154 When It’s Time to Walk Away Quotes

Find the motivation and courage you need to change your life with these walk away quotes.

Life doesn’t always go exactly as we expect it to.

Sometimes we find out that there is something or someone in our life that isn’t the best for us.

When that happens, it’s time to say goodbye and walk away.

What’s the right way to walk away?

Change is hard and it can be difficult for you to decide to take that first step to walk away. 

But if you give in and stay, you are are going to miss an opportunity to grow and experience the good things that are waiting for you.

We have prepared the following walk away quotes and sayings to inspire you to take the first step.  

If you enjoy this article, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily motivation. 

If you want more motivational quotes, check out our motivational quotes category page.

Walking away quotes for when you’re aren’t sure you’re ready to go

1. “I truly loved you, but now I’m walking away.” – Jonny Lang

You will also enjoy our article on lonely quotes.

2. “Selfhood begins with a walking away, And love is proved in letting go.”―Cecil Day-Lewis

3. “I am good at walking away. Rejection teaches you how to reject.” – Jeanette Winterson

You will also enjoy our article on everything will be okay quotes.

4. “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.”―Herman Hesse

You will also enjoy our article on bad relationship quotes.

5. “Here are moments when you have to just walk away and cry.” – Lou Angeli

You will also enjoy our article on hurt quotes.

6. “Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.”―Nicole Sobon

7. “Sometimes you have to walk away from people, not because you don’t care, but because they don’t.”―Melchor Lim

You will also enjoy our article on rejection quotes.

8. “Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.”―Raymond Lindquist

9. “Learning to walk away is hard but staying to suffer is harder.” – Mariel Avila

10. “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.” — Abraham Lincoln

Walk away quotes to help you know when it’s better to go

11. “In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.”―Deepak Chopra

You will also enjoy our article on past quotes.

12. “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.”―Steve Maraboli

You will also enjoy our article on courage quotes.

13. “When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”―Alexander Graham Bell

You will also enjoy our article on Buddha quotes.

14. “If you have to force it, leave it. Relationships. Friendships. Yoga poses. Perfect ponytails. Let that shit go.”―Akua Naru

You will also enjoy our article on toxic relationships quotes.

15. “In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”―Gautama Buddha

16. “How do you look at someone you love and tell yourself it’s time to walk away?”  – The Vow

17. “Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like and celebrating it for everything that it is.”―Mandy Hale

18. “Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.”―Ann Lander

19. “Knowing when to walk away, is wisdom. Being able to is courage. Walking away with grace, and your head held high, is dignity.”―Ritu Ghatourey

20. “When it’s time for me to walk away from something, I walk away from it. My mind, my body, my conscience tells me that enough is enough.” – Jerry West

Walk away quotes to help you eliminate the negative things

21. “Anyone or anything that is negative, you should walk away from. Make room for all the positives.” – Wendy John

22. “Just pick up your courage and walk away. Don’t waste your time. The longer one drags on, the amount of pain accumulates.” – Dick Hirayama

23. “Once you realize you deserve a bright future, letting go of your dark past is the best choice you will ever make.”―Roy T. Bennett

24. “I no longer want to be that person who keeps crying at night so I am more careful this time.” – Unknown

25. “Trust yourself and walk away from situations and people that don’t have your best interest at heart.” – Ben Ruston

Walk away quotes to help you take a step forward

26. “Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energy moving forward together towards an answer.”―Denis Waitley

27. “The only thing a person can ever really do is keep moving forward. Take that big leap forward without hesitation, without once looking back. Simply forget the past and forge toward the future.”―Alyson Noel

28. “As we grow older and wiser, we begin to realize what we need in life and what we need to leave behind. Sometimes walking away is just a step forward.” – Unknown

29. “Letting go may sound so simple, but rarely is it a one-time thing. Just keep letting go, until one day it’s gone for good.”―Eleanor Brown

30. “To let go is to release the images and emotions, the fears, the clingings and disappointments of the past that bind our spirit.”―Jack Kornfield

