Letting go is both an art and a practice, one that holds profound power to positively shape our lives. It is not about forcefully pushing things away. Instead, it describes our natural impulse to soften - to relinquish control, contraction, yearning, and resistance.
Letting go quotes serve as reminders of the power in surrender. When we practice surrendering (or letting go), we cease arguing with things as they are. We discover greater acceptance for the present moment, freeing up mental and emotional energy in the process. Letting go helps us to grow - to move forward with freedom, ease, and trust.
The following let go quotes may support you if there is something you are ready to let go of. Read through this list and sit with the words that make you feel lighter and freer. May these inspirational quotes about letting go support you to naturally and effortlessly release.
60+ Letting Go Quotes
- “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
- “Something amazing happens when we surrender and just love. We melt into another world, a realm of power already within us. The world changes when we change. The world softens when we soften. The world loves us when we choose to love the world.” - Marianne Williamson
- “By investigating both the grasping itself and the object of our grasping, it becomes possible to know which of these we need to let go of. If the object of grasping is harmful, then we let go of that. If the object of grasping is beneficial, then we can let go of the grasping so that what is beneficial remains.” - Gil Fronsdal
- "We spend enormous energy trying to control what cannot be controlled. Is it possible to trust what remains when you let go of any attempt to control?" - Gangaji
- "The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." - Alan Watts
- “The moment of surrender is not when life is over. It’s when it begins.” - Marianne Williamson
- “What we don’t recognize is that holding onto resentment is like holding onto your breath. You’ll soon start to suffocate.” - Deepak Chopra
- “Surrender is not a weakness, it is a strength. It takes tremendous strength to surrender life to the supreme – to the cosmic unfolding.” - Mooji
- “Training in letting go helps us let go of those behaviors that interfere with the further deepening of mindfulness. At times the only action needed is letting go of all other actions.” - Gil Fronsdal
- "Sometimes surrender means giving up trying to understand, and becoming comfortable with not knowing." - Eckhart Tolle
- “The essence of our practice can be described as transforming suffering into happiness. It’s not a complicated practice, but it requires us to cultivate mindfulness, concentration, and insight. It requires first of all that we come home to ourselves, that we make peace with our suffering, treating it tenderly, and looking deeply at the roots of our pain. It requires that we let go of useless, unnecessary sufferings and take a closer look at our idea of happiness.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
- “When things start to fall apart in your life, you feel as if your whole world is crumbling. But actually it’s your fixed identity that’s crumbling. And that’s cause for celebration.” - Pema Chödrön
- “Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.” - Eckhart Tolle
- "Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go." - Hermann Hesse
- "In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself." - Deepak Chopra
- "It's not a matter of letting go, you would if you could. Instead of 'Let it go' we should probably say 'Let it be'." - Jon Kabat-Zinn
- "Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure." - Oprah Winfrey
- "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
- "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
- “Forgiveness is the natural outcome of letting go of inner conflict.” - Amoda Maa
- “Do everything with a mind that lets go. Don’t accept praise or gain or anything else. If you let go a little you a will have a little peace; if you let go a lot you will have a lot of peace; if you let go completely you will have complete peace. ” - Ajahn Chah
- "If you want to fly in the sky, you need to leave the earth. If you want to move forward, you need to let go of the past that drags you down." - Amit Ray
- “Surrender is like a fish finding the current and going with it.” - Mark Nepo
- “Surrender is a journey from outer turmoil to inner peace.” - Sri Chinmoy
- “Letting go does not mean not caring about things. It means caring for them in a flexible and wise way. In meditation, we pay attention to our body with care and respect.” Jack Kornfield
- “The creative process is a process of surrender, no control.” - Julia Cameron
- “Six Words of Advice: Let go of what has passed. Let go of what may come. Let go of what is happening now. Don’t try to figure anything out. Don’t try to make anything happen. Relax, right now, and rest.” - Tilopa, translated by Ken McLeod
- “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
- “As we close, you might sense to yourself that this is a life practice of learning to live. Surrender the thoughts and surrender into the feelings… and surrender into that larger loving space. And you can feel from your own intuitive wisdom that remembering your belonging to something larger IS a pathway to peace and to freedom. And just knowing that will keep calling you home over and over.” - Tara Brach
- "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
- "You can only lose what you cling to." - Buddha
- “The key in letting go is practice. Each time we let go, we disentangle ourselves from our expectations and begin to experience things as they are.” - Sharon Salzberg
