Letting go and moving forward are two of the most difficult and painful things to do.
If you really want to let go and move forward, you have to go through what can be an agonizing process. You need to be ready work through your pain—and that can be a frightening prospect.
In this article, we share with you 43 moving forward quotes from people who have experienced the pain of letting go and moving on. We hope that these quotes can help you heal.
But before we proceed to our set of quotes, let us discuss first the importance of reading them. How can reading these quotes help you move on more quickly?
Why Read Moving Forward Quotes?
There are a number of reasons why moving forward can be a difficult task to accomplish. In addition to the fact that most of us have a marked inability to forget, another major reason is that we easily get attached to things.
Nonetheless, seeking help and drawing strength from others can help us begin the process of moving forward. Everything seems a lot better when you confide in a friend or family member. You pour it all out, and the pain begins to feel a little less burdensome.
The same goes for quotes and other sources of strength.
Whenever you read words of encouragement from people who have been in the same shoes as yours, you feel a bit of relief. Reading these quotes gives you the feeling that you are never alone—that if these people have succeeded, then you will also end up achieving your goal.
Reading these quotes above moving on and letting go can significantly affect the way you deal with the process. If you can’t find someone to draw strength from, then let these quotes be your replacement.
Inspirational Moving Forward Quotes to Let Go of the Past
- “The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” – Steve Maraboli
- “Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed.” – Wayne Dyer
- “You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could’ve or would’ve happened… or you can just leave the pieces of the floor and move on.” – Tupac Shakur
- “Even if our life circumstances take a while to reflect our inner decisions, once decisions are made, everything in our life will move in the direction of aligning with that.” – Donna Goddard
- “A very wise man once told me that you can’t look back – you just have to put the past behind you, and find something better in your future.” – Jodi Picoult
- “There's a difference between owning your choices and blaming yourself.” – Marie Forleo
- “It happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you’ve known forever don’t see things the way you do. So you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.” – Nicholas Sparks
- “Note to self: Nobody is worth stressing over. Move on. It’s ok to leave people behind. Go find yourself. The world is yours. Life goes on.” – Unknown
- “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” – Steve Jobs
- “Those who move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out.” – Gordon B. Hinkley
- “I let it go. It’s like swimming against the current. It exhausts you. After a while, whoever you are, you just have to let go, and the river brings you home.” – Joanne Harris
- “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” – Pablo Picasso
- “In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.” – Deepak Chopra
- “You need to have faith in yourself. Be brave and take risks. You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward.” – Roy T. Bennett
- “If you can’t do anything about it then let it go. Don’t be a prisoner to things you can’t change.” – Tony Gaskins
- “It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn't matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.” – Paulo Coelho
- “It’s not a matter of letting go – you would if you could. Instead of “Let it go,” we should probably say “Let it be”. – John Kabat-Zinn
- “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
- “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
- “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
- “In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain the old pain.” – Mary Manin Morrissey
- “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King Jr
- “Some people are meant to stay put, and some people are meant to go. But running is different than going. When you're running, you spend the whole time looking over your shoulder. To go forward, you gotta look forward.” – Gretchen Anthonyy
- “There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.” – Unknown
- “Have heart in the things you do. You don’t always need a second or third opinion for every last decision you make.” – Torron-Lee Dewar
- “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow.” – Denis Waitley
- “You can't start a new chapter in your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” – Suzy Kassem
- “We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” –Joseph Campbell
- “And I just think that if you believe in something and you want it so much and you're not hurting anyone else, you have to go for it. Which sometimes means taking a risk, even if it's scary. But the thing you want most to happen doesn't stand a chance unless you give it one.” – Susane Colasanti
- “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” – Alexander Graham Bell
- “She understands now what she, in all her worry, had forgotten. That even as she hesitates and wavers, even as she thinks too much and moves too cautiously, she doesn't always have to get it right. It's okay to look back, even as you move forward.” – Jennifer E. Smith
- “You really don’t have to burn any bridges to let go… You don’t have to destroy anything. You can just decide to cross over and move on.” – Marta Mrotek
- “Don't wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill
- “If I could forgive, it meant I was a strong good person who could take responsibility for the path I had chosen for myself, and all the consequences that accompanied that choice. And it gave me the simple but powerful satisfaction of extending a kindness to another person in a tough spot.” – Piper Kerman
- “Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein
- “As I look back on my life, I realized that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being re-directed to something better.” – Steve Maraboli
- “Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have overcome.” – N.R. Walker
- “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney
- “Faith is moving forward even when things don’t make sense, trusting that in hindsight everything will become clear.” – Many Hale
- “Just keep moving forward and don’t give a damn about what anybody thinks. Do what you have to do, for you.” – Johnny Depp
- “Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.” – Mandy Hale
- “You are always a student, never a master. You have to keep moving forward.” – Conrad Hall
Final Thoughts on Moving Forward
Life is tough sometimes, and moving forward can be difficult. But doing so will ultimately make you feel better. Taking that leap of faith towards a brighter tomorrow is worthwhile.
We hope that the moving forward quotes we shared above can help you with whatever you are going through right now. Remember, you are very much capable of letting go of the things that hurt. Love yourself and be happy.
And if you want more eye-opening quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 107 Quotes About Overcoming Adversity and Challenges in Your Life
- 91 Quotes About Perseverance Through Hard Times
- 99 Letting Go Quotes to Move Forward in Life
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success.
