Inspirational Quotes

150 Motivational Quotes About Moving On In Life And Forgetting The Past

June 3, 2021

One interesting fact about life is that it is all about change. Sometimes the change can be a good one, other times, it can be heart-wrenching, like a wonderful phase or experience abruptly coming to an end. Thankfully, there are lots of quotes about moving on that usually help us move through our pains.

When confronted with wonderful phases of life suddenly coming to an end like the end of an amazing friendship or relationship, losing a fulfilling job or business, or the death of a loved one, it is never easy to come to terms with our loss and move on no matter how much we try. The result? The more we hold on to our pains and failures, the more they weigh us down.

We have rounded up a handful of motivational quotes to help you take your eyes off the rearview mirror and onto the road in front of you.

150 Motivational Quotes About Moving On In Life And Forgetting The Past Click To Tweet

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Action plan on how to use your favorite quotes effectively

Print it – Print your favorite quote onto paper and stick them up at obvious places around your house, like your bed frame, desk, dressing mirror, refrigerator or microwave.
Desktop or mobile wallpaper – Type or work out a simple design (use Canva.com to make designing effortless) for your desktop or mobile wallpaper. Change it from time to time for empowering variations.
Workplace / worktop – Frame your favorite quote up and place them so by your desk. Not only do you get inspired after each read, your colleagues might too.
Pocket-size cut outs – Compile a list of your favorite quotes in wallet-size fittings. Keep them in your wallet or at the back of your pocket wherever you go. That way, you get to read through them conveniently wherever you go.
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150 Motivational Quotes About Moving On In Life And Forgetting The Past

“A man who does not leave his hut will bring nothing in.” – West African Proverb

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” – Wayne Dyer

“It makes the other one more precious and also not enough. We have to try to fill not only our own boots but other people’s too – yours, Leo’s, Dad’s. We have to expand at the moment we feel the most shrunk.” – Rosamund Lupton, Sister

“It’s not a case of the glass being half full or half empty; more that we tipped a whole half-pint into an empty pint pot. I had to see how much was there, though, and now I know.” – Nick Hornby

“Living in the past kills your future.” – Habeeb Akande

“Whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free… your true self comes out.” – Tina Turner

“Moving on, is a simple thing, what it leaves behind is hard.” – Dave Mustaine

“Keeping baggage from the past will leave no room for happiness in the future.” – Wayne L. Misner

“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

Quotes about moving on from a guy

“The moment of realization is: When what you thought you couldn’t be without, becomes a part of the past, rather than the start of the future.” – Melody Carstairs

“Sometimes, in order to find happiness, one must allow some old bridges to collapse, in order to build better ones.” – Lionel Suggs

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“Let today be the day you learn the grace of letting go and the power of moving on.” – Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

“They say that a part of you dies when a special Loved One passes away…I disagree…I say a part of you lives with your Loved One on the other side.” – Daniel Yanez

“If you bury the pain deep down it will stay with you indefinitely, but if you open yourself to it, experience it, and deal with it head-on, you’ll find it begins to move on after a while.” – Greg Behrendt

“I demolish my bridges behind me – then there is no choice but to move forward.” – Fridtjof Nansen

“I choose not to project my past onto my future.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Motivational quotes about moving on

“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

“Never look back; you may only find what you left or let you go.” – Stefanos Livos, A Life In A Moment

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

“It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“If I wasn’t so phenomenal. I would go back to you.” – Coco J. Ginger

“Simply put, the best revenge is to live an awesome life.” – Ramon Bautista

“I want something that is nothing like the past.” – Brooke Bida

“It’s better to say goodbye, to move on, to end the lie.” – S. C. Stephens

Quotes about moving on in life

“I’ve been so caught up with mapping out a picture-perfect “forever” that I’m completely neglecting my present, which I have far more control over anyway.” – Daria Snadowsky, Anatomy of a Single Girl