Walk away quotes to give you courage

31. “When the tears are too many and the love is too little when you want to smile but you have to sigh and you’re tired of the lies but your heart can’t handle the truth, that’s when you have to decide if it’s better to stay or just walk away.” – Rashida Rowe

32. “Don’t be afraid to walk away. It’s better to walk away than being taken for granted.” – Unknown

33. “Part of being a winner is knowing when enough is enough. Sometimes you have to give up the fight and walk away, and move on to something that’s more productive.” – Donald Trump

34. “Sometimes walking away has nothing to do with weakness and everything to do with strength. We walk away not because we want others to realize our worth and value, but because we finally realize our own.” – Robert Tew

35. “One of the most courageous decisions you’ll ever make is to finally let go of what is hurting your heart and soul.”―Brigitte Nicole

36. “The moment you feel like you have to prove your worth to someone is the moment to absolutely and utterly walk away.” – Alysia Harris

37. “I’ve often tried to explain it and now realize something can never be explained, nor should you waste your time trying. Just walk away.” – Ellie Borak

38. “If you don’t walk away, you’ll hurt yourself beyond repair. Remember, you’re a precious child of God, deserving to be treated kindly.” – Zenobia Davis

Walk away quotes for when it’s hard to go

39. “Goodbye is the absolute hardest thing to say because you have to walk away with just a memory and after a while that memory fades.” – Sarah Dillon

40. “You only struggle because you’re ready to grow but aren’t willing to let go.”―Drew Gerald

41. “You don’t need strength to let go of something. What you really need is understanding.”―Guy Finley

42. “The hardest part about walking away from someone is when you realize that no matter how slow you go, that someone will never run after you.” – Bethany Megan

43. “Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.”―Guy Finley

44. “Sometimes it’s best to just walk away, count your loss, say a prayer and go on with your life. Time and forgiveness has a way of healing the pain and hurt that you will undoubtedly feel.” – David Kreger

45. “Sometimes you have to smile and pretend everything’s okay. Hold back the tears, and just walk away.” – Anurag Prakash Ray

46. “Letting go is hard, but there comes a time when you accept the fact, that you can’t go back to how it was and it’s time to wish them best and walk away.” – Punkinhead Abhishek

47. “The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.” —Ernest Hemingway

48. “Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.”―S. Maraboli

Other motivational walk away quotes

49. “Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.”―Roy T. Bennett

50. “Today expect something good to happen to you no matter what occurred yesterday. Realize the past no longer holds you captive. It can only continue to hurt you if you hold on to it. Let the past go. A simply abundant world awaits.”―Sarah Ban Breathnach

51. You can walk away and say “We don’t need this.” but something in your eyes says “We can beat this.” – Taylor Swift

52. “I know you’ll think this is crazy, but all I want to do is hold you, and I think that if you’ll let me do that just for a few seconds, I can walk away, and never speak to you again.” – David Guterson

53. “When trust is broken how can you repair it? Sometimes you just have to walk away.” – Hattie Lou

54. “Life is too short for unreality and you don’t owe anybody anything – especially your time, energy, and attention.” – Oli Anderson

55. Never worry what others say when you walk away from all the drama. Be grateful you had the strength and courage to stay out of the conflict and be at peace with your choices.” – Elle Sommer

Walk away quotes that are perfect for Instagram

56. “Every woman that finally figured out her worth, has picked up her suitcases of pride and boarded a flight to freedom, which landed in the valley of incredible change.”―Shannon L. Alder

57. “Most of us need something not to walk away from.” ― Josh Stern

58. “You can’t walk away from beauty, but you can destroy it.” — Anthony T. Hincks

59. “If they don’t chase you when you walk away… Keep walking!” ― Nitya Prakash

60. “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” — Dolly Parton

61. “Walk on, yes, but don’t walk away from people who need you.” — Rachel Hartman

62. “Learn to walk away from the arms where you don’t belong before you end up suffocating there.” — Sai Pradeep

63. “There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it.” — José N. Harris

