97 Moving on Quotes to Overcome Your Pain

Change Is Inevitable

Life inevitably throws us a curveball. You’ve probably lost your job. Maybe the results of your latest medical checkup require you to make major changes in your lifestyle and habits. It could be that a long-term relationship has broken. Or perhaps death suddenly claimed a beloved.

And it can often be painful.

Most of us tend to ruminate about the painful memories. Yet dwelling on these agonizing thoughts has a negative impact on our well-being and health. Some of these negative effects are detailed in a Huffpost article you can read here.

Moving On is Required

If we are to claim our happiness again, we need to let go of baggage from the past.

However, moving forward from a loss does not happen overnight. The following are a few tips that can help you get unstuck from painful memories and emotions:

Practice mindfulness; be present now
If a person has hurt you, accept that you might not get an apology from him or her
Spend time with people who understand what you’re going through and can support you
Focus on self-care by learning to say no and establishing boundaries

Also, check out this post on how to get over someone you’ve loved deeply for more tips on how to move forward after experiencing this type of loss.

The first set in this collection of wise and inspiring words comprises of moving on in life quotes. These words serve as a reminder that change is the only constant in life and there’s only one way to go: forward.

Moving On in Life Quotes

“Change has to come for life to struggle forward.”– Helen Hollick
“Sooner or later we’ve all got to let go of our past.”– Dan Brown
“You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months overanalyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could’ve, would’ve happened… or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move on.”– Tupac Shakur
“It is important that we forgive ourselves for making mistakes. We need to learn from our errors and move on.”– Steve Maraboli

“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 known when to let go and then do it.”– Ann Landers
“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
“You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go, let go of them. I tie no weights to my ankles.” – C. JoyBell C.
“There comes a time in your life when you have to choose to turn the page, write another book or simply close it.”– Shannon L. Alder
“Because you simply cannot draw these things out forever. At some point, you just pull off the Band-Aid and it hurts, but then it’s over and you’re relieved.”– John Green
“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 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
“I have to get my life on track. Order as an antidote to chaos. Calm after the storm.”– Susane Colasanti
“Even a rock moves on.”– Anthony Liccione
“You’ve got to make a conscious choice every day to shed the old — whatever ‘the old’ means to you.”– Sarah Ban Breathnach

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

“But part of surviving is being able to move on.”– Alexandra Bracken
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” – Hermann Hesse
“There’s a trick to the Graceful Exit. It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over — and to let go. It means leaving what’s over without denying its value.”– Ellen Goodman
“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
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”– Robert Frost

Although the words of the wise remind us that it’s important to move forward in order to grow, many of us suffer a great deal of pain to see beyond it.

We become cloaked in loneliness. This isolation caused by fear and self-doubt. We cannot reach out to others.

But change is good. It reveals your strengths and gives your opportunities for seeing life in a new way. It gives rise to a new you.

If you have been hurt so badly by another person, revenge could never be the way out. It only sets the stage for further pain and isolation.

It is better to accept that you have been hurt, get the lesson from the experience, and move on. The following quotes about moving forward after being hurt can show you the way out of your suffering.

Quotes about Moving Forward After Being Hurt

“Sometimes it takes a heartbreak to shake us awake and help us see we are worth so much more than we’re settling for.”– Mandy Hale
“My heart might be bruised, but it will recover and become capable of seeing the beauty of life once more. It’s happened before, it will happen again, I’m sure. When someone leaves, it’s because someone else is about to arrive. I’ll find love again.”– Paulo Coelho

“Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.” – Steve Maraboli
“I had to cease to mourn what could never be and make the most of what was possible. And I would begin doing that by trying to mend the hurts of the past.”– Cameron Dokey
“Time doesn’t heal emotional pain, you need to learn how to let go.”– Roy T. Bennett
“And perhaps there is a limit to the grieving that the human heart can do. As when one adds salt to a tumbler of water, there comes a point where simply no more will be absorbed.”– Sarah Waters
“Your heart’s strength is measured by how hard it holds on. Your self worth and faith is measured by finally letting go. However, your peace is measured by how long you don’t look back.”– Shannon L. Alder
“Sometimes you can’t let go of the past without facing it again.”– Gail Tsukiyama
“Let go. Why do you cling to pain? There is nothing you can do about the wrongs of yesterday. It is not yours to judge. Why hold on to the very thing which keeps you from hope and love?” – Leo Buscaglia
“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”– Author Unknown
“I’m guilty of giving people more chances than they deserve but when I’m done, I’m done.”– Turcois Ominek

