110 Scar Quotes to Help You Overcome the Pain and Move On

These scar quotes highlight how just living this life inflicts wounds upon us.

Some might be physical, like an accident, injury, or illness.

While the aftermath of a painful breakup can inflict emotional wounds that people can’t see.

Though time may heal, the scars remain silent witnesses to the resilience of our healing hearts.

How you deal with those scars often determines who you end up being.

Whether you have proudly worn your “scars” for all to see or tried to hide them, we can all take comfort in knowing that we all have scars of one kind or another.

Whether the scars are physical or emotional, they are painful to receive.

But without them, we often would not have the chance to become stronger, to become who we want to be.

Emotional scar quotes

Scars are a part of this world.

No matter who you are, you will not get out of life without experiencing some kind of trauma.

1. “But not all scars showed, did they?”- Eileen Wilks

2. “Emotional scars run deeper than the Nile and often lie lurking behind a smile.”- Khang Kijarro Nguyen

3. “Wounds turn into scars and scars make you tough.” – Aisha Tyler

4. “A scar does not form on the dying. A scar means I survived.” – Chris Cleave

5. “I look in the mirror and see a few scars, but I like myself.” – Steven Adler

6. “Scars are a warrior‘s beauty marks.” – Matshona Dhliwayo

7. “The emotional scars of our mistakes will teach us far more than the joy of our successes”- Steven Aitchison

8. “Forgiveness is a scalpel that removes emotional scars.” – Maxwell Maltz

9. “The best people all have some kind of scar.”- Kiera Cass

10. “…real childhood scars heal, but not when band-aids replace self-reflection.” – Cameron Conaway

Physical Scar quotes

Most people would agree that they don’t take pleasure in receiving scars.

11. “Just because you can’t see my scars it doesn’t mean that I’ve never been hurt. Emotional scars can’t be seen and sometimes they never heal.” – Sonya Parker

12. “My scars tell a story. They are a reminder of times when life tried to break me, but failed. They are markings of where the structure of my character was welded.” – Steve Maraboli

13. “Sometimes it’s the scars that remind you that you survived. Sometimes the scars tell you that you have healed.” – Ashley D. Wallis

14. “Some of us can begin to heal the damage people have done to us by escaping the situation, but some of us need more than that. Tattoos make statements that need to be made. Or hide things that are no one’s business. Your scars are battle wounds, but you don’t see them that way. Yet.” – Tammara Webber

15. “I show my scars so that others know they can heal.” – Rhacelle Nicol’

16. “Maybe I should find another doctor; one who realizes the importance of scars.” – Rasmenia Massoud

17. “Scars are not signs of weakness, they are signs of survival and endurance.” – Rodney A. Winters

18. “The girl wore her scars the way some women wore their finest jewelry.” – Sarah J. Maas

19. “Scars fade with time. And the ones that never go away, well, they build character, maturity, caution.” – Erin McCarthy

20. “Some people see scars, and it is wounding they remember. To me, they are proof of the fact that there is healing.” – Linda Hogan

21. “I think perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion.” – Yohji Yamamoto

Strength and scar quotes

22. From every wound there is a scar, and every scar tells a story. A story that says, “I SURVIVED” – Craig Scott

23. “Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize your strength. Move on.” – The Love Notebook

24. “Some wounds never show, not even in the mirror, until we see them in the expressions on the faces of people we love.” – Cameron Jace

25. “I don’t think I’ve ever dared to write down what I see in the ruins of me, or tell in any detail the scars and all their secrets.”― Ashly Lorenzana

26. “I got a body covered in scars, but then who doesn’t? If you don’t have a few scars, you haven’t really lived.”― Lexi Blake

27. “He who wears the emotional and physical scars of life should do so with honor and integrity.” – R.J. Intindola

28. “…the wounds of the past and the scars of the present don’t disfigure me in your eyes – because you know the price I pay for loving you …”― John Gedde

29. “Never be ashamed of the scars that life has left you with. A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed, you endured the pain and God has healed you.” – Nishan Panwar

30. “The adventurer in me felt obliged to testify with a quicker instrument than a brush to the scars of the world.” — Henri Cartier-Bresson

31. “Scars are an affirmation of living.”― Joshua Wisenbaker

32. “Some people, like my dad, have invisible scars; others, like Tia, have scars you can see.”― Glenda Millard

Beauty and scar quotes

33. “I think scars are like battle wounds-beautiful, in a way. They show what you’ve been through and how strong you are for coming out of it.” – Demi Lovato

