100 Letting Go Quotes To Help You Live Free

Me at 22:

• Attached to stuff
• Attached to the past
• Trying to impress others

Me at 40:

• Minimalist
• Comfortable in my own skin
• Peaceful and serene toward the past

What changed?

I learned to LET GO of things I can’t control.

Inspired by this, I’ve compiled 100 of the most inspiring letting go quotes over the years.

And please keep in mind:

letting go doesn’t mean you’re passive.

It means you’re taking a different direction. A better direction.

You’ll discover quotes by Thoreau, Dalai Lama, Eckhart Tolle, and many more.

Enjoy!

Doing nothing is sometimes one of the highest of the duties of man. G.K. Chesterton

Some of us think holding on makes us strong but sometimes it is letting go. Hermann Hesse

Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on. Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth)

Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish; but wish the things which happen to be as they are, and you will have a tranquil flow of life. Epictetus (Enchiridion)

Give up your attachment to having things your way. Iyanla Vanzant

Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. Lao Tzu

Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of others – that is too high a price to pay. Robert Greene

A rational person can find peace by cultivating indifference to things outside of their control. Naval Ravikant

There are two ways to be. One is at war with reality and the other is at peace. Byron Katie

No drives, no compulsions, no needs, no attractions; when your affairs are under control you are free. Zhuangzi

Let go of becoming but never let go of taking action. Stop expecting and start living. Maxime Lagacé

Anyone who enjoys inner peace is no more broken by failure than he is inflated by success. Matthieu Ricard (Happiest man in the world)

Become comfortable with not knowing. Eckhart Tolle

Choose the non-emotional response to any given situation and see how much easier your life becomes. Naval Ravikant

The way of love is the way of no-expectation. Love exists only when there is a total acceptance and no desire to change anything. Osho

Related

• 67 Inner Peace Quotes To Be Cool, Calm, And Collected
• 100 Zen Quotes To Bring Stillness Into Your Life
• 65 Acceptance Quotes To Help You Embrace Life Fully

The Best Letting Go Quotes

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Life moves on and so should we. Spencer Johnson

Take a step back and realize most things are distractions. Maxime Lagacé

One’s doing well if age improves even slightly one’s capacity to hold on to that vital truism: “This too shall pass”. Alain de Botton

Let go of the battle. Breathe quietly and let it be. Let your body relax and your heart soften. Open to whatever you experience without fighting. Jack Kornfield

You can’t be happy if you’re not peaceful. You can’t be peaceful if you don’t let go. Maxime Lagacé

Just keep in mind: the more we value things outside our control, the less control we have. Epictetus

To let go does not mean to get rid of. To let go means to let be. When we let be with compassion, things come and go on their own. Jack Kornfield

By letting go of the banana, the monkey becomes a monk. Swami Sarvapriyananda

Accept what is, let go of what was, have faith in what will be. Sonia Ricotti

You deserve to rest. Even if only for a moment. Put down the weight you’re carrying. Let go of the need to keep it all together. Take off your warrior mask. For this moment, now … just breathe. Jason Garner

Let go and just do your own work. Ajahn Chah

To resist change, to try to cling to life, is like holding your breath: if you persist you kill yourself. Alan Watts

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

Just as a mighty boulder stirs not with the wind, so the wise are never moved either by praise or blame. The Dhammapada

Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic – this is the spiritual path. Pema Chödrön

Don’t seek, don’t search, don’t ask, don’t knock, don’t demand – relax. Osho

Observe things as they are and don’t pay attention to other people. Huang Po

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. Henry Havelock Ellis

When we give too many f*cks, when we choose to give a f*ck about everything, then we feel as though we are perpetually entitled to feel comfortable and happy at all times – that’s when life f*cks us. Mark Manson

The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength. Marcus Aurelius

Enjoy what you can and ignore the rest. Let’s not waste any energy fighting things that are outside our control. Paulo Coelho

Without desire there is stillness, and the world settles by itself. Lao Tzu

Part 2. Letting Go Quotes That Are…

The Most Famous Letting Go Quotes (Thoreau, Osho, Lao Tzu, etc.)

