15 Quotes About Lost Love That Are Straight-Up Sob-Worthy

How many times have you heard someone say, “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”? Without a doubt, it’s one of the most recited quotes about lost love. And when the heartbreak is fresh, you may very well scoff at that popular saying.

The devastation of losing someone you cared about deeply, and perhaps even saw a future with, can be so overwhelming that for a brief period, you might even wonder whether or not the relationship was worth it. In time, you can typically gain some perspective on what your experience taught or offered you, but when you’re still dealing with a complicated range of emotions, it’s normal to feel regretful, self-protective, or even bitter.

While there is no cure-all for a broken heart, sometimes just knowing that others have survived lost love can give you the reassurance you need to heal. Fortunately for you, many of them have gleaned some wisdom from that experience that you can benefit from.

So, while you're nursing your wounds, read these quotes to remind yourself that lost love is simply a normal part of the human experience, and furthermore, that all of your feelings are not only valid but valuable.

1. “When it's gone, you'll know what a gift love was.” ― Ian McEwan

2. “What the heart has once owned and had, it shall never lose.” — Henry Ward Beecher

3. “To love and win is the best thing; to love and lose, the next best.” — William Thackeray

4. “When you experience loss, people say you’ll move through the 5 stages of grief…. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance … what they don’t tell you is that you’ll cycle through them all every day.” ― Ranata Suzuki

5. “People should not judge failed love affairs as failed experiences, but as part of the growth process.” — Ethel Person

6. “The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are left unsaid and never explained.” ― Jonathan Harnisch

7. “In love, unlike most other passions, the recollection of what you have had and lost is always better than what you can hope for in the future.” — Stendhal

8. “I don't think, until you've actually lost somebody you really love, that you can go through that door that allows you to be grown-up.” — Felicity Kendal

9. “Falling out of love is very enlightening. For a short while you see the world with new eyes.” — Iris Murdoch

10. “Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.” — Kahlil Gibran

11. “Sometimes, only one person is missing, and the whole world seems depopulated.” — Alphonse de Lamartine

12. “Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.” — Washington Irving

13. “When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.” ― George R.R. Martin

14. "Love isn't there to make us happy. I believe it exists to show us how much we can endure." — Hermann Hesse

15. “It's better to have loved and lost than to have to do forty pounds of laundry a week.” — Laurence J. Peter