Domestic Violence Quotes | Sayings about Domestic Abuse

Domestic violence is one of the most painful and silent struggles people endure, often hidden behind closed doors. It affects millions and leaves scars, not just on the body but on the soul. These powerful quotes offer insight, hope, and strength for those experiencing abuse, reminding them that no one deserves to live in fear or pain. They also serve as a reminder that breaking free, while difficult, is possible. Read on to discover words that bring light to the darkness of domestic violence and empower survivors to seek healing.

Quotes on the Silent Pain of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is often hidden, with wounds invisible to the eye but deeply felt in the heart. These quotes shed light on the emotional and physical scars left behind and the strength it takes to break free.

• Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than to hurt yourself putting it back together.
• When someone isn’t treating you right, no matter how much you love them, you’ve got to love yourself more and walk away.
• There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.
• Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul. – Dave Pelzer
• It’s hard to look for the light when you’re lost in darkness.
• Poisonous relationships can alter our perception. You can spend many years thinking you’re worthless… but you’re not worthless, you’re unappreciated.
• A woman should never invest in a relationship she wouldn’t want for her daughter, nor allow any man to treat her in a way she could scold her son for.
• Sometimes we survive by forgetting.
• Never forget that walking away from something unhealthy is brave even if you stumble a little on your way out the door.
• The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. – Edmund Burke
• Standing alone is better than standing with people who hurt you.
• At any given moment, you have the power to say, “This is not how the story is going to end.”
• You survived the abuse. You’re going to survive the recovery.
• Do not allow him—the abuser—to tell you who you are or take the blame for his actions.
• A house where a woman is unsafe is not a home.
• Domestic violence causes far more pain than the visible marks of bruises and scars. It is devastating to be abused by someone that you love and think loves you in return.
• In violence we forget who we are. – Mary McCarthy
• From every wound, there is a scar, and every scar tells a story. A story that says, I survived.
• Domestic abuse happens only in intimate, interdependent, long-term relationships – in other words, in families – the last place we would want or expect to find violence. – Leslie Morgan Steiner
• Peace is not just the mere absence of violence.

Healing and Finding Strength After Abuse Quotes

Finding strength after surviving domestic violence is a journey that requires immense courage. These quotes encourage healing, self-worth, and the bravery to leave behind toxic relationships for a brighter future.

• Trauma is personal. It does not disappear if it is not validated. When someone enters the pain and hears the screams, healing can begin.
• I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. – Mahatma Gandhi
• The healthy man does not torture others. Generally, it is the tortured who turn into torturers. – Carl Jung
• Love is about giving freedom and power, not about gaining control or possession.
• I was heartbroken, scared, I had a lot of anxiety, I was worried, I felt weak, and I had no idea how I was ever going to come up with the strength. But I just closed my eyes and took a blind leap. I knew I had to get out of there.
• Nothing can drive one closer to his own insanity than a haunting memory refusing its own death.
• Instead of treating your child like how you were treated, treat them with the same love and attention you wanted from your parents while growing up.
• One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized, and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered.
• Trust is only a five-letter word, but it can be misused in so many different ways.
• You can spend a lifetime trying to forget a few minutes of your childhood.
• Abuse is the weapon of the vulgar.
• Just because the scars have healed doesn’t mean that the pain has.
• Find the strength inside yourself to value your own worth more than staying with someone who only keeps you down.
• When you are with someone who is never pleased, it is time to stop trying to please him.
• Never let someone who contributes so little to a relationship control so much of it.
• Growing up in a home of abuse, you struggle with the notion that you can love a person you hate, or hate a person you love. – Trevor Noah
• We can’t allow domestic violence to become a campaign issue. – Sandy Adams
• Survivors of any and all abuse become very good at anticipating the mood of others in an effort to survive. This becomes our way of life.
• Domestic violence is frequently excused when alcohol and other substances are involved. – Asa Don Brown
• I am living in hell from one day to the next. But there is nothing I can do to escape. I feel utterly powerless, and that feeling is my prison. – Haruki Murakami

Breaking Free from the Cycle of Abuse Quotes

Escaping an abusive relationship is difficult, but not impossible. These quotes remind us that finding the courage to leave can save lives and restore dignity.

