45 People Come and Go Quotes to Learn How to Let Go

Nothing in life is permanent, not our circumstances, our careers, our health, or of course, our relationships. The sooner we find peace and can handle this constant change with grace, the less we will suffer. Read the 45 quotes below to discover more.

It can come as a shock to us when a friend, relative, or romantic partner leaves. This shock usually begins in childhood when many of us have not become used to the fact that not everyone stays in our lives forever. Relationships are continuously changing.

However, even as we grow older, the rug continues to be pulled out from under us, even though we know better. This shock usually comes in the form of breakups or divorces that one individual never saw coming or the end of a decades-long friendship. Read these 45 quotes to learn lessons and soothe your heart.

Nick Tosches' quote: "The older you get, the more you live with ghosts." | Image: AmoDays

Quotes on the Reality of People Coming and Going

"People come and go, but love always remains. Sometimes beautiful and sometimes beautiful ache, but love always remains." — JMStor

"People may come and go, lives may change in an instant, but love and friendship will last forever." — Elizabeth Sims

"That's what life is about: people come and go." — Cecilia Ahern

"Yes, you can lose somebody overnight; yes, your whole life can be turned upside down. Life is short. It can come and go like a feather in the wind." — Shania Twain

JMStor’s quote: "People come and go, but love always remains. Sometimes beautiful and sometimes beautiful ache, but love always remains." | Image: AmoDays

"Because too many times in life there's just one person that I met, just one thing that I heard, one movie that I saw, one song that was sung, that changed my life. So, I'm always trying to stay awake to be in the moment and capture the moments when they come. Because they come and go all the time." — Mike Singletary

"Players come and go, good friends, players who performed well. You can't control that." — Mats Sundin

"The older you get, the more you live with ghosts." — Nick Tosches

Quotes on the Lessons We Learn from People Leaving

"Not everything is supposed to become something beautiful and long-lasting. Sometimes people come into your life to show you what is right and what is wrong, to show you who you can be, to teach you to love yourself." — Emery Allen

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people stay for a while and move our souls to dance. They awaken us to a new understanding, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." ― Flavia Weedn

Frank Ocean’s quote: "We met for a reason. Either you’re a blessing or a lesson.” | Image: AmoDays

"Friends come and go, clothing is packed and unpacked, households are continually purged of unnecessary items, and as a result, not much sticks. It's hard at times, but it makes a kid strong in ways that most people can't understand. Teaches them that even though people are left behind, new ones will inevitably take their place; that every place has something good and bad to offer. It makes a kid grow up fast." — Nicholas Sparks

"We met for a reason. Either you're a blessing or a lesson." — Frank Ocean

Quotes on Not Changing Who You Are to Keep Others Around

"Yes, some people will leave you if they can no longer tolerate your radiance & positive energy emanating deep down your soul. Keep shining anyway and do it for you." ― Samuel Zulu

"I have come to realize that the only people I need in my life are the ones who need me in theirs even when I have nothing to offer them but myself." ― Helen Barry

"Focus on school and your future. Boys and friends will come and go; just focus on you and your future." — Lea Michele

Samuel Zulu’s quote: "Yes, some people will leave you if they can no longer tolerate your radiance & positive energy emanating deep down your soul. Keep shining anyway and do it for you." | Image: AmoDays

Quotes with Advice on How to Handle People Coming and Going

"Not every person we feel something deep and moving with is meant to make a home within us…" — Bianca Sparacino

"Remember that people come and go, and of all the people in your life, you are the one who is there to stay. You are the one who can choose to love yourself, choose to respect yourself, and promise with all your heart that you will never leave you." — Kimberly Kirberger

"No matter what is going on in your life today, remember, it is only preparation. People come and go; situations rise and fall; it's all preparation for better things. You must stretch, reach, grow into your goodness. Without the preparation we receive through adversity, disappointment, confusion, or pain, we could not appreciate the goodness when it arrives." — Iyanla Vanzant