“As long as your name is NOT Jesus,I CAN live without you” – Roezeay Dube

“I am part of everyone I ever dated on OK Cupid.” – Slash Coleman, The Bohemian Love Diaries: A Memoir

“There isn’t much difference between “giving” and “leaving”. While the former will ALWAYS come back to you, the latter will only do if it was meant to be yours in the first place.” – Olaotan Fawehinmi

“Naive people always trying to blame others for their constant heartbreak & failed relationships instead of looking in the mirror & re-evaluating themselves. It’s YOU that needs to change.” – David Reeves, In My Opinion
“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” – Bruce Lee
“Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.” – Nicole Sobon
“Celebrate endings – for they precede new beginnings.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” – Ana’s Nin
“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” – Havelock Ellis

Quotes about moving on from friends

“Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Every exit is an entry somewhere.” – Tom Stoppard
“Life is about making the right decisions and moving on.” – Josh Rayburn
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou
“We had our thing. It is a really good memory but now we’re older. Things change.” – Abbi Glines, Ceaseless
“I won’t let the sun go down on Me.” – Nik Kershaw
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein
“Forgiveness and letting go are steps on our road back to happiness.” – Tina Dayton
“Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.” – Les Brown

Quotes about moving on from a broken heart

“Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.” – Steve Maraboli
“Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” – Conrad Hilton
“If you walk out on me, i’m not walking out after you.” – David Reeves, In My Opinion
“But with your life you make a few bad decisions, get unlucky a few times, whatever, but you have to keep going, right?” – Cecelia Ahern, The Time of My Life
“Watch me go. Watch me. Because you said i couldn’t. Because you thought I wouldn’t. Go on, cry now. Cry.” – Kellie Elmore, Jagged Little Pieces
“Breakups have a way of shaking us awake and helping us see what we really want vs. what we are willing to settle for.” – Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass
“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Love is the bee that carries the pollen from one heart to another.” – Slash Coleman, The Bohemian Love Diaries: A Memoir
“Don’t pour a lifetime of effort into a seasonal relationship. Not everyone from the pilot belongs in the finale.” – Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass

Ex boyfriend quotes about moving on

“No matter how much you stress or obsess about the past or future, you can’t change either one. In the present is where your power lies.” – Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass
“To get over the past, you first have to accept that the past is over. No matter how many times you revisit it, analyze it, regret it, or sweat it…it’s over. It can hurt you no more.” – Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass
“It makes no sense to try to extend a friendship that was only meant to be a season into a lifetime.” – Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass
“You can love them, forgive them, want good things for them…but still move on without them.” – Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass
“Whatever you want in life, start today. Not tomorrow. Let it be a small beginning – a tiny beginning. Your happiness depends on starting today – every day.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow.” – Mary Anne Radmacher
“Things do not change; we change.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all.” – Og Mandino
“The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Good quotes about moving on

“By forgiving and choosing to move on, one takes the power back to morph it into positive energy.” – Eugenia Tripputi
“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell
“You know the good thing with hardships and moving on? — you’ll surely taste the pleasure of getting up and do more. Be better!” – Ira N. Barin
“Past shouldn’t always be treasured, because Present and Future become trashed.” – Bradley B. Dalina
“Time passes by, memory stays Torturing silently, rest of our days… Sigh!” – Aanchal Negi
“Another sunrise, another new beginning.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Christopher Columbus
“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
“In a sense, discouragement does not have to exist. Allow it to be rather the encouragement to honestly reconsider all the options, then, as necessary, shine on.” – Criss Jami, Killosophy

Quotes about moving on from a relationship

“You are responsible for your life. You can’t keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction. Life is really about moving on.” – Oprah Winfrey
“What’s the point of pointing the finger, other than to stall your own progress in moving on?” – Lisa Steadman
“What I’ve learned over the years is that people shouldn’t be defined by a single mistake. Everyone messes up,” she said. “You have to forgive yourself and move one.” – Gena Showalter, Beauty Awakened
“Let every day be the first day of the rest of your life” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.” – J. B. Priestley
“Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day.” – Harvey Mackay
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” – Cherokee Indian Proverb
“The unspoken feeling that engulfs you and smolders you more and more each day…..love!” – Kiran Joshi, Beyond forever…in love
“No matter what happens i choose to value the memories of the good times, grow from the lessons of the bad times because i don’t regret a single moment of it, every detail made me who i am.” – Tilicia Haridat

