Life doesn’t always give us what we think we need or wish for ourselves. You may have thought that you’d be further into your career at this point in your life. Or, you may feel frustrated that the relationships you’ve had are not the lifelong partnerships you are seeking.
It’s easy to get stuck in feelings of frustration and sadness that life hasn’t gone our way. There may be things about ourselves we need to acknowledge and accept. These quotes about change can help us alter our mindset and move in a more positive direction.
Sometimes, it’s as easy as remembering that we can’t always change our circumstances or change other people; we must accept situations and people for what and who they are. Letting go of things out of our control and trusting our gut can lift the weight from our shoulders, moving us in the direction of change. These acceptance quotes can help inspire you toward reflection, growth or your next step.
Powerful Acceptance Quotes to Help Us Embrace Change
Change can be a scary thing. It often feels easier to stick with the status quo instead of taking a risk on a new job, a new relationship or a new adventure. However, sometimes we must accept something in life in order to move forward or make a change.
These quotes share why the road to acceptance, letting go and embracing change can move us in a positive direction. Sometimes, you need to accept that something didn’t work out the way you planned in order to embrace the unknown and grow into the person you are supposed to be.
Missing required attributes.
- “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.” —Robin S. Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
- “Sometimes people let the same problem make them miserable for years when they could just say, So what. That’s one of my favorite things to say. So what.” —Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol
- “The best way is not to fight it, just go. Don’t be trying all the time to fix things. What you run from only stays with you longer. When you fight something, you only make it stronger.” —Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters
- “My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance and in inverse proportion to my expectations. Acceptance is the key to everything.” —Michael J. Fox
- “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
- “We cannot change anything unless we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate; it oppresses.” —C.G. Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul
- “The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” —Okakura Kakuzō, The Book of Tea
Accepting What Is: Quotes to Help You Move On
Being in a frustrating situation can be tough on your mental health. It can be hard to move forward when you’re at a loss about where you are in life. These ‘accept and move on’ quotes show the power of taking our current situation for what it is, accepting it and then moving forward toward something new.
Missing required attributes.
- “It is difficult, when faced with a situation you cannot control, to admit you can do nothing.” —Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can’t Avoid
- “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, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul
- “For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- “There is strange comfort in knowing that no matter what happens today, the Sun will rise again tomorrow.” —Aaron Lauritsen, 100 Days Drive
- “I step back and let the Universe lead the way.” —Gabrielle Bernstein, The Universe Has Your Back
- “Follow your heart, listen to your inner voice, stop caring about what others think.” —Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Deep Self-Acceptance Quotes to Show Yourself Compassion
You can’t change others; you can only change yourself. This statement seems simple, but it’s actually quite challenging for many of us to accept ourselves as we are. These quotes on self-acceptance show the beauty in loving ourselves as we are and accepting responsibility for our actions. There is power that comes from deep acceptance.
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- “The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.” —Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss
- “I have never found anybody who could stand to accept the daily demonstrative love I feel in me and give back as good as I give.” —Sylvia Plath, Journals of Sylvia Plath
- “Learn this from me. Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves.” —Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven
- “Beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It’s about knowing and accepting who you are.” —Ellen DeGeneres, Seriously… I’m Kidding
- “Your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world. Don’t let anything stand in the way of the light that shines through this form. Risk being seen in all of your glory.” —Jim Carrey
- “This is the body you’ve been given; love what you’ve got.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “Do your thing and don’t care if they like it.” —Tina Fey, Bossypants
- “Stop trying to be less of who you are. Let this time in your life cut you open and drain all of the things that are holding you back.” —Jennifer Elisabeth, Born Ready: Unleash Your Inner Dream Girl
- “The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.” —Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
- “It’s like we’re all trying so hard to be something special that we forget it’s okay to just be ourselves.” —Nicoleclaire C., Guardians of Glyndor
- “All of your so-called faults, all the things which you don’t like about yourself are your greatest assets.” —Debbie Ford, The Dark Side of the Light Chasers
- “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” —Coco Chanel, Gospel According to Coco Chanel
- “Don’t compromise yourself—you’re all you have.” —John Grisham, The Rainmaker
- “Knowing others is intelligence / Knowing yourself is true wisdom.” —Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
Sayings to Inspire Accepting People for Who They Are
We’re often tempted to focus on what others can do to change, but we can’t change anyone but ourselves. These quotes about accepting others for who they are show how a weight can be lifted when you let these feelings go and work on changing yourself instead.
Missing required attributes.
- “You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love the person for that.” —Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle
- “To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow―this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage
- “Worthiness doesn’t have prerequisites.” —Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection
- “It is noble to love another without caring to know who gave them breath.” —Cornelius Elmore Addison, Tom Thorneval: Dream Merchant Extraordinaire
- “Embrace her. Embrace her darkness, and when it dawns, you will be stronger.” —Merlin Franco, Saint Richard Parker
- “A person was like a city. You couldn’t let a few less desirable parts put you off the whole. There may be bits you don’t like, a few dodgy side streets and suburbs, but the good stuff makes it worthwhile.” —Matt Haig, The Midnight Library
- “True friends are those who came into your life, saw the most negative part of you, but are not ready to leave you, no matter how contagious you are to them.” —Michael Bassey Johnson, The Infinity Sign
- “Accepting all the good and bad about someone. It’s a great thing to aspire to. The hard part is actually doing it.” —Sarah Dessen, What Happened to Goodbye
Quick Tip: Accepting others for who they are doesn’t mean allowing people to take advantage of you or mistreat you. Setting healthy boundaries can help you accept others and also prioritize your own well-being.
Quotes for Accepting Things as They Are in Life
You may not have control over everything in your life. We can get bogged down in feelings of frustration around this, but these accepting-what-is quotes offer a different option. Some talk about never giving up, while others preach acceptance at its base. When we accept our lot in life and work on changing only those things that are changeable, we can alleviate some of our burdens.
Missing required attributes.
- “Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.” —J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- “You couldn’t relive your life, skipping the awful parts, without losing what made it worthwhile. You had to accept it as a whole―like the world, or the person you loved.” —Stewart O’Nan, The Odds: A Love Story
- “The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” —Maya Angelou, All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes
- “I let it go. It’s like swimming against the current. It exhausts you. After a while, whoever you are, you just have to let go, and the river brings you home.” —Joanne Harris, Five Quarters of the Orange
- “Nothing brings down walls as surely as acceptance.” —Deepak Chopra, The Third Jesus
- “The older I get, the more I believe that the greatest kindness is acceptance.” —Christina Baker Kline, A Piece of the World
- “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” —Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter
Acceptance Can Be Powerful
Accepting yourself, others and circumstances and situations in life can take time. It can be helpful to engage in mindfulness activities, practice self-love and recognize that some things are beyond your control. You don’t have to like everything about your life, but acceptance can be a powerful path toward moving into the life you desire.
These acceptance quotes show how embracing the present moment, taking people for who they are and appreciating small things can uplift you and motivate you to change. Ultimately, it’s essential to treat yourself with kindness and express gratitude to yourself and others.
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