Relationships Quotes: On Trust, Respect, Hurt, & More

By Kelsey Schultz, Ph.D. Candidate
​Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.

When it comes to relationships, sometimes we just can’t find the words to express how we feel. Keep reading for relationship quotes on trust, respect, hurt, and more.

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Human connection is one of our most basic needs and one of our most complex experiences. Regardless of whether the connection is romantic or platonic, relationships move and shape us in ways that are powerful and enduring. They can make us feel like we are soaring and they can make us feel like we are flattened. Often, the intensity of our feelings in relationships can make it hard to find the words to describe how we feel. 

Luckily, relationships are a popular topic of interest among some of the world’s greatest thinkers, which means we have a near-limitless supply of quotes that can help us understand how we are feeling and how to express those feelings to others. Here is a collection of some unique and compelling relationship quotes that we can turn to when we are struggling to articulate these sentiments for ourselves.​

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Short Relationship Quotes

• “Your relationships are your story. Write well. Edit often.” – Esther Perel
  

 

• “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is only bearable through love.” – Carl Sagan
  

 

• "It's enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment." – Gabriel Garcia Márquez
  

 

• "You are my heart, my life, my one and only thought." – Arthur Conan Doyle
  

 

• "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." – Lao-Tzu
  

 

• “Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.” – Socrates
  

Funny Relationship Quotes

• "Marriage has no guarantees. If that’s what you’re looking for, go live with a car battery." – Erma Bombeck

 

• "What would men be without women? Scarce, sir, mighty scarce." – Mark Twain

 

• "An archeologist is the best husband any woman can have; the older she gets, the more interested he is in her." – Agatha Christie

 

• “I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.” – Steven Wright

 

• “Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow internet service to see who they really are.” – Will Ferrell

 

• “Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache.” – Mae West

 

• “My friends tell me I have an intimacy problem. But they don’t really know me.” – Garry Shandling

 

• “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because he is finally someone else’s problem.” – Unknown​

Cute Relationship Quotes

• “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” ― Carl Gustav Jung

 

• “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

 

• “If you love a person, you say to that person, "Look, I love you, whatever that may be. I've seen quite a bit of it and I know there's lots that I haven't seen, but still it's you and I want you to be what you want to be. And I won't be happy if I've got you in a cage. You'd be a bird without song." – Alan Watts

 

• "I think we dream so we don't have to be apart for so long. If we're in each other's dreams, we can be together all the time." – A.A. Milne

 

•  "... When I look at you, I can feel it. And... and I look, and I... and I'm home." – Finding Nemo

 

• “ There are lots of people who can call you by your name but there is only one person who can make it sound so special.” – Kim Jarabelo

 

• “Love is a two-way street constantly under construction.” – Carroll Bryant​

Happy Relationship Quotes

• “To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow - this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert

 

• “You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” – Dr. Seuss

 

• “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

 

• “Unconditional love really exists in each of us. It is part of our deep inner being. It is not so much an active emotion as a state of being. It’s not ‘I love you’ for this or that reason, not ‘I love you if you love me.’ It’s love for no reason, love without an object.” – Ram Dass

 

• “I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” ― Brené Brown

 

• “Why is it," he said, one time, at the subway entrance, "I feel I've known you so many years?"... "Because I like you," she said, "and I don't want anything from you.” ― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

 

• “A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.” – Ruth Graham

 

• “The best way to keep relationships happy, healthy, and supportive can be summed up in one word: appreciation. What you appreciate, appreciates. When we demonstrate our appreciation for the support we receive from others, it reinforces that behavior and deepens our connection to them.” – Marci Shimoff

Relationship Quotes on Trust

• “Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” – Stephen Covey

 

• “Trust, honesty, humility, transparency and accountability are the building blocks of a positive reputation. Trust is the foundation of any relationship.” – Mike Paul

 

• “A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.” – Charles Kingsley

 

• “The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

• “Love cannot live where there is no trust.” – Edith Hamilton

 

• “To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.” – George MacDonald

 

• “Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” – Maya Angelou

 

• “If we do not trust one another, we are already defeated.” – Alison Croggon

 

• “When trust is broken, it does not need to be the end of a relationship. Much can be learned from staying in a relationship and learning from the conflict situation.” – Dr. Margaret Paul

Relationship Quotes on Hurt

• “I think you still love me, but we can’t escape the fact that I’m not enough for you. I knew this was going to happen. So I’m not blaming you for falling in love with another woman. I’m not angry, either. I should be, but I’m not. I just feel pain. A lot of pain. I thought I could imagine how much this would hurt, but I was wrong.” ― Haruki Murakami