64. “If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.” — Chuck Yeager

65. “If you walked away from a toxic, negative, abusive, one-sided, dead-end low vibrational relationship or friendship — you won.” ― Lalah Delia

Thought-provoking walk away quotes

66. “Never love anybody that treats you like you’re ordinary.” – Oscar Wilde

67. “Letting go doesn’t mean that you don’t care about someone anymore. It’s just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself.” – Deborah Reber

68. “And that’s when I know it’s over. As soon as you start thinking about the beginning, it’s the end.” – Junot Díaz

69. “No matter how bad you want a person, if your hearts are in two different places, you’ll have to pass and move on.” – Alexandra Elle

70. “It’s easy to fall in love, Ben. The hard part comes when you want out.” – Colleen Hoover

71. “If you really want closure… at some point, you have to shut the door.” – Jacki Wells Wunderlin

72. “There’s an important difference between giving up and letting go.” – Jessica Hatchigan

73. “Don’t wait. If it’s not right, move on.” – Andy Lau

74. “You’ve got to make a conscious choice every day to shed the old – whatever “the old” means for you.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach

75. “The hardest thing I’ll ever do is walk away still loving you.” – Tracy Lawrence

Walk Away Quotes To Help You Move On And Find Peace

76. “Forgiveness enables me to walk away from that pain, the loneliness and suffering.” ― Sharon E. Rainey

77. “You will never see me surrender, never see me cry, but you will often see me walk away. Turn around and just leave, without looking back.” ― Charlotte Eriksson

78. “To win a negotiation you have to show you’re willing to walk away. And the best way to show you’re willing to walk away is to walk away.” ― Matt Nix

79. “Walking away from the problems you don’t want in your life gets easier each time it becomes clearer to you who no longer need to be.” ― Guy Finley

80. “The moment he makes you feel like he’s done something to benefit you, walk away, because it’s what will get you into the most trouble.” ― K. Weikel

81. “Once you’re clear on what your bottom line is, you have to be willing to walk away.” ― Chris Voss

82. “Some people feel like they don’t deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past.” ― Sean Penn

83. When they treat you unkind and attempt to ruin your day, Stop, pray and walk away (SPW)” ― Charmaine J. Forde

84. “I got to walk away, walk away. There’s nothing left that I can do but walk away, Walk away, Slowly turn my eyes from you and walk away.” ― Del Shannon

85. “It takes faith to walk away from anything that keeps you away from the face of God.” ― Gift Gugu Mona

Walk Away Quotes That Encourage You To Let Go And Move On

86. “It’s better to walk away than to tolerate nonsense.” — Michelle Ross

87. “Don’t walk away from negative people – run!” — Mark Twain

88. “One thing I can say is if your gut feeling is telling you to walk away, it is probably the best decision you could make.” — J. Riggins

89. “Walk away from friendships that make you feel small and insecure, and seek out people who inspire you and support you.” — Michelle Obama

90. “If it’s dead, don’t go digging it up every five minutes to check if there’s a pulse. It’s dead; walk away.” — Richard Templar

91. “You know it’s time to walk away when the fun and laughter are gone and only pain and sadness exist.” — Jacqueline Scales

92. “If anyone tries to complicate your life, turn and walk away from them.” — Caroline Myss

93. “Sometimes, when you hold out for everything, you walk away with nothing.” — Ally McBeal

94. “Have the courage to walk away, those that value you will want you back, and those that do not won’t hold you back.”  — Trevor Driggers

95.“ Learn to value yourself enough to walk away from the crap in life and never settle for less than you deserve.” — Parul Wadhwa

Walk Away Quotes To help You Find Peace

96. “Yes, let go. Walk away. Nothing can stop you. Believe me, this is your first in a long series of real winning actions. Never mind what direction to take; it doesn’t matter, not in the slightest.” — Guy Finley

97. “Well it’s not too late / Girl, it’s really not worth the fight / No one’s right / Well it’s time to walk away.” — Billie Joe Armstrong

98. “Just another emotion, is this something more / If it’s only a passionate phase / I’d rather just close the door / Turn away, turn away, turn away / Walk away, walk away, walk away.” — Harold Faltermeyer