Quotes about moving on from the past

“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, Miracle in Progress Workbook: A Workbook for Holistic Recovery
“All around us, Karachi kept moving” – Kamila Shamsie, Kartography
“My innocence is wearin’ thin but my heart is growing strong.” – Fifth Harmony
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but simply moving on with dignity despite that fear.” – Pat Riley
“You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It won’t happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ‘I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.” – Joel Osteen
“The way to send a clear message that you are ready for better people in your life is the kick the rascals to the curb.” – Bryant McGill, Simple Reminders: Inspiration for Living Your Best Life
“Time heals griefs and quarrels, for we change and are no longer the same persons.” – Pascal
“You can’t look back – you just have to put the past behind you, and find something better in your future.” – Jodi Picoult
“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” – Kahlil Gibran

Quotes about moving on from love

“Sooner or later we’ve all got to let go of our past.” – Dan Brown
“To be able to move on, one has to learn to forgive not only the person (or people) who have done one wrong but also oneself.” – Eugenia Tripputi
“People can be more forgiving than you can imagine. But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what’s bitter and move on.” – Bill Cosby
“When you start to abandon your old beliefs or values – you may be stuck at the threshold for two or three years. Before moving on, you have to clear away your cherished beliefs.” – Dick Raymond
“We can not become what we need to by remaining what we are.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.” – Bern Williams
“Life only demands from you the strength you possess.” – Dag Hammarskjold
“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
“I realize that not everyone could be granted the chance of getting a decent closure – most people just deal with the decisions they made then on their own.” – Dawn Lanuza, The Boyfriend Backtrack

Quotes about moving on and being happy

“If you are ready to cry..to feel the pain..to take the risk? You are ready for love” – Kiran Joshi, Beyond forever…in love
“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
“Often the thought of pain is actually worse that the pain itself.” – Greg Behrendt
“Moving on is easy. It’s staying moved on that’s trickier.” – Katerina Stoykova Klemer
“It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” – George Eliot
“The past always looks better than it was because it isn’t here.” – Finley Peter Dunne
“Life goes on… with or without you.” – Faraaz Kazi
“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” – Oprah Winfrey
“The time when you wish if death was possible from a heartbreak” – Kiran Joshi, Beyond forever…in love

Famous quotes about moving on

“Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.” – Bob Newhart
“Walking alone is not difficult but when we have walked a mile worth a thousand years with someone then coming back alone is what is difficult.” – Faraaz Kazi, Truly, Madly, Deeply
“If you’ve fallen down, today is the day you can get back up and try again.” – Amelie Chance
“Real love sometimes means saying goodbye.” – Bryant McGill, Simple Reminders: Inspiration for Living Your Best Life
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” – Maria Robinson
“Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror” – Byrd Baggett
Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass – It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene
“The thing is that it could never again feel natural to talk to her” – John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Quotes about moving on from an ex