 

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

 

• “When we face pain in relationships our first response is often to sever bonds rather than to maintain commitment.” ― Bell hooks

 

• “If it weren’t for her, there never would have been an empty space or the need to fill it.” – Nicole Krauss

 

• “I will not try to convince you to love me, to respect me, to commit to me. I deserve better than that; I AM BETTER THAN THAT...Goodbye.” ― Steve Maraboli

 

• “You fell in love with a storm. Did you really think you would get out unscathed?” ― Nikita Gill

 

• “When you struggle with your partner, you are struggling with yourself. Every fault you see in them touches a denied weakness in yourself.” ― Deepak Chopra

 

• “There is an ocean of silence between us… and I am drowning in it.” ― Ranata Suzuki

 

• “Nothing hurts more than being disappointed by the one person who you thought would never hurt you.” — Gugu Mofokeng

 

• “Broken people lead to broken hearts. That’s why it’s so important to heal from one relationship before starting another.” – Mandy Hale

 

• “Hurt people hurt people.” - Anonymous

Relationship Quotes on Respect

• “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” – Bryant H. McGill

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• “To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater.” – Bono

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• “I guess at the end of the day, all women like to be appreciated and treated with respect and kindness.” – Sofia Vergara

 

• “Respect is appreciation of the separateness of the other person, of the ways in which he or she is unique.” – Annie Gottlieb

 

• “Treat people the way you want to be treated. Talk to people the way you want to be talked to. Respect is earned, not given.” – Hussein Nishah

 

• “If you truly want to be respected by people you love, you must prove to them that you can survive without them.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson

 

• “I cannot compromise my respect for your love. You can keep your love, I will keep my respect.” ― Amit Kalantri​

Relationship Quotes on Moving On

• “Moving on is easy. It's staying moved on that's trickier.” ― Katerina Stoykova Klemer
  

 

• “Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.” ― Steve Maraboli
  

 

• “It is something that everyone goes through as they grow older. You figure out who you are and what you want, only to discover that people you’ve known for a long time don’t share your viewpoint. As a result, you keep the great memories but must go on.” – Nicholas Sparks
  

 

• “You have to recognize when it’s time to turn the page, girls.” – Tori Amos
  

 

• “We can't be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don't have something better.” ― C. JoyBell C.
  

Relationship Quotes on Letting Go

• “It hurts to let go. Sometimes it seems the harder you try to hold on to something or someone the more it wants to get away. You feel like some kind of criminal for having felt, for having wanted. For having wanted to be wanted. It confuses you, because you think that your feelings were wrong and it makes you feel so small because it's so hard to keep it inside when you let it out and it doesn't come back. You're left so alone that you can't explain. Damn, there's nothing like that, is there? I've been there and you have too. You're nodding your head.” ― Henry Rollins

 

• “When you loved someone and had to let them go, there will always be that small part of yourself that whispers, "What was it that you wanted and why didn't you fight for it?” ― Shannon L. Alder

 

• “Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are part of your history but not part of your destiny.” – Steve Maraboli

 

• “One of the most courageous decisions you will ever make is to finally let go of what is hurting your heart and soul.” – Brigitte Nicole

 

• “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

 

• “In order to have the life that is waiting for us, we must be willing to let go of the life we have planned.” – Joseph Campbell​

Articles Related to Relationships Quotes​

​Want to learn more? Check out these articles:

• Love Quotes
• ​Positive Quotes For Life, Work, & Morning
• ​​​Inspirational Quotes: For Women, Men, Teachers, Kids, & More
• Love Messages: For Him, For Her, & For Them​​​​​​​​​

Books & Products Related to Relationships Quotes​

If you’d like to keep learning more, here are a few books and products that you might be interested in.

• Relationship Quote Embroidered Square Decorative Accent Throw Pillowcase​
  
• "Start Watering the Grass You're Standing On" Inspirational Relationship Quotes -8 x 10" Typographic Wall Art Print
  
• Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
  

Final Thoughts on Relationships Quotes

Our relationships with others can inspire and move us just as much as they can hurt and stymie us. Whether we are blissfully in love or recovering from betrayal, understanding and expressing our feelings can be challenging, but you can always refer back to your favorite quotes when you’re struggling to find the right words or the strength to move forward.

For more quotes about relationships, check out this video:

Video: Incredibly Wise Relationship Quotes​

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