- "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
- “The ultimate act of power is surrender.” - Krishna Das
- “Deep letting go can bring us to a place where we may feel the groundlessness of our being. This can be very terrifying, so we hold on. But if we can move beyond the fear, we may see that these feelings are really the precursor to freedom.” - Ruth King
- “Open your arms to change but don't let go of your values.” - Dalai Lama XIV
- “When I let go of trying to be everything to everyone, I had much more time, attention, love, and connection for the important people in my life.” - Brené Brown
- “When we resist change, it’s called suffering. But when we can completely let go and not struggle against it, when we can embrace the groundlessness of our situation and relax into its dynamic quality, that’s called enlightenment, or awakening to our true nature, to our fundamental goodness.” - Pema Chödrön
- “Just try to keep your mind in the present. Whatever arises in the mind, just watch it and let go of it. Don't even wish to be rid of thoughts. Then the mind will return to its natural state.” - Ajahn Chah
- “When all is lost, when all is let go of, when all is abandoned, what you are left with is an ocean of bliss.” - Robert Thurman
- “Put your thoughts to sleep, do not let them cast a shadow over the moon of your heart. Let go of thinking.” - Rumi
- “Let go of your worries and be completely clear-hearted, like the face of a mirror that contains no images.” - Rumi
- “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
- “Letting go helps us to live in a more peaceful state of mind and helps restore our balance. It allows others to be responsible for themselves and for us to take our hands off situations that do not belong to us. This frees us from unnecessary stress.” - Melody Beattie
- “Whatever life takes away from you, let it go. When you surrender and let go of the past, you allow yourself to be fully alive in the moment. Letting go of the past means you can enjoy the dream that is happening right now.” - Don Miguel Ruiz
- “Imagine holding on to a hot burning coal. You would not fear letting go of it. In fact, once you noticed that you were holding on, you would probably drop it quickly. But we often do not recognize how we hold on to suffering. It seems to hold on to us.” - Joseph Goldstein
- “You are afraid of surrender because you don't want to lose control. But you never had control; all you had was anxiety.” - Elizabeth Gilbert
- “When the boundless, radiant heart is a part of the atmosphere, it sets the conditions that are useful in releasing and letting go. We are not making release happen, but rather we are creating the conditions for release to happen.” - Ruth King
- “And yet, letting go does not mean ‘getting rid of.’ It means ‘allowing it to be as it is. Let it come, and let it go.’” - Kittisaro
- "Letting go is the willingness to change your beliefs in order to bring more peace and joy into your life instead of holding onto beliefs that bring pain and suffering." - Hal Tipper
- “The only permanent solution to your problems is to go inside and let go of the part of you that seems to have so many problems with reality.” - Michael Singer
- “Enjoy what you can and ignore the rest. Let’s not waste any energy fighting things that are outside our control.” - Paulo Coelho
- “By letting go of this long-held inner drama I become a little more liberated and useful. In essence it’s bad that it happened but it’s worse that I allow myself to be affected by it now. I cannot control the past but I can control the present through forgiveness.” - Russell Brand
- “The heart surrenders everything to the moment. The mind judges and holds back.” Ram Dass
- “Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control.” Jack Kornfield
- “To listen entails a fundamental letting go of self-centeredness. We have to be willing to put down our own thoughts, views, and feelings temporarily to truly listen.” - Oren Jay Sofer
- “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.” - Henry David Thoreau
- “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
- “Whatever comes, let it come, what stays let stay, what goes let go.” - Papaji
- “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
- “Even as I hold you, I am letting you go.” - Alice Walker
- “In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.” - Elizabeth Gilbert
- “Let go of your story so the Universe can write a new one for you.” - Marianne Williamson
How Can Letting Go Quotes Help Me in Difficult Times?
Reading and reflecting on letting go quotes can help us to uncover wisdom buried deep within us. They can open our hearts and minds to a little more trust, ease, surrender, and freedom - even during difficult times. They will not solve our challenges for us, but they can help shift the way we relate to them. This is where our power lies - in how we relate to life.
Note that while some of these let go quotes may inspire you, others may not. That’s okay. Let yourself ponder those that stir your innate wisdom and leave the rest. A good way to check if a particular quote is beneficial for you right now is to ask yourself any of the following questions:
Does this quote support my growth?
Does this quote inspire me?
Does this quote call forth my inner wisdom?
Does this quote help me to move forward?
Summing Up
Inspirational quotes about letting go may lend a soothing presence when we require support with softening, surrendering, or releasing. Again, they will not solve our problems for us, but they may illuminate our path with greater wisdom, trust, and ease. May your favorite letting go quotes serve as nourishing balm for your soul in times of need.