99. “Walk away / If you’re not here to stay / ‘Cause I care about myself too much / And I’ve hurt enough.” — Chantal Kreviazuk

100. “Walking away from the false is the same as heading toward what is true.” — Guy Finley

101. “Letting go and walking away means you are exercising control and good decision-making powers–you are making your choice rather than letting the situation control you.” — Richard Templar

102. “Regardless of how it ends., love is always worth going out on a limb for. Better to put your heart on the line and walk away with nothing than to play it safe.” — Mandy Hale

103. “Walk away in emptiness, walk away in sorrow, Walk away from yesterday, walk away tomorrow, / Walk away from anger, walk away from pain / Walk away from anguish, walk into the rain.” — Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner

104. “Every wise man have walked away from the world in his way with the only obstinacy to make it.” — P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar

105. “Sometimes you really want to do something, but it is unrealistic. Instead of knocking yourself out, cultivate the art of knowing when to walk away, and you’ll find, it a lot less stressful.” — Richard Templar

Walking Away Quotes That Inspire Self-Discovery

106. “Letting go of yourself is letting go of your problems, for they are on in the same.” ― Guy Finley

107. “Sometimes you have to just walk away. We all hate to fail, hate to give up, hate to give in. We love the challenge if life and want to keep on until whatever we are trying to ‘win’ has been overcome, vanquished, beaten and won.” ― Richard Templar

108. “If a relationship is coming to its end, instead of playing out long and complicated– and potentially hurtful–end games, learn the art of walking away.” ― Richard Templar

109. “How do you look at the person you love and tell yourself it’s time to walk away.” ― Abby Kohn

110. “Stage is really hard work. You’ve got to do it every night. Not like doing it once and walking away.” ― Morgan Freeman

111. “And I want you to know that I have no intention whatever of ever walking away from the job that the people elected me to do for the people of the United States.” ― Richard M. Nixon

112. “I actually don’t have a problem with shooting and then just walking away and forgetting about it. I’m not really like a Method actor or an old soul. It doesn’t stay with me.” ― Karen Gillan

113. “Trying to find a heart that’s not walking away.” ― Mat Kearney

114. “I want to keep walking away from the person I was a moment ago, because a mind was made fo figure things out, not to read the same page recurrently.” ― Donald Miller

115. “You know I like that fight and I’m confident of walking away with two super-middleweight titles.” ― Jeff Lacy

Walking Away Quotes  About Finding Your Path

116. “I have learned to not let a bad race or failure bring me down, and always walking away with something positive and learning from mistakes so I can be better or stronger next time.” ― Erin Hamlin

117. “Real fatherhood means love and commitment and sacrifice and a willingness to share responsibility and not walking away from one’s children.” ― William Bennett

118. “I always get carried away when I’m kissing. I just go nuts! Walking away after it is the strangest moment for me. It’s embarrassing – not knowing what to say to each other.” ― Robert Pattinson

119. “I always knew when I graduated from high school I’d go to college. I never thought about what I was walking away from . . . I just wanted to study literature and writing.” ― Gaby Hoffmann

120. “Admire the world for never ending on you — as you would an opponent, without taking your eyes away from him, or walking away.” ― Annie Dillard

121. “He had risked his life and now it was walking away from him, hand-in-hand with a Ruffian prince.” ― William Goldman

122. “I walk away from him. It’s enormously pleasing to me, this walking away. It’s like being able to make people appear and vanish, at will.” ― Margaret Atwood

123. “They were always walking away from him. But he never seemed able to walk away from them.” ― Maggie Stiefvater

124. “No matter how rudely someone treats you, remain kind. Walking away at peace with yourself is worth it.” ― Anne Rice

125. “An angry player can’t argue with the back of an umpire who is walking away.” ― Bill Klem

Empowering Walk Away Quotes for Life’s Crossroads

126. “You see me walking away, I see myself walking towards greatness.” ― Rhouveyzz

127. “If you can’t compromise, you need to walk away from the situation. You have to learn when it is better to walk away.” — David Lyles Lehman

128. “As hard as it might be, when someone else chooses to stay stuck, it’s usually best to walk away.” — Sally M. Veillette

129. “The past is the past. Learn from your mistakes. Follow those stepping-stones toward what lies ahead of you.” — Deann Hummel

130. “Sometimes it takes more courage to walk away than it does to fight.” — Louis Sachar

131. “Sometimes the hardest thing is knowing when to walk away from a fight.” — Ed Stetzer

132. “Sometimes it is right just to walk away and let go for another soul’s journey.” — Elizabeth Villani

133. “It breaks my heart it hurts me so, but I must leave I have to walk away and let go.” — Barbara T. Aimable

134. “You have to let go of what is hurting you, even if it feels almost impossible.” — Teshome Wasie

135. “You will achieve great success in knowing when enough is enough, when doing what you need to do, but not more.” — Tara Diversi

Walk Away Quotes to Embrace the Strength of Letting Go

136. “Release yourself from fear, release yourself from bondage, release yourself from heartache and take back your power.” — Leah Baldwin

137. “Release yourself from anxiety, depression, and fear. Once you get away from anxiety, you tend to feel better and look better.” — Prophetess Dr. Monica B. Kearse

138. “I know leaving a relationship especially with someone you truly love must be the hardest thing to do, but turning back only will hurt you more.” — Portia Conway

139. “Walking away is never easy when binding rivers of familiarity flow through the vessels of solitary images. It is the fear of being alone that stands in the doorway of reality revealed.” — Zemill

140. “We may not need to lose ten to twenty pounds, but most of us need to lose some heavy negative mental baggage. Letting go may sound like a passive thing to do, but it isn’t.” — Kitty Chappell

141. “I want to give it all I can for as long as I can and then walk away. I’d prefer to decide when that time comes, not have the decision made for me.” — Rich Froning

142. “At this very point, it is time to walk away.” — Bruce D. Hugg

143. “It’s time to walk away from this life and start fresh.” — A.M. Willard

144. “There is a time to stay the course and a time to walk away. There is a tipping point when the effort becomes useless, exhausting beyond measure.” — Jen Hatmaker

145. “It’s time to walk away when saying the words “I love you” become a task.” — Jacqueline Scales

146. “God does not walk away from us; we (through sin) walk away from him.” — Indiana Tuggle

147. “Every burden that you carry was created in the past. Now would be a good time to leave them there…” — PHYLLIS G. MCDANIEL

148. “When we walk away from our suffering, we also tend to walk away from things that matter to us. So walking away has costs that can deeply diminish your life.” — Matthew McKAY

149. “One of the most courageous decisions you can ever make is to let go of what is hurting your heart and soul.” — J. Edwards

150. “There are some things I have never told you, but I hope you understand that walking away from you is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Staying away is torture, but Darlin’, you deserve more.” — Evelyn Montgomery

151. “‘You also have the courage to walk away from anything or anyone who does not align with your vision for your life. You are more powerful than you can ever imagine. I know you are.” — SharRon Jamison

152. “Sometimes the hardest thing to do is walk away. Whether it’s from a relationship, a job, a habit, or a thing….walking away isn’t easy but necessary.” — Ruthe McDonald

153. “I may sometimes walk away confused; but I also walk away alive.” — Doug Brooks

154. “Be Confident, Be Prepared, and Be Willing to Walk Away.” — Lee E. Miller

Is it time for you to walk away from something?

If you just read through these quotes then there is probably something that you are thinking about walking away from.

It could be a certain situation or a person in your life.

Whatever it is, as many of these quotes mention, there are many times when walking away from something is what’s in your best interest. 

That doesn’t mean it’s going to feel easy or even like something that you want to do.

But after you take that step, you’ll realize that it’s what was what you needed to do.

Walking away from the things in your life that shouldn’t be there will open you up to new and better opportunities. 

What’s your biggest takeaway from these inspirational walk away quotes?

Do you have any other helpful quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.