~Karen Finn
The truth is that pain is one of our greatest teachers. ~Daphne Rose Kingma
It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe. ~Muhammad Ali
Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option. ~Unknown
The hopes of tomorrow can often diminish the pains of today. ~Unknown
It is better to be alone than to be in bad company. ~George Washington
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. ~Alice Walker
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. ~George Bernard Shaw
An unexpected dead end in one journey is merely an opportunity to set a new course for another. ~Sean Patrick
Believing in yourself is essential to creating lasting change and a happy life. ~Tara Stiles
Changing the expectations you have of someone just might change the way you feel about them. ~Unknown
The only thing worse than being stuck in a situation that makes you unhappy is realizing you are not willing to change it. ~Unknown
The pain of divorce doesn’t last forever – despite how it might seem right now. ~Karen Finn
You can catch glimpses of happiness in the middle of the pain of divorce when you remember to take care of yourself. ~Karen Finn
The longer you focus on blaming your ex for the end of your marriage, the more you’re hurting yourself. ~Unknown
Divorce is one of the most destructive, emotionally traumatic experiences a human being can go through, no matter if you’re the instigator or the recipient. It’s hard, and it hurts, and it takes a long time to feel normal again. ~Emily V. Gordon
You don’t sign up for a divorce when you get married. It’s very painful. But it’s taught me a great deal about myself. ~Dwayne Johnson
When I left, after my divorce, when I left Oklahoma, I never looked back. It was the future. It was looking forward from then on. ~Reba McEntire
Divorce is a time of change. It really rocks a foundation of most people’s lives. When we have our heart broken or our dreams taken away from us, it is a time of growth and change. ~Debbie Ford
I don’t see divorce as a failure. I see it as the end to a story. In a story, everything has an end and a beginning. ~Olga Kurylenko
When two people decide to get a divorce, it isn’t a sign that they ‘don’t understand’ one another, but a sign that they have, at last, begun to. ~Helen Rowland
I used to think that divorce meant failure, but now I see it more as a step along the path of self-realization and growth. ~Alana Stewart
Divorce is hard and painful and complicated, and something you have to grow through. ~Sharon Stone

The wonderful thing about these divorce quotes is that they will mean something different to you each time you choose to read them. That’s because as you work through your divorce (or grow through it as Sharon Stone suggests) you’re a different person who sees and understands the world a bit differently.

I’m Dr. Karen Finn, a divorce and life coach. I help people just like you with healing after a divorce. You can join my newsletter list for free weekly advice. If you’re interested in taking the first step toward working with me, you can schedule an introductory private coaching session.