Sometimes, we just have to let go.

Whether it’s a person, a notion, a situation, an emotion, or a thing, the process of letting go is never easy. When we’re emotionally or physically attached to something or someone, we often fail to see how we can survive without it. However, once we let go, we experience a sense of liberation.

The journey of letting go is similar to dealing with turbulence when flying. It’s unsettling for a few moments, but once the clouds dissipate, we can embrace and enjoy stability.

I believe “going through the clouds” is inevitable, and that we shouldn’t let it baffle or defeat us. Letting go can cause us to feel uncomfortable, weak, or off-track, but staying stuck in our comfort zones never serves us well.

It’s essential to challenge ourselves and remain patient as we let go. Because when things become too heavy to carry, the only choice we have is to put them down.

Here are 15 quotes from those who have mastered the art of letting go—those who long to show us the beauty in releasing what no longer serves us:   

1. “Pain will leave you when you let go.” ~ Jeremy Aldana

2. “Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.” ~ Daphne Rose Kingma

3. “You will evolve past certain people. Let yourself.” ~ Mandy Hale

4. “Anything you can’t control is teaching you how to let go.” ~ Jackson Kiddard

5. “Letting go doesn’t have to mean walking away. It means the things that hurt you don’t hurt you anymore.” ~ Sue Fitzmaurice

6. “It is by giving the freedom to the other, that is by letting go, we gain our own freedom back.” ~ Aleksandra Ninkovic

7. “When you hold onto a script that doesn’t serve you, you leave no space to write a new one that does.” ~ Jennifer Ho-Dougatz

8. “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.” ~ Lao Tzu

9. “Whatever comes, let it come, what stays let stay, what goes let go.” ~ Papaji

10. “Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over, instead of craving control over what you don’t.” ~ Steve Maraboli

11. “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

12. “In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.” ~ Deepak Chopra

13. “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 know when to let go and then do it.” ~ Ann Landers

14. “I realize there’s something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go.” ~ Jeffrey McDaniel

15. “You don’t need strength to let go of something. What you really need is understanding.” ~ Guy Finley

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Author: Elyane Youssef
Image: @elephantjournal/Instagram
Editor: Nicole Cameron
Copy Editor: Yoli Ramazzina
Social Editor: Callie Rushton