“I’m guilty of giving people more chances than they deserve but when I’m done, I’m done.”– Turcois Ominek

“Take all the time you need to heal emotionally. Moving on doesn’t take a day, it takes lots of little steps to be able to break free of your broken self.”– Tere Arigo“Sometimes we can only find our true direction when we let the wind of change carry us.” – Mimi Novic
“Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future.”– Lewis B. Smedes
“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.”– Denis Waitley
“I can choose to let it define me, confine me, refine me, outshine me — or I can choose to move on and leave them behind me.”– Author Unknown
“The greatest win is walking away and choosing not to engage in drama and toxic energy at all.” – Lalah Delia
“Moving on doesn’t mean you forget about things, it just means you have to accept what happened and continue living.”– Erza Scarlet
“Rejection is one of the worse forms of pain. Loss is the worst. Grief haunts until you allow yourself to move on.”– Angelica Hopes
“Sometimes we can only find our true direction when we let the wind of change carry us.” – Mimi Novic

A breakup is perhaps one of the hardest things people go through.

The ending of a relationship, regardless of duration and whether it’s between friends or romantic partners, is going to shake the very core of your being.

It is because you’ve invested so much of yourself and made plans for the future with the person you were in the relationship with.

We hope that these moving on quotes after a breakup can help you see the light at the end of the dark tunnel: that even after a chapter of your life has ended something else is about to start.

And that, when the time is right, love will find you again.

Move On Quotes After a Breakup

“Girls you’ve gotta know when it’s time to turn the page.”– Tori Amos
“She took a step and didn’t want to take any more, but she did.”– Markus Zusak
“You will evolve past certain people. Let yourself.”– Mandy Hale
“Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not part of your destiny.” – Steve Maraboli
“There ain’t no way you can hold onto something that wants to go, you understand? You can only love what you got while you got it.”– Kate DiCamillo
“One of the best times for figuring out who you are and what you really want out of life? Right after a break-up.”– Mandy Hale
“He nods, as if to acknowledge that endings are almost always a little sad, even when there is something to look forward to on the other side.”– Emily Griffin
“It was strange, really. A couple months ago, I had thought I couldn’t live without him. Apparently, I could.”– Gabrielle Zevin
“Some birds are not meant to be caged, that’s all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much drabber and empty for their departure.”– Stephen King
“Last night I lost the world, and gained the universe.” – C. JoyBell C.
“Maybe we tried to leave as much memories of ourselves with each other because we knew one day we wouldn’t be together any more.”– Makoto Shinkai
“Don’t tie your heart to a person that has nothing left to offer you. Let it go. It might hurt for a while, but when you get over it, you’ll see that it’s better.”– Orebela Gbenga
“When it comes to love and loss, acceptance is never easy. We can’t make someone see all we have to give, make them love us, or make them change. All we can do is move on and stop wasting time.”– April Mae Monterrosa

“It’s hard to be clear about who you are when you are carrying around a bunch of baggage from the past. I’ve learned to let go and move more quickly into the next place.” – Angelina Jolie

“It’s hard to be clear about who you are when you are carrying around a bunch of baggage from the past. I’ve learned to let go and move more quickly into the next place.” – Angelina Jolie
“You can meet someone who’s just right, but he might not be meant for you. You break up, you lose things, you never feel the same again. But maybe you should stop questioning why. Maybe you should just accept it and move on.”– Winna Efendi
“Sometimes the door closes on a relationship, not because we failed but because something bigger than us says this no longer fits in our life. So, lock the door, shed a tear, turn around and look for the new door that’s opened. It’s a sign that you’re no longer the person you were, it’s time to change into who you are. It’s going to be okay.”– Lee Goff
“If someone doesn’t care to accept you, respect you, believe in you, don’t hesitate to move on and let them go. There are many who love and appreciate you just the way you are.” – Amaka Imani Nkozasana
“The bottom line is this; when one person stops being a part of your life, another one will come, and fill that empty space. Leave the ones who left in the past, right where they belong, and never look back.”– Ena Snow
“Just because you miss someone doesn’t mean you need them back in your life. Missing is just a part of moving on.”– Mackelmore

Many of us cower before change when it comes barging into our lives.

However, change is usually what we need to get us out of our comfort zones. Leave your regrets. If you had a part in bringing about the situation that brought on the change, take responsibility for it.

