50 Wise Holding On Quotes (And Knowing When to Let Go)

If you’re holding on to something in life, these holding on quotes are for you!

In life, there comes a moment when we find ourselves clinging to something—be it a dream, a relationship, a belief, or a memory.

The act of holding on is an unavoidable part of the human experience, a delicate dance between tenacity and vulnerability.

It is a journey that can be both daunting and deeply rewarding, forcing us to confront our fears, endure hardships, and find comfort and strength in ourselves.

In this article, you’ll find quotes highlighting the challenges and profound significance of holding on in many areas of our lives.

Whether it’s pursuing our ambitions or preserving our most treasured values, join us on a reflective journey through the challenges of holding on and discovering the resilience that defines the human spirit.

Holding On Quotes

Read on for powerful quotes about holding on in life.

1. “Don’t hold on to dear life – hold life dearly.” ― Rasheed Ogunlaru

2. “Sometimes holding on is what holds you back.” ― Brittany Burgunder

3. “All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” — Havelock Ellis

4. “There is absolutely no beauty in holding onto something that you’re supposed to let go of.” ― Sai Pradeep

5. “My relationship with aging is cozy. I’m not trying to play 29 and holding on with white knuckles, you know?” — Diane Lane

6. “There is only what you want and what happens. There is only grabbing on and holding tight in the darkness.” ― Lauren Oliver

7. “Life is a delicate dance between holding on and letting go, finding balance in the ever-changing rhythms of existence.” ― Aloo Denish

8. “Humans are so strange in the ways that we are either recovering too quickly from something or holding on to pain forever.” ― Ada Limon

9. “It’s hard to know when you’ve been holding on to something until you finally let it go, or it leaves of its own accord.” ― Sara Wolf

10. “Life is just a slide. Back and forth between loving and leaving, remembering and forgetting, holding on and letting go.” ― Nicole Lyons

Holding On to Anger and Fear Quotes

These quotes caution us about the impact of holding on to anger and fear in our lives.

11. “Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.” — George S. Patton

12. “When you hold a grudge, you want someone else’s sorrow to reflect your level of hurt but the two rarely meet.” ― Steve Maraboli

13. “Holding a grudge doesn’t make you strong; it makes you bitter. Forgiving doesn’t make you weak; it sets you free.” — Realistic Buddhism

14. “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” — Buddha

15. “Don’t give up when dark times come. The more storms you face in life, the stronger you’ll be. Hold on. Your greater is coming.” ― Germany Kent

16. “Holding on to anger, resentment and hurt only gives you tense muscles, a headache and a sore jaw from clenching your teeth.” — Joan Lunden

17. “I don’t hold grudges; I just cut people off. I don’t see a point in willingly subjecting myself to constantly being hurt by the same people.” ― Nitya Prakash

18. “Our bodies and our minds are designed to bear weight, but that doesn’t mean we need to keep holding in everything we accumulate along the way.”― Hania Khuri-Trapper

19. “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” — Dale Carnegie

20. “I do not have the luxury to keep enemies or to hold grudges a lifetime, or to wallow in things that stress me; my energy is entirely for those things that bring me peace, and for them, I’ll pursue foolhardy” ― Kelly Iyogun

Holding On to Love Quotes

These quotes highlight the joy and pain of holding on to love.

21. “I was always holding onto people, and they were always leaving.” ― Lili St. Crow

22. “Sometimes letting go is braver than holding on until you break.” ― Rebekah Crane

23. “Hopelessly holding on to bad love because of the fear of being alone.” ― Nitya Prakash

24. “But now I knew finding love and holding on to it were not the same thing.” ― Mary E. Pearson

25. “Unconditional love goes beyond holding on and letting go. Real love is about truth.” ― Vironika Tugaleva

26. “You let go of my hand to hold on to my heart. Distance grasps us tight now that we are apart.” ― Munia Khan

27. “Why was I holding on to something that would never be mine? But isn’t that what people do?” ― Bret Easton Ellis

28. “It takes love to hold on when you want to let go. It takes love to let go when you want to hold on.” ― Kate McGahan

29. “I held your hand tightly in the rain until I realized you had let me go–I was holding on in vain, I was holding on in pain.” ― Jessica de la Davies

30. “You think that holding someone hard will bring them closer. You think that you can hold them so hard that you’ll still feel them, embossed on you, when you pull away.” ― Eleanor and Park

Holding On to Yourself Quotes

Enjoy these quotes encouraging you to hold on to yourself, no matter what.

31. “It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not.” — Andre Guide

32. “If you ever think about giving up, remember why you held on for so long.” — Hayley Williams

33. “The only true happiness lies in knowing who you are and making peace with it.” — Laurell K. Hamilton

34. “It’s difficult being young, but holding on to a sense of identity is really important in life.” — Claudia Jessie

35. “Let the fools hold on to their treasured stupidity. Let yourself be safe in wisdom with much rapidity.” ― Munia Khan

36. “The ground beneath you is shifting, and either you get sucked in by holding on to old ways, or you take a giant step forward by taking some risks and seeing what happens.” — Bonnie Hammer

37. “It’s fun to get lost in love and romance. It’s the best. But holding on to yourself while doing that is the most important thing.” —— Brittany Murphy

38. “Every day, I get better at knowing that it is not a choice to be an activist; rather, it is the only way to hold on to the better parts of my human self. It is the only way I can live and laugh without guilt.” — Staceyann Chin

39. “I’ve learned to try to sustain myself by holding on to the integrity of who I am. I’m not talking big diva. I’m quiet; I’m shy. And I became stronger when I stopped trying to be the person they wanted me to be.” — Crystal Waters

40. “Some incidents keep gnawing at you from the inside… But you must hold on to yourself in such moments. Life is so much more than these setbacks that we have to face in life!” ― Avijeet Das

Holding On to Hope and the Past Quotes

Read on for quotes about the beauty of holding on to hope and the detriment of holding on to your past.

41. “Funny how we can’t hold onto time, even when it’s strapped to our wrists.” ― Emily Murdoch

42. “I hold you in the safest place I keep. Somewhere between memories and scars.” ― Nicole Lyons

43. “Holding on to hope when everything is dark is the greatest test of faith.” — Yasmin Mogahed   

44. “No matter how dark and hopeless a situation may seem, always hold on and never give up your dream.” ― Mouloud Benzadi

45. “Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” ― Kevin Arnold

46. “We have all suffered losses and pain, but no loss is greater than a life lost holding on to a painful past.” ― Bryant McGill

47. “We really feel happier when things look bleak. Hope is endurance. Hope is holding on and going on and trusting in the Lord.” — Michael Novak

48. “If you can’t at least hope for a possibility, then what happiness can you expect to have? You have to hold on to it, or else you’ve got nothing…” — J. Neven-Pugh

49. “The most beautiful moments always seemed to accelerate and slip beyond one’s grasp just when you want to hold onto them for as long as possible.” ― E.A. Bucchianeri

50. “He always remembered it vividly when he was in physical pain and when the limit of his strength seemed to have been reached, and it was a memory that helped him every time to hold out and to go on.” ― Romain Gary

Find Strength in Holding On and Letting Go

The act of holding on can be a sign of our determination or our stubbornness.

Holding on to something challenging but rewarding can be a source of strength, but refusing to let go of something negative robs us of our power and holds us back.

There is equal wisdom in knowing when to let go of anger, fear, or a love that no longer serves you.

In these moments of gripping tightly to our dreams, connections, and values, we discover our most authentic selves, and that’s the most crucial thing to hold on to.