34. “We’ve been through a lot, and though many of the wounds have healed, the scars they’ve left behind still throb every now and then.” – Neha Yazmin

35. “Words! What power they hold. Once they have rooted in your psyche, it is difficult to escape them. Words can shape the future of a child and destroy the existence of an adult. Words are powerful. Be careful how you use them because once you have pronounced them, you cannot remove the scar they leave behind.” – Vashti Quiroz-Vega

36. “A lot of us grow up and we grow out of the literal interpretation that we get when we’re children, but we bear the scars all our life. Whether they’re scars of beauty or scars of ugliness, it’s pretty much in the eye of the beholder.” – Stephen King

37. “I like someone who is a little crazy but coming from a good place. I think scars are sexy because it means you made a mistake that led to a mess.” – Angelina Jolie

38. “What you have to understand is that my thing is not glamour. I love stretch marks and C-section scars and all of that. I’m a grown man. You don’t gotta put on no makeup with me.” – Tracy Morgan

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of makeup quotes about the power of looking good.

39. “Show me your hands. Do they have scars from giving? Show me your feet. Are they wounded in service? Show me your heart. Have you left a place for divine love?” – Fulton J. Sheen

40. “We didn’t talk about our scars, the ones you could see and the ones you couldn’t.”― Sarah Dessen

41. “Contrary to what we may have been taught to think, unnecessary and unchosen suffering wounds us but need not scar us for life. It does mark us. What we allow the mark of our suffering to become is in our own hands.” – Bell Hooks

42. “Children show scars like medals. Lovers use them as a secrets to reveal. A scar is what happens when the word is made flesh.” – Leonard Cohen

Quotes about scars of life

43. “Historic scores cannot be settled, and scars cannot be obliterated.” – Ehud Olmert

44. “The scars of others should teach us caution.” – St. Jerome

45. “The marks humans leave are too often scars.” – John Green

46. “To be alive at all is to have scars.” – John Steinbeck

47. “The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society.” – John Lewis

48. “You develop a lot of scars, being interracial.” — Wentworth Miller

49. What doesn’t kill you is gonna leave a scar.” – Marilyn Manson

50. “The person may have a scar, but it also means they have a story.” – Jodi Picoult

51. “Be proud of every scar on your heart, each one holds a lifetime worth of lessons.” – Wallace Stegner

52. “Scars. A sign that you had been hurt. A sign that you had healed.” – Benjamin Alire Saenz

53. “Our scars are a witness to the world. They are a part of our story. Healed wounds that are symbols that God has restored us.” – Louie Giglio

More scars quotes and sayings

54. “Our scars make us beautiful.” – Danielle Orner

55. “Turn your scars into stars.” – Robert H. Schuller

56. “They’re just scars. They’re not you.”― Laura Jarratt

57. “Scars show us where we have been, they do not dictate where we are going.” – David Rossi

58. “The more you open up, the more you get hurt. So basically, I’m just riddled with scars and I just don’t want any more.” – Freddie Mercury

59. “Scars speak more loudly than the sword that caused them.” – Paulo Coelho

60. “Scars are evidence that wounds can heal. That wounds don’t last forever. That healing is possible.” – Lecrae Moore

61. “Every scar that you have is a reminder not just that you got hurt, but that you survived.” – Michelle Obama

62. “Sometimes, the scars are what make us who we are.” – Nalini Singh

Scar Quotes that will Help you Move Forward

63. “The doors to the world of the wild Self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.” — Clarissa Pinkola Estes

64. “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” — Kahlil Gibran

65. “There is a thing about beauty. Beauty is always associated with the male fantasy of what the female body is. I don’t think there is anything wrong with beauty. It’s just what women think is beautiful can be different. And there can be a beauty in individualism. If there is a wart or a scar, this can be beautiful, in a sense, when you paint it.” — Jenny Saville

66. “Life goes on but the scars remain.” — Lil Wayne

67. “I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.” — Rose Kennedy

68. Bones heal, pain is temporary, and chicks dig scars.” — Evel Knievel

69. “Don’t hide your scars. They make you who you are.” — Frank Sinatra

70. “Be proud of your scars. They remind you that you have the will to live.” — Paulo Coelho

71. “Every stress leaves an indelible scar, and the organism pays for its survival after a stressful situation by becoming a little older.” — Hans Selye

72. “On the back of Satan’s neck is a nail scarred footprint.” — C. S. Lewis

Inspiring Scar Quotes to Help You Become Resilient

73. “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” ― Rumi

74. “I don’t want to die without any scars.” ― Chuck Palahniuk

75. “It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.” ― Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

76. “Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real.” ― Cormac McCarthy

