These letting go quotes are here to inspire a positive internal transformation, one that leads to greater peace of mind and freedom in our lives today.
“You need to forgive yourself. You need to give yourself grace. You need to give yourself time. You might need to do that a thousand times before you believe it’s true.” – Jon Acuff
A Course in Miracles says that, “To be born again is to let the past go, and look without condemnation upon the present.”
When we release our need to condemn the present by seeing it like the past, or judging it for what it is, or avoiding it altogether, we’re touched by the hands of grace. To live more easily, we need to give ourselves grace–we need to forgive our past, and we need to learn to let go a little.
The Course also says that when we anticipate our future based on our past experience, we are “aligning past and future, and not allowing the miracle, which could intervene between them, to free you to be born again.”
The letting go quotes that follow focus on a few key ideas:
- When we try to control everything, we lose much of our ability to enjoy, relax, breathe easy, and live and love fully. We also miss out on the miracle that would disrupt our patterns and breathe new life into our lives.
- If we let go of preconceived judgments we’ve placed upon ourselves, the people we meet, and our experiences, we open up to other options for how life could be. Maybe life could be easier, happier, better. Maybe we could greet spontaneous occurrences with less anxiety and more curiosity.
- We may lose habits we’ve become comfortable with, but we will gain something far greater: Ourselves.
- When we let go of the illusion that we are stress, that all those chaotic thoughts and negative patterns are us, we wake up to who we really are: We identify with the peaceful state that dwells underneath the surface wounds.
- Cutting the cords of negativity that are wrapped around our hearts frees us to love more openly–to give with more joy and to receive what we need.
- No matter what’s changing around us, we can understand that happiness springs forth from within ourselves, and we needn’t rely on continuity outside to find continuous peace inside.
When we grow, emotionally and spiritually, we learn that letting go will be part of our path. We don’t need to let go of the person, just the pain; we don’t need to abandon our past, just our unforgiving attitude about it; we don’t need to let go of our dreams, just our need to control and worry about every detail.
Recognizing that we aren’t responsible for carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders, we can embrace life again.
Letting go can be seen as an internal shift that changes the world as we know it.
If there was ever anything worth holding on to, it would be love, because with love there is freedom to experience our experiences with greater ease and less frustration. With love there is a trust that releases things to be what they are rather than what we think they should be.
The underlying message of these letting go quotes is to seek mainly the chance to see things differently.
27 Letting Go Quotes for Positive Transformation
1. “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” – C.S. Lewis
2. “In the process of letting go you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.” ― Deepak Chopra
3. “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
4. “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 learn how 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
“Waking up to who you are requires letting go of who you imagine yourself to be.” – Alan Watts Click To Tweet6. “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
7. “Letting go isn’t about having the courage to release the past; it’s about having the wisdom to embrace the present.” – Steve Maraboli
8. “When you accept change, let go, and free yourself from fear of the unknown, you will begin to see your life as an exciting adventure.” – Joe Keane
9. “Sometimes you just have to make peace with your past in order to keep your future from becoming a constant battle.” – Susan Gale
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” – Hermann Hesse Click To Tweet11. “Letting go of someone we love is the hardest thing we will ever do. Some people never surrender to love for the fear of being hurt. But to not have loved, to not have felt the immense joy it brings, would have been a far worse kind of death.” – Goldie Hawn
12. “Change happens when the pain of holding on becomes greater than the fear of letting go.” – Spencer Johnson
13. “We must shift our allegiances from fear to curiosity, from attachment to letting go, from control to trust, and from entitlement to humility.” – Angeles Arrien
14. “But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be.” – Alan Watts
“To let go is not to deny but to accept. To let go is to fear less and love more.” – T. Rogers Click To Tweet16. “Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is. Train yourself to let go of the things you fear to lose.” – Yoda
17. “The only real difference between Anxiety and Excitement was my willingness to let go of Fear.” – Barbara Brown Taylor
18. “You don’t need strength to let go of something. What you really need is understanding.” – Guy Finley
19. “To let go is to release the images and emotions, the grudges and fears, the clingings and disappointments of the past that bind our spirit.” – Jack Kornfield
20. “If we can just let go and trust that things will work out the way they’re supposed to, without trying to control the outcome, then we can begin to enjoy the moment more fully. The joy of the freedom it brings becomes more pleasurable than the experience itself.” – Goldie Hawn
21. “Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.” – Daphne Rose Kingma
22. “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need.” – Tao Te Ching
“Anything you can’t control is teaching you how to let go.” – Jackson Kiddard Click To Tweet24. “When we are in the midst of chaos let go of the need to control it. Be awash in it, experience it in that moment, try not to control the outcome but deal with the flow as it comes.” – Leo Babanta
25. “Life is a balance between what we can control and what we can’t. I’m learning to live between effort and surrender.” – Jennifer Pastiloff
26. “Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
27. “Once you know there are some things you can’t control, you can let go of your obligation to manage the universe.” – Fiona MacNeil
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Read more inspirational quotes.
- When has letting go led you to greater peace and freedom in your life?
- What have you learned by letting go of what’s not meant for you, right for you, or helpful in your journey?
- How has releasing fear, and all expressions of it, made your life easier, happier, and better?
Please share your thoughts, favorite letting go quotes, helpful insights, lessons learned, and any stories with me in the comments.
Share these letting go quotes with someone who could use some inspiration today.
If something isn’t happening the way you think it should be, try seeing it as a signal, and an opportunity, to try something new.
With love,
Free texture by Lost and Taken; lettering by Aim Happy.
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