"People come and go. Pain comes and goes, but so does joy. And if our hearts are closed because we don't want to suffer, they won't be open enough to recognize the joy as it flies by." — Geneen Roth

Bianca Sparacino’s quote: "Not every person we feel something deep and moving with is meant to make a home within us…" | Image: AmoDays

"People come into your life and go, but you will always have to live with yourself. Make yourself pleasant, positive, and peaceful." — Akin Olokun

"The fact that people come and go in life as seasons do must remind you that the only constant in life is the change which you must embrace with open arms." — Samuel Zulu

"The people will come and go. Sometimes they'll be there for you. Sometimes they won't. Some will love you; some will not. This tide was never meant to be still. Step away from time to time. And know that only a heart fixed on the unmoving spot can ride the waves of this ever-changing, ever-fading life." — Yasmin Mogahed

"People will come and go in your life. You have to make the decision whom to trust and keep closer to you and whom to maintain a distance from because of your life, so your rules." — Chismo

Yasmin Mogahed’s quote: “The people will come and go. Sometimes they'll be there for you. Sometimes they won't. Some will love you; some will not. This tide was never meant to be still. Step away from time to time. And know that only a heart fixed on the unmoving spot can ride the waves of this ever-changing, ever-fading life." | Image: AmoDays

Quotes on Those Who Remain Loyal

"People come and go in your life, but the one who remains with you till the end is the one who loves you despite your flaws." ― Sathyavathi

"I am my best friend. Other friends may come and go, but I am always here for me." ― Louise Hay

"Remember that people come and go, and of all the people in your life, you are the one who is there to stay. You are the one who can choose to love yourself, choose to respect yourself, and promise with all your heart that you will never leave you." — Kimberly Kirberger

"People come and go in and out of your life but remember that it's up to you to choose who is worth keeping." — Casper Smith

"Family always gonna be there. The material things, they come and go." — Romeo Miller

Sathyavathi’s quote: "People come and go in your life, but the one who remains with you till the end is the one who loves you despite your flaws." | Image: AmoDays

Quotes on Friendship

"Friends come & go, but there's always a reason." — Joey Parker

"I have always done my duty. I am ready to die. My only regret is for the friends I leave behind me." — Zachary Taylor

"Good friends, they come; good friends, they go. It's just a product of this crazy world and how it goes. What doesn't change is that you'll always be there for me. That's why I see you in everything." — Damion Anderson

"People will come and go in your life; it is the ones that touch your heart that are your true friends whether near or far." — Leon Brown

Arthur Bloch’s quote: "Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate." | Image: AmoDays

"Always remember the stronger your position in life, the more enemies you're gonna have, while friends come and go." — Ziad K. Abdelnour

"Friends come and go, but I wouldn't have thought you'd be one of them." ― Dorothy Parker

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." — Walter Winchell

Lea Michele’s quote: "Focus on school and your future. Boys and friends will come and go; just focus on you and your future." | Image: AmoDays

"Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate." — Arthur Bloch

"Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few, you should hold on. The older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young." — Mary Schmich

More Quotes about Coming and Going

"It's a shame in a way that people come and go with one album" — Marc Almond

"You may come and go, but the real test is to see how long one can manage to stay in the game." — Armaan Malik

"I don't give up. I'm a plodder. People come and go, but I stay the course."— Kevin Costner

Romeo Miller’s quote: "Family always gonna be there. The material things, they come and go.” | Image: AmoDays

While it is healthy to let people go, we can not rush the process. Rather, it takes time to process heartbreak, grief, and the painful longing to have that person back in your life. However, if we can sit with these emotions while providing ourselves grace, we will come out the other side refreshed, wiser, and stronger.

The more you deal with an issue, such as people leaving you, the more you learn. However, that doesn't mean it's easy. If you are on this path of healing, mend the pieces of your heart with these 36 golden Kkntsugi quotes.