“I gather strength from life’s storms.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss
“Some people are going to leave, but that’s not the end of your story. That’s the end of their part in your story.” – Faraaz Kazi
“Sometimes you have to move on without certain people. If they’re meant to be in your life, they’ll catch up. – Mandy Hale
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” – J.P. Morgan
“Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.” – Steve Maraboli
“Its not the love that hurts but the scented memories of anticipated dreams of a future together” – Kiran Joshi, Beyond forever…in love
“Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.” – Steve Maraboli
“I realize now, I was learning how to walk as well. I haven’t mastered the steps, I fall too. But im on my path, my path… and one day that path… will take me to her.” – Makoto Shinkai, The Garden of Words
“What troubles us much, is of less importance to what troubles us much that invokes our thought, heart, spirit and body to dare to a live distinctive footprint on earth” – Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
“You are hatching from the past.” – Simon Van Booy, Everything Beautiful Began After
“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
“See that’s exactly why I don’t want a dog.” “Why?” “Because it’ll just die.” “Everybody dies, Brooklyn.” Like that makes it okay or something.” – Lisa Schroeder, Chasing Brooklyn
“The most liberating moment, is the moment you finally let go.” – Ava Harrison, Imperfect Truth
“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
“As if it were far easier to start over completely than to try to put everything back together again.” – Jennifer E. Smith, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
“Everyone deserves to be happy with or without you in their lives!” – Sheila Tiller-Tooks
“I thought it was love, but it wasn’t. It was a need to be the right girl for him. I just couldn’t understand why I wasn’t good enough, or how he could marry her.” – Kate Stewart
“You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It wont happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, d’I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.” – Joel Osteen
“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
“To move on, you must surrender to your pain and accept it as your own. Only then will you heal inside.” – LJ Vanier, Ether: Into the Nemesis
“To find out a heart she’d believed irrevocably broken had somewhere along the way been fixed.” – Jodi Picoult, Salem Falls
“You’re looking for a reason,” she said. “And that doesn’t help. It doesn’t change the present.” – Sue Monk Kidd, The Mermaid Chair
“I know it’s not the end…it’s only just the beginning.” – Lisa Schroeder, Chasing Brooklyn
“You have to forgive yourself for your past mistakes, and you have to forgive those that hurt you for what they did to you, or you’re never going to fully move on.” – Jennifer Gracen, More Than You Know
“I can’t think of a better way to revenge someone who tried to break you, than to live and love life more without them.” – Innocent Mwatsikesimbe, Live & Remember
“Leaving is an act that cannot be undone.” – Nayomi Munaweera, What Lies Between Us
“Kill the part of you that believes it can’t survive without someone else.” – Sade Andria Zabala, War Songs
“Everyone plays a purpose, even fathers who lie to you or leave you behind. Time takes care of all that pain so if someone derails you, it’ll be okay eventually.” – Adam Silvera, More Happy Than Not
“Everyone’s moving on without me, into a world I don’t understand.” – Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic
“I’m sorry about yesterday,” she said. He hung on to his straps and shrugged. “Yesterday happens.” – Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park
“A broken friendship that is mended through forgiveness can be even stronger than it once was.” – Stephen Richards, Forgiveness and Love Conquers All: Healing the Emotional Self

Which of these quotes about moving on resonate with you the most?

Though these are quotes about moving on from different people, the message is simple – Let Go Of The Hurt. You cannot keep whining about the failures you have encountered, the disappointments from friends and family, or the mistakes you thought you could have prevented. No, darling. It is time to let go. You have so much ahead of you.

Do not allow the past to weigh you down. We are not saying that you should not acknowledge what has happened. Acknowledge the past failures but instead of continuously regretting and thinking about things you could have done better to avoid the hurt, tell yourself that “It happened for a reason”, then learn your lessons and move on. Life cannot always be rosy.

So, yes, it is time to let go of the past relationships, the toxic friends, the bad job, and anything currently preventing you from becoming the best version of yourself.

Did you enjoy the quotes? Tell us your favorite in the comment section.

150 Motivational Quotes About Moving On In Life And Forgetting The Past

Action plan on how to use your favorite quotes effectively

150 Motivational Quotes About Moving On In Life And Forgetting The Past

Quotes about moving on from a guy

Motivational quotes about moving on

Quotes about moving on in life

Quotes about moving on from friends

Quotes about moving on from a broken heart

Ex boyfriend quotes about moving on

Good quotes about moving on

Quotes about moving on from a relationship

Quotes about moving on from the past

Quotes about moving on from love

Quotes about moving on and being happy

Famous quotes about moving on

Quotes about moving on from an ex

Which of these quotes about moving on resonate with you the most?

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