The following quotes about moving forward and being strong remind us that, indeed, we will face challenges when we choose to move on. However, the authors also remind us that once we overcome the obstacles, what’s waiting for us at the end will be worth it.

Quotes about Moving Forward and Being Strong

“Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, however, is for those who are substantial enough to move on.”– Criss Jami

“You can’t look back — you just have to put the past behind you, and find something better in your future.”– Jodi Picoult
“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 how learn 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. What is it you would let go of today?”– Mary Manin Morrissey
“You don’t have to let that one thing be the thing that defines you.”– Jojo Moyes
“Be Brave and Take Risks. 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
“The answer to every adversity lies in courageously moving forward with faith.”– Edmond Mbiaka
“Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.”– Guy Finley
“If you want to fly on the sky, you need to leave the earth. If you want to move forward, you need to let go of the past that drags you down.”– Amit Ray
“It is through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.”– Theodore Roosevelt
“Moving on is easy. It’s staying moved on that’s trickier.”– Katerina Stoykova Klemer
“What’s done is done. What’s gone is gone. One of life’s lesson is always moving on. It’s okay to look back and think of fond memories but keep moving forward.”– Author Unknown
“Get mad, then get over it.”– Colin Powell
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.”– Cherokee Indian Proverb
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”– Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Part of growing up is just taking what you learn from that and moving on and not taking it to heart.”– Beverly Mitchell
“I welcomed who I was and left behind who I was not.”– David Elliott
“Our scars make us who we are. Wear them proudly, and move forward.”– Jane Linfoot
“The art of letting go is art in its purest form.”– Meredith Pence
“Love yourself enough to move forward from whatever mistakes you may have made.”– Akiroq Brost

What does it mean to let go, really?

“Letting go” has become a buzzword in mindfulness circles. It is a practice that attracts joy and happiness into your life. But how do you do it?

Must you forget the pain that the experience caused you? Does it require you to bury the memory of those you have lost?

Letting go means accepting things as they had been. It also means not giving conditions for the future (e.g., I’ll be happy if_______.).

May the quotes about moving on being happy remind you of the ultimate goal we’re aspiring to when we receive the message to let go.

Quotes about Moving On and Being Happy

“The secret of joy is the mastery of pain.”– Anaïs Nin
“Keeping baggage from the past will leave no room for happiness in the future.”– Wayne L. Misner

“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
“I’ve been burdened with blame trapped in the past for too long, I’m moving on.”– Rascal Flatts
“The great courageous act that we must all do, is to have the courage to step out of our history and past so that we can live our dreams.”– Oprah Winfrey
“We need to learn to let go as easily as we grasp and we will find our hands full and our minds empty.”– Leo F. Buscaglia
“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
“Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.”– Bob Newhart
“You clutch the past too tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.”– Jan Glidewell
“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.”– Thich Nhat Hanh
“Every day is a new day, and you’ll never be able to find happiness if you don’t move on.”– Carrie Underwood
“In order to move on, you must understand why you felt what you did and why you no longer need to feel it.”– Mitch Albom
“Don’t cry over the past, it’s gone. Don’t stress about the future, it hasn’t arrived. Live in the present and make it beautiful.”– Author Unknown
“Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve, but you didn’t. So you move on.”
“Get over it. Life isn’t supposed to be fair. Get over yourself, and be of service to others.”– Jonathan Lockwood Huie

“Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have.” – Doris Mortman

“When you are sorrowful look again in your own heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”– Kahlil Gibran
“To experience true happiness, two things are quintessential: zero expectations and let go attitude.” – Invajy
“If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.” – Roy T. Bennett
“Happiness is not the absence of problems, it's the ability to deal with them.” – Steve Maraboli
“Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have.” – Doris Mortman
“You are responsible for your life. You can't keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction. Life is really about moving on.” – Oprah Winfrey

Final Thoughts on Moving On Quotes

There you have it. Ninety-seven moving on quotes that help you let go of the past.

We hope that after reading these words from the wise, your personal baggage has become lighter and you’re more ready to welcome happiness into your life.

There are specific habits that help you achieve a higher level of happiness. If you're interested to learn more, check out Happier Human that features science-backed habits designed to make you happier.

If you have a favorite among the ones featured in this collection of quotes, feel free to share your thoughts about it in the comments below.

Also, if you loved any of the artworks featured above, a share through your preferred social media platform is very much appreciated.

And if you want more inspirational quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:

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.