• Don’t judge yourself by what others did to you.
• Why is it that men can be bastards and women must wear pearls and smile?
• As painful as it is to admit that we are being abused, it is even more painful to come to the conclusion that the person we love is someone we cannot afford to be around.
• And how high can you fly with broken wings?
• Often things are as bad as they seem. – Sheldon Kopp
• Long term domestic violence: Being abused in this manner is like being kidnapped and tortured for ransom, but you will never have enough to pay off the kidnapper. – Rebecca J. Burns
• Never let a man put his hands on you without your permission. – Melda Beaty
• It’s never too late to do the right thing.
• No one is ever a victim, although your conquerors would have you believe in your own victimhood. How else could they conquer you?
• All violence consists of some people forcing others, under threat of suffering or death, to do what they do not want to do. – Leo Tolstoy
• Here I stand, empty hands, wishing my wrists were bleeding to stop the pain from the beatings.
• People who feel the need to control others, don’t have control over themselves.
• Every woman who thinks she is the only victim of violence has to know that there are many more. – Salma Hayek
• The walls between you and I always pushed us apart. It left nothing but scars fight after fight. And I’m done with you not treating me right.
• Leaving an abusive partner is a very difficult thing to do. It frequently feels like you are failing or destroying your family.
• It is impossible to correct abuses unless we know that they’re going on.
• After a series of traumas, one can lose the capacity to feel fear appropriately.
• If you can’t be thankful for what you have, be thankful for what you have… escaped.
• When it comes to abuse, you believe there’s no way out. There is always help. There is always a way out.
• I realize now I am a survivor. I am a stronger woman for opening my eyes and stepping away from someone who didn’t respect themselves and would never respect me.

Empowering Quotes for Survivors

The journey from victim to survivor is long, but it’s one filled with strength and courage. These empowering quotes encourage healing and serve as reminders that you deserve love, respect, and happiness.

• You have the right to your own ideas and opinions, to make your own decisions, and to have things go your way at times. Stand up for those rights. – Beverly Engel
• It’s ok to be angry. It’s never ok to be cruel.
• Spanking and verbal criticism have become, to many parents, more important tools of child rearing than approval.
• I love you. Real love, real manhood says, “No one is going to hurt this woman! Especially me.” – Ron Hutchcraft
• If you give me any problem in America, I can trace it down to domestic violence. It is the cradle of most of the problems – economic, psychological, educational. – Salma Hayek
• All marriages are sacred, but not all are safe. – Rob Jackson
• I will not allow anyone—especially the abuser—to tell me who I am!
• You can get out.
• Don’t let someone who doesn’t know your value tell you how much you’re worth.
• The journey to leave begins on the inside.
• Sometimes just thinking about something is enough to hurt you all over again.
• None who have always been free can understand the terrible fascinating power of the hope of freedom to those who are not free. – Pearl S. Buck
• It hurts, and it’s scary.
• The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself. – Mark Caine
• He didn’t have to hit me to leave a scar.
• When you allow yourself to be dominated by someone else, you begin to lose respect for yourself.
• But even when I stop crying, even when we fall asleep and I’m nestled in his arms, this will leave another scar. No one will see it. No one will know. But it will be there.
• There are many who don’t wish to sleep for fear of nightmares. Sadly, there are many who don’t wish to wake for the same fear.
• Real courage owns up to the fact that we face a terrifying task, admitting that we are appropriately frightened, and then going ahead and doing what needs to be done. – Dr. Alla Renne Bozarth
• Whoever is dissatisfied with himself is continually ready for revenge.

Domestic violence leaves deep scars, but survivors can find strength in breaking free and healing. These quotes serve as reminders of the power that comes from recognizing your worth, finding your voice, and walking away from toxic situations. No one deserves abuse, and every survivor deserves peace, love, and safety.