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Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Eckhart Tolle

We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. E. M. Forster

Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner. Lao Tzu

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. Lao Tzu

What such a man needs is not courage but nerve control, cool headedness. This he can get only by practice. Theodore Roosevelt

Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong. Zen proverb

Intelligence consists in ignoring things that are irrelevant. Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Don’t hope that events will turn out the way you want, welcome events in whichever way they happen: this is the path to peace. Epictetus

Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace. 14th Dalai Lama

From my own limited experience I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. 14th Dalai Lama

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The more you let yourself go, the less others let you go. Friedrich Nietzsche

There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally. Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements)

Celebration is my attitude, unconditional to what life brings. Osho

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. They prefer suffering that is familiar to the unknown. Thich Nhat Hanh

A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. Henry David Thoreau

The first half of life is devoted to forming a healthy ego, the second half is going inward and letting go of it. Carl Jung

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

Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure. Oprah Winfrey

Related: The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (Amazon Book)

Short Letting Go Quotes

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One-liners, short quotes about letting go, sayings, thoughts, and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, and backgrounds.

Just be, and enjoy being. Eckhart Tolle

Dare to live by letting go. Tom Althouse

Letting go is not giving up. Mingyur Rinpoche

Let it all go, see what stays. Osho

Learning to live is learning to let go. Sogyal Rinpoche

If you reject unfounded blame, you must also reject unjustified praise. Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Learning to let go is learning to accept. Maxime Lagacé

You have got to let go and let it happen. Alan Watts

Don’t try to force anything. Let life be a deep let-go. Osho

The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind. Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna

Some things can only be grasped by letting go. @DailyZen

Feelings are just visitors. Let them come and go. Mooji

Cease striving. Then there will be transformation. Zhuangzi

If you let go of your story, you get to live your life. Neil Strauss

Have a mind that is open to everything, and attached to nothing. Tilopa

Whatever comes, don’t push it away. When it goes, do not grieve. Mooji

Inspirational Letting Go Quotes

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If you let go a little you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot you will have a lot of peace. Ajahn Chah

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

Letting go doesn’t mean you give up. It means you keep going but you’re not attached to the outcome. Maxime Lagacé

We must learn to let things flow just like breath, and life will do the rest. Iyanla Vanzant

If there is no contradiction whatsoever you have abundance of energy. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Slow down, get aligned, listen to the guidance and receive miracles. Gabby Bernstein

The weak need others to know their worth. The strong know their worth. The wise just do their best. Maxime Lagacé

For a moment, let go of all trying to understand. Let go of all understanding. Here it is. Mooji

Three things you are in control of: your response to your feelings, what you hold onto, what you let go. Dhiman

Let your mind wander in the pure and simple. Be one with the infinite. Let all things take their course. Zhuangzi

Related: How to Let Go of Things from the Past (healthline.com)

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

Care too little and you’ll eventually feel useless. Care too much and you’ll live in misery. Find out what’s worth suffering for. Maxime Lagacé

If you can be patient, just a little patient and allow whatever is happening, soon you will be aware of a new quality in your being. Osho

Enlightenment is not a desire, is not a goal, is not an ambition. It is a dropping of all goals, a dropping of all desires, a dropping of all ambitions. It is just being natural. That’s what is meant by flowing. Osho

It is inner stillness that will save and transform the world. Eckhart Tolle

Trust simply means that whatever happens we are with it, joyously, not reluctantly, not unwillingly – then you miss the whole point – but dancingly, with a song, with laughter, with love. Whatever happens is for the good. Osho

Letting go is never easy. There is not short-cut or trick to it. You must be committed enough to your future to let go of your past. It’s not easy and it’s likely to hurt, but it is for the best. Steve Maraboli

Focus on having the life you want, not wanting the life you had. Marissa Zheng (atozenlife.com)

Conclusion

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Knowledge is learning something every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day. Zen proverb

Let’s recap:

• Letting go is not weak. It’s being wise, courageous, and strong.
• Holding on can lead to misery.
• Letting go is also about trusting life more and being more spontaneous.
• What you should let go of?
  • Toxic habits
  • Toxic people
  • Toxic ideologies
• Your life gets better when:
  • You stop expecting
  • You stop overthinking
  • You stop trying to control everything

Further Readings

• Topic: Happiness
• 81 Happiness Quotes That Will Light Up Your Day 😄
• 100 Serenity Quotes To Bring Quietude Into Your Life
• 140 Calm Quotes To Help You Cool Down
• 89 Moving On Quotes To Bring Lightness Into Your Life
• 130 Maturity Quotes To Make You Steady And Calm
• How To Improve Your Mental Health – 36 Wellness Tips
• How To Be Happy: The 6 Happiness Pillars You Must Know

How do YOU let go? What’s your favorite letting go quote? Please let us know in the comment section below!