77. “He showed me his scars, and in return he let me pretend that I had none.” ― Madeline Miller

78. “The human race tends to remember the abuses to which it has been subjected rather than the endearments. What’s left of kisses? Wounds, however, leave scars.” ― Bertolt Brecht

79. “Stop punishing yourself for being someone with a heart. You cannot protect yourself from suffering. To live is to grieve. You are not protecting yourself by shutting yourself off from the world. You are limiting yourself.” ― Leigh Bardugo

80. “Scars are just another kind of memory.” ― M.L. Stedman

81. “In a perverse way, I was glad for the stitches, glad it would show, that there would be scars. What was the point in just being hurt on the inside? It should bloody well show.” ― Janet Fitch

82. “Everyone always wants to know how you can tell when it’s true love, and the answer is this: when the pain doesn’t fade and the scars don’t heal, and it’s too damned late.” ― Jonathan Tropper

Scar Quotes To Motivate You In Life

83. “Scars are not injuries, Tanner Sack. A scar is a healing. After injury, a scar is what makes you whole.”  —China Miéville

84. “It’s easy for someone to joke about scars if they’ve never been cut.” — William Shakespeare

85. “A really strong woman accepts the war she went through and is ennobled by her scars.” — Carly Simon

86.  “Scars show toughness: that you’ve been through it, and you’re still standing.” — Theo Rossi

87. “Scars are the price you pay for success.” — Melvin Van Peebles

88. “Scars remind you of difficult places in your life that you’ve championed.” — Bret Bielema

89. “I am proud of my scars because they show I dedicated myself to a bigger purpose.” — Kyle Carpenter

90. “There is something beautiful about all scars of whatever nature. A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed and healed, done with.” — Harry Crews

91. “I’m grateful for every scar, some pages turned, some bridges burned, but there were lessons learned.” — Carrie Underwood

92. Life gives you enough scars, you don`t need to manufacture your own.” — Andy Biersack

Scar Quotes that Make You Come Out Strong

93. “A scar is a testament to a past struggle, a reminder that growth can come from pain.” ― Steve Maraboli

94. “Scars have the power to remind us that the past is real.” ― Cormac McCarthy

95. “Scars are tattoos with better stories.” ― Hugh Jackman

96. “Scars are like memories they hurt but they don’t fade.” ― Michael Faudet

97. “We all have wounds and scars, but they make us who we are.” ― Demi Lovato

98. “Scars are stories, history written on the body.” ― Kathryn Harrison

99. “My scars show pain and suffering, but they also show my will to survive. They’re part of my history that’ll always be there.” ― Cheryl Rainfield

100. “Losing my mother at such an early age is the scar of my soul. But I feel like it ultimately made me into the person I am today; I understand the journey of life. I had to go through what I did to be here.” ― Mariska Hargitay

101. “Each image suggests an inner reality, a kind of scar of the past, a reflection of an act or an event once lived.” ― Peter C Bunnell

102. “I’m a grown woman. I’ve earned my experiences, my scars.” ― Tori Amos

103. “Bullying can leave scars that do not heal.” — Megyn Kelly

104. “I talk about airplanes and things like that while my scars are on clear view.” — Tig Notaro

105. “Fiction is risky for writers also in that the process of making certain books, of shaping certain narratives, leaves scars and marks on your inner life.” — Chris Abani

106. “What I’m most interested in is not necessarily the wound, but the scar. Not how someone is wounded, but what the scar does later.” — Daniel Alarcon

107. “I understand the lifelong scars born by women who are victims of assault and abuse.” — Jeff Sessions

108. “The beauty’s in the scars.” — Joshua Homme

109. “And be grateful. Our scars have the power to remind us that the past was real.” — Thomas Harris

110. “You can look forward with hope, because one day there will be no more separation, no more scars, and no more suffering in My Fathers House. It’s the home of your dreams!” — Anne Graham Lotz

What did you learn from these scars quotes?

Now that you have had an opportunity to reflect on these quotes on scars, I hope you will think of them differently.

We aren’t looking to get scarred in this life, but if you have been, don’t let the scar define you.

Let how you handle that scar define who you are.

Most or all of our biggest accomplishments have come with scars.

In fact, most of the people who are admired most are those who have overcome their scars.

They are people that will not be kept down or give up.

They understand that scars are a part of life and show that you have lived.

If you have let your scars define you, choose today that you will not be defined by scars any longer, but in fact will be defined by how you overcame or how you earned those scars!

What’s your biggest takeaway from these scars quotes and sayings?

Do you have